The Stalker

Another fresh month and another new MxMo is upon us, this time from the gracious Ed over at Wordsmithing Pantagruel...

With the warm days of summer now fading off into the distance in our rear view mirrors, let's pay one last tribute to the greens of summer before the frosts come and our outdoor herb gardens give up the ghost for the winter. For our theme for this month, I have chosen: (it's not easy) "Bein' Green." (Perchance due in no small part to my predilection for Green Chartreuse.) I'm giving you a wide berth on this one, anything using a green ingredient is fair play. There's not only the aforementioned Chartreuse; how about Absinthe Verte, aka the green fairy. Or Midori, that stuff is pretty damn green. Crème de menthe? Why not? Douglas Fir eau de vie? Bring it! Apple schnapps? Uh...well...it is green. I suppose if you want to try to convince me it makes something good you can have at it. But it doesn't have to be the liquor. Limes are green. So is green tea. Don't forget the herb garden: mint, basil, cilantro, you name it - all fair game. There's also the veritable cornucopia from the farmers market: green apples, grapes, peppers, olives, celery, cucumbers...you get the idea. Like I said, wide berth. Base, mixer, and or garnish; if it's green it's good. Surprise me. Use at least one, but the more the merrier.

As you'll see below, I kept it pretty simple on this one.  My green of choice was celery...an intriguing component for being at the forefront of a cocktail, but the first thought that came to mind upon reading the theme was celery bitters.  I followed this and came up with a slightly bitter/aromatic savory cocktail using celery infused vodka, Dolin dry vermouth, Cynar, and, of course, celery bitters.

Petiolus

2 oz celery-infused vodka*

1 oz Dolin dry vermouth

1/2 oz Cynar

1 dash Bitter Truth celery bitters

Combine all ingredients to mixing glass with ice and stir until well chilled.  Strain into a cocktail coupe and garnish with lemon zest twist.  

Celery-infused vodka*

2 stalks celery, shredded into ribbons with a peeler

12 oz Sobieski vodka

Combed ingredients in glass jar and store in the fridge 2-3 days, shaking twice daily.  Strain/squeez thru cheesecloth into a fresh bottle and refrigerate.

 

Petiolus

And with this last 'summery' theme of (it's not easy) "Bein' Green" we may well march forward into the fall and winter months with at least one more round of cocktails that remind us of the warmer days gone by.  Thanks once again to Ed over at Wordsmithing Pantagruel for another great theme and be sure to check back for the MxMo round up post to see everybody's green contributions.