I was honored to be invited by Art in the Age to a Pre-Pohibition era tasting preview of ROOT at Boulder’s Bitter Bar. I had never heard of this spirit and was quite intrigued after reading that what we know as the non-alcoholic beverage root beer actually shares historical roots with a delicious spirit that has been re-created and is now available in Colorado: ROOT.

The Bitter Bar’s illustrious mixologist Mark Stoddard created some noteworthy cocktails featuring ROOT that I am eager to return and try over and over and over…

The evening started with a taste of ROOT on its own and my root beer-loving taste buds were pleased. I love the flavor of root beer, but, being someone who does not drink soda, never drink it. Not to sound like an alcoholic, but, I am so glad that ROOT, a fine spirit, now can fill that flavor-space in my life. (big smile here!)

After the first taste of ROOT on its own, came Stoddard’s creation of ROOT, fresh lime, mint, and ginger beer. Perfect.

Next came his ROOT, yellow chartreuse, spiced cranberry compote, and maple bitters. Perfect again.

(The Happy Noodle was serving us some ROOT-inspired delicious food with these drinks, by the way…)

Then came ROOT with rye whiskey served over and allspice dram and local apple cider ice cube. Genius. Make ice cubes with apple cider. I am going to do this really soon. Probably as soon as I buy my first bottle of ROOT, which is likely to be tonight or tomorrow at Liquor Mart.

And the cream of the crop was probably the BEST root beer float I’ve ever had (or ROOT float?)

ROOT over Fernet Branca ice cream, topped with fresh grated nutmeg. I’d like to serve this at Thanksgiving.

Now, ROOT is a certified organic natural spirit of 80 proof. This will explain why my photos are a bit blurry. It was an eventful, fun, thirst-quenching evening.

If you’d like to try ROOT, served by a professional mixologist, head on over to The Bitter Bar and taste some of Mark’s creations. You can also get some ideas to inspire your own creations on the ROOT website: Art in the Age.

Enjoy responsibly, of course.

One of the newer staples in my arsenal of Savory Spice Shop ingredients is Korean Aged Black Garlic. It can turn an ordinary dinner into something much more interesting and unique, so, pick some up and experiment.

Here’s what I did this time…

Ingredients:

• One block firm tofu, frozen, thawed, pressed, and cut into 1 inch cubes
• 2 TB chopped garlic
• 2 TB chopped black garlic (which you can find at Savory Spice Shop)
• 1 TB grated ginger
• 4 TB soy sauce (divided in half)
• 1 TB sesame oil
• 1 TB rice vinegar
• 1 lime
• 1/2 cup white wine
• baby bok choy, chopped and divided between leafy greens and celery-like stem
• soba or udon noodles
• 3-4 TB toasted sesame oil
• toasted sesame seeds (I buy my seeds already toasted from Savory Spice Shop)
• chopped peanuts

Heat up a wok with 1 TB sesame oil. When hot, add the tofu cubes, ginger, garlic, and 2 TB soy sauce. Let this cook a bit, tossing it around occasionally. Squeeze half of the lime, mix, and let it cook. Next, add the chopped stem part of the bok choy and 1 TB rice vinegar. Then add the white wine and the rest of the soy sauce and let it cook another few minutes (approximately 10 minutes total).

By now, the noodles should be boiled, drained, and rinsed. Add the noodles to the wok as well as the leafy part of the bok choy and toasted sesame oil, and gently stir to mix it all evenly and heat the noodles all the way through.

Scoop some noodles into a bowl and top with some toasted sesame seeds, chopped peanuts, and a spritz of lime. Enjoy with chopsticks.

There is something about fresh, local, organic, seasonal brussel sprouts. I look forward to them each year.

For this dish, I put 1 pound of brussel sprouts in a baking dish with a sliced apple and a diced yellow onion. I tossed it in approximately 1 TB of heavy whipping cream, 1 TB of local honey from New Moon Farms, and a pinch of Red Algae Hawaiian Kai Sea Salt.

Cover with foil and bake at 350 for 30 minutes or so, until the brussel sprouts are tender. I served this with Honey Mustard Roasted Chicken. Great meal!

After roasting my chicken, I had a lot of pan juices, so I poured a cup or so into a sauce pan on medium low heat.

To that I added approximately a tablespoon of cornstarch that had been dissolved in 1/4 cup water.

Mix well and let thicken for a few minutes.

That’s it: Gravy.