...for your favorite gastronomer
I'm a day late, but what a busy weekend I had! Saturday night I was sipping prosecco with Columbus six stories above his namesake circle at a farewell party for Discovering Columbus, an exhibit by Tatzu Nishi (brought to us by The Public Art Fund). The artist built a living room around the statue, which was designed by Gaetano Russo and erected in 1892. It's so high above the circle it's hard to remember Columbus is even up there looking down the span of midtown and off into the sea. It was pretty darn neat to sip bubbly with him in his new living room. (Also, there were delicious gumdrops.)
And Sunday, I made brunch for CM and the MEs and then helped HA prepare for her holiday cocktail club meeting. There was hardly time for posting!
I know. You are not interested in my excuses. But I think you might be interested in the Bittered Baked Apple Toddies I made as a closing brunch beverage. CM was about to fly home to the great Northwest, and I couldn't think of a better drink for the occasion.
I was toddy-inspired after attending a class at the Brooklyn Brainery called Cocktail Bitters: History and Tasting Edition. It was taught by historic gastronomer Sarah Lohman, author of the blog Four Pounds Flour. I learned so much in just one hour!
For example:
I'm a day late, but what a busy weekend I had! Saturday night I was sipping prosecco with Columbus six stories above his namesake circle at a farewell party for Discovering Columbus, an exhibit by Tatzu Nishi (brought to us by The Public Art Fund). The artist built a living room around the statue, which was designed by Gaetano Russo and erected in 1892. It's so high above the circle it's hard to remember Columbus is even up there looking down the span of midtown and off into the sea. It was pretty darn neat to sip bubbly with him in his new living room. (Also, there were delicious gumdrops.)
And Sunday, I made brunch for CM and the MEs and then helped HA prepare for her holiday cocktail club meeting. There was hardly time for posting!I know. You are not interested in my excuses. But I think you might be interested in the Bittered Baked Apple Toddies I made as a closing brunch beverage. CM was about to fly home to the great Northwest, and I couldn't think of a better drink for the occasion.
I was toddy-inspired after attending a class at the Brooklyn Brainery called Cocktail Bitters: History and Tasting Edition. It was taught by historic gastronomer Sarah Lohman, author of the blog Four Pounds Flour. I learned so much in just one hour!
For example:
- Bitters are good for indigestion and as a digestif. (Good reason to have an after-dinner cocktail!)
- "Taking your bitters" in a morning cocktail was a good-for-you tradition in early America. (Great excuse for an early morning cocktail!)
- Bitters add another flavor component for your palate to enjoy and come in three primary categories: aromatic (Angostura, Peychaud's--think spicy clove and anise), citrus (orange, lemon, etc.), and herbal (lavender, celery, etc.).
- You can and should use bitters like any other part of your spice cabinet, no cocktails needed (well, a cocktail is always needed, in my mind, but you can put the bitters in other things too, like stir-fry, cake, and baked apples)
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| The Bittered Baked Apple Toddy |
We began class with a bittered apple hot toddy, which I recreated on Sunday using the recipe Ms. Lohman developed and shared with the class. It's very similar to her recipe on Four Pounds Flour in the post Cocktail Hour: Apple Toddy, but with 3-4 dashes of bitters instead of the spices. The bitters become the spice, and they do such a nice job adding flavor! (You might also want to check out her fun post: Drink Like a Colonial American Day, which starts with "taking your bitters.")
During class, we had the chance to taste seven different bitters by adding a few dashes to a two-ounce tasting cup and topping with seltzer. After all these years of cocktail mixing, I didn't quite understand how potent their flavor can be--I only knew that I like drinks with bitters better. Now I have a new appreciation for those potent drops.
If you're ready to experiment but not sure where to start, consider a travel kit from The Bitter Truth or another variety pack. This would also make an excellent gift for your favorite gastronomer or the amateur mixologist in your life. (It can't hurt to throw in a few airplane-size bottles of good liquor while your at it--the stress of holiday travel may just necessitate an on-the-fly cocktail!)
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