Stuff to eat. Mostly around St. Louis.
Parsley Mojito
I presented Chelsea Little with a hypothetical: let's say there's a guy, roughly 28 years old, who makes terrible drinks at home, so he wants a recipe for a cocktail that has only a few ingredients, is spring-themed, and can easily be scaled for a group of people. Her solution to my my friend's request was something between a mojito and a julep, though I don't know the actual difference between those drinks. Wikipedia tells me it's kind of close to an "English mojito", a drink that no one has ever heard of before. Whatever. As long as it's not made with vodka, I'll drink it.
This creation is great for a spring afternoon. There's something about it that makes me want to put on a pastel sweater vest, talk about the stock market, and maybe even play a little golf. It's either that or it's like being transported to Ina Garten's house. You step out into her enormous Hamptons garden, pick the most perfect bunch of parsley, then go wait in the solarium for her to bring in a big pitcher of it and some immaculately plated smoked salmon. I'm not sure which one.
The eucalyptus adds an extra punch of heady herbal notes. That's Chelsea's thing. It's just like Traditional Chinese Medicine, except it gets you drunk and tastes good. This recipe makes one (1) cocktail, but if you're good at math, you'll figure out how to make a jug full.
Like most of us at home, Olive & Oak doesn't have a crushed ice machine, hence the photos of Chelsea beating a burlap sack with a mallet. You can beat your ice with whatever tools you'd like!
Parsley Mojito
Parsley Mojito
INGREDIENTS
PARSLEY MOJITO/JULEP
1/2 oz lime juice
1/2 oz eucalyptus simple syrup*
2 oz gin
parsley
club soda
ice
EUCALYPTUS SIMPLE SYRUP
dried eucalyptus
1 c sugar
1 c water
METHOD
EUCALYPTUS SIMPLE SYRUP
Go to Michael’s (yes, the craft store) and buy dried eucalyptus. Take equal parts sugar and water, bring to a boil, and stir until dissolved. Put in eucalyptus and let come to room temperature. Remove eucalyptus.
PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER
Fill a glass halfway with parsley, then stir/smash to release oils.
Pour in the liquid ingredients, then fill glass with crushed ice. Stir, then top with club soda.
Dill Last Word
Olive and Oak' bar
You would think the guy who named his website Whiskey and Soba might know a thing or two about whiskey and cocktails, but you would be wrong. I don't know anything. I know that I dislike vodka—my Russian ancestors must be rolling in their graves—and generally enjoy gin, tequila, and whiskey. All the cocktails I know how to make are basic bitch cocktails.
Looking to learn a thing or two about crafting cocktails, I've turned to Olive + Oak's Chelsea Little, a badass bartender and one of my favorite people in town. She and Nate Weber used to do an excellent job of getting me sauced at The Libertine.
I don't think she knew what a n00b I was when it comes to drinks, though. Here's how our conversation went:
CL: I'm thinking I'll make a "Dill Last Word," a play on "The Last Word" cocktail.
Me: Cool. What's "The Last Word"?
CL: It's a classic cocktail made with gin, Green Chatreuse. I use some Aquavit, too...
Me: Cool. What's Green Chartreuse? And Aquavit?
CL stabs me in the face. End scene.
Wikipedia tells me that the drink originally came from the Detroit Athletic Club in the 1920s, which just screams class.
Little's take on the drink kicks up the herbaceous nature of the drink. The glass is lined with Aquavit, a spicy spirit, and she infuses the maraschino liqueur with fresh dill.
It's easy to make and even easier to drink. Keep this handy for springtime get togethers and summertime BBQ's. It's almost like a palate cleansing sorbet that can get you drunk.
Dill Last Word
by Chelsea Little
Dill Last Word
INGREDIENTS
DILL LAST WORD
3/4 oz St. George gin
3/4 oz Green Chartreuse
3/4 oz lime juice
3/4 oz maraschino liqueur
Aquavit
Dill
Ice
METHOD
Combine the maraschino and a handful of dill in a jar. Leave overnight.
Pour a small amount of Aquavit in the serving glass and swirl it around all sides. Pour out (or drink).
Add gin, chartreuse, lime juice, maraschino, ice and extra dill to a shaker. Shake.
Double strain into a coupe glass. If you want to go totally pro, fill a spritz bottle with peppercorn tincture and spray on to finish.
