Richmond Wine Stock
Just in time for the holidays, celebrate the Lychee Cocktail.
Cocktails, as opposed to straight liquor, became popular during Prohibition to mask the taste of homemade spirits. Prohibition-era drink recipes called for cream, egg, fruit juice, sugar and other masking agents as add-ins. Thus, spirits such as gin, bourbon and brandy, previously drunk straight, were mixed to taste like shooters poured over ice.
The current shooter-served-as-a-martini trend harkens to the days of bathtub gin. For some, sweet drinks are like gateway drugs: easy to consume.
In my opinion, a proper martini consists of gin, vermouth and one olive. The addition of any other ingredients makes the drink a shooter or a salad. The popularity of the shooter/salad martini, as palatable as a Tom and Jerry punch bowl in July, has yet to fade in Richmond. In the spirit of camaraderie, a compromise can be reached. There are elegant, untraditional “martini” cocktails. These consist of infused vodka and/or light additions of flavor to vodka. It’s easy to create one’s own signature flavor vodka by mixing fruit, herbs or spice into the hooch. As in most things, homemade outshines store bought. Raspberry Stoli , Vanilla Sky and their ilk tends to taste like air freshener.
Unlike gin, vodka is almost flavorless, making it a medium for mixing with almost any ingredient you care to experiment with. Select an assertive vodka, such as Smirnoff, and add a splash of lychee syrup to make an exceptional cocktail. Lychee fruit, native to China, is a subdued version of Juicy Fruit gum. Fragrant, sweet and feminine, lychee is a match with vodka. The slight burn of Smirnoff, or the floral and citrus undertones of Sky, fit hand in glove with lychee.
To mix the drink you will need:
One can of lychee fruit, available at Asian markets
Vodka (preferably Smirnoff or Sky)
Ice
Procedure: Fill a shaker glass with ice. Pour 4 parts vodka to a scant 1 part canned syrup. STIR the drink until chilled, about 10 seconds. (Shaking is optional; it will dilute the alcohol by introducing ice crystals into the drink—but will make the martini much colder.) For garnish, plunk a lychee in the drink; let it sink to the bottom of the glass to infuse with vodka.
Seasonal variation: Substitute longon fruit, also available at Asian markets, such as Tan-A. Longon fruit is available in winter months, and is similar to lychee in taste and texture.
Next week: Demystifying restaurant wine pricing and a report on area restaurants’ wine lists.
Don't Miss Wine Event:
John Cheski, of Free Run Wine Merchants, alerts us of a fabulous wine event this week hosted by a mentor to myself and many other wine lovers in Richmond.
This Sunday, December 7th, starting at 5:30 p.m. at Six Burner Restaurant:
Dr. Joseph Formica, professor of The Wine School, and longtime board member of the Richmond Wine Society has agreed to teach us about the history of wine in Burgundy France, how it has evolved with the concept of terroir, and the ways in which the New World style of pinot noir fit in with this concept and style of wine making. It will be a "Sideways" visit to Burgundy.
The tasting includes six fine wines from France, Oregon's Willamette Valley and Otego New Zealand.
1. St.Aubin Blanc "en Remilly" 1er Cru 2007
2. Dessaunau-Bissey Chamolie Musigny Combe d'Orveaux 2005
3. Chevillon-Chezeaux Nuits St.George 2006
4. Neyers Carneros Chardonnay 2006
5. Arterberry Maresh Pinot Noir (White Rose Vineyard) Willamette Valley, OR 2006
6. Wild Earth Pinot Noir, Central Otago New Zealand 2006
Heavy hors d'oeuvres to match will be served. Cost is $50.