Project Foodie - Hip Sips - Food Forward Cocktails

Hip Sips - Food Forward Cocktails

Save Recipe: Ruby

Master mixologist Lucy Brennan has shaken up cocktails with her "food forward" approach that incorporates cooking creativity and food pairing into the art of making cocktails. As a result, cooking is no longer just for food, and food pairings involve a lot more than wine. In "Hip Sips", Brennan presents this approach through a collection of great cocktail recipes combined with interesting insights into making cocktails. "I love teaching people to make cocktails," says Brennan. "Hip Sips is my way of encouraging people to experiment with cocktail combinations and think differently about their favorite food and spirits".

Lucy not only provides this collection of cocktail recipes but she also provides basic essential information combined with personal reflections on the evolution of cocktails. The basics include glassware and tool selection along with spirit selection to ensure a properly stocked bar. Brennan emphasizes technique and process throughout the book, including such items as the essentials of ice, shaking and muddling. Brennan also includes suggestions on pairing cocktails with various foods, including cocktails to go with omelets, fish & chips, flan, and more. For example, today's recipe the "Ruby" is a dirty martini alternative that incorporates beet-infused vodka that Lucy suggests pairing with a mixed green salad or crostini and aged goat cheese.

Ruby

From Hip Sips by Lucy Brennan, Chronicle Books 2007

Cocktail ice cubes for chilling and shaking
3 ounces Beet-Infused Vodka (recipe follows)
1/2 ounce Fresh Lemon-Lime Juice
1/2 ounce Simple Syrup

Fill a 5-ounce martini glass with ice and set aside to chill. Fill a tempered pint glass with ice and add the vodka, lemon-lime juice, and simple syrup. Cap the glass with a stainless-steel cocktail shaker and shake vigorously for 10 seconds. Empty the ice from the martini glass. Strain the drink into the martini glass and serve immediately.

Serves 1

Beet-Infused Vodka

From Hip Sips by Lucy Brennan, Chronicle Books 2007

3 red beets (1 1/2 pounds), peeled and sliced into quarters
1 bottle (1 liter) Monopolowa vodka

Put the beets in a wide-mouth glass jar with a lid. Clear, two-gallon cookie jars work well. Add the vodka and seal the container. (Reserve the vodka bottle for refilling.) The mixture will immediately turn a bright ruby color. Store in a cool, dark place for 3 days, stirring each day. The infused vodka will be a deep purple color with a strong, earthy beet taste. Using a slotted spoon, remove and discard the beets. Place a funnel in the reserved vodka bottle and pour the infused vodka into the bottle. Cap and store in the refrigerator for up to 6 months.

Makes 1 liter

About Hip Sips

In Hip Sips, Lucy Brennan shakes up the cocktail world with more than 60 refreshing drinks brimming with exotic combinations of ripened fruits, herbs, flavorings, and spirits. Guava Cosmos, a martini as smooth as James Bond, a frosty bowl of passion fruit-infused citrus punch. . . Add a few recipes for fruit purées and infused vodkas, the author's signature garnishes (like lollipop rims, citrus twists, and berry picks), and a waterproof clear vinyl jacket, and this handy little book will turn the home bar into a hip and happening hotspot.