Four I'm Under My Host

The return trip to The Hungry Cat last night did not disappoint. I had the sea urchin appetizer, whose presentation was impressive. The top 1/3 of a whole urchin was removed and served on a platter of ice with olive oil crackers, fancy salt and a spoon.  It was very fresh…the spines of the urchin were still moving! This attracted attention from the adjacent tables. I followed this with the flat bread, topped with tuna confit and grilled, smoked veal. Yes, tuna and veal. It was fantastic.

Back to cocktails, though. I had the seasonal margarita, which was grapefruit. It was good but not worth prying the recipe out of the bartender. Shannon had (again) the sidecar-like “Jack Rose”. Here’s our guess at the recipe:

• 3 parts applejack brandy
• 1 part house-made grenadine
• 1 part fresh lemon juice

Now, I wouldn’t try this with store-bought grenadine, which would be too cloying and lack any interesting flavor characteristics. I don’t have the recipe for the grenadine so more research will be needed.

I did ask the bartender, though, for the recipe for the bourbon drink I had the other night, dubbed the “Wobbly Pop.” Here’s the detail:

•  3 parts infused bourbon. The bourbon was infused with cinnamon sticks (I detected some nutmeg too, I thought), Meyer lemons and pink-lady apples. Put in a suitable bottle and let sit for 2-3 weeks. No need to use expensive bourbon here.
• 1 part(or slightly less) fresh lemon juice
• 1 part simple syrup

Shake in a cocktail shaker and serve over crushed ice.

I’m not sure about the proportions yet as I haven’t made the infused bourbon so I can’t experiment yet. I’m headed to China & Spain for the next two weeks. If I get some infused bourbon started before I go I’ll have a full report when I get back.

Related posts:

1. A Taste of Persia