Just over two weeks ago, I broke my left pinkie toe. The podiatrist taped it to its neighbor and encased my foot in a surgical shoe to keep my toes from bending. Since then, I've been slowly franken-walking my way from home to subway to work, around the office, and back home.
Not only has it been exhausting, but it has reminded me that no matter how great a city New York is, it is also full of high-octane, self-absorbed, impatient people. I have stood on the subway and watched people see my foot and avoid eye contact so they don't feel obligated to offer me a seat. I have been honked at because I am taking too long to cross the street. I have had my injured foot kicked by head-phoned remorseless commuters.
Oh, yes I know. Things could be much worse. I could be on crunches, or I could be managing a much longer term health problem that limits my ability to function. So, in that way I feel fortunate and thankful and all those other things we should feel for the health that we have.
Nevertheless, I have been immensely cranky and have spent significant time fantasizing about moving to the beach. So, I thought, "What can I do to cheer myself up?" And, there was only one answer...
Happy Hour
A boozy happy hour that goes all evening in the company of fun and interesting folks.
The menu included some of my favorite cocktails and snacks. The invitation was informal with a drop-by-whenever vibe. It was so much fun, I'm thinking about making it a monthly event.
And today, although I was honked at again, a guy in a car at the next intersection shouted "Hey! I'll carry you across the street!" And that made me smile a great big genuine grin, because that is what I love about New York, and based on his accent I'd say he was a born-and-bred New Yorker. In hindsight, I should have invited him to the next happy hour.
Cocktails
Ramp Martini (with a beet)
2 oz gin
.25 oz Dolin dry vermouth
.25 oz brine from pickled ramps
pickled beet for garnish*
By the way, if you're ready to make your own pickled ramps, now is a great time to stock up on pickling supplies. We are only 6-8 weeks away from ramp season!
Dirty Martini
2.5 oz gin
.5 oz olive brine**
cold green olive (without pimento) for garnish
Ironic Manhattan
2.5 oz bourbon
.5 oz Carpano Antica
Angostura orange bitters
Brandied or all-natural maraschino cherry for garnish
Sazarac
2 oz rye
3-4 dashes Peychaud's bitters
1 tsp agave syrup
splash of water
splash of Herbsaint
lemon peel for garnish
Not only has it been exhausting, but it has reminded me that no matter how great a city New York is, it is also full of high-octane, self-absorbed, impatient people. I have stood on the subway and watched people see my foot and avoid eye contact so they don't feel obligated to offer me a seat. I have been honked at because I am taking too long to cross the street. I have had my injured foot kicked by head-phoned remorseless commuters.
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| A pickled beet in a martini gradually turns it pink... |
Nevertheless, I have been immensely cranky and have spent significant time fantasizing about moving to the beach. So, I thought, "What can I do to cheer myself up?" And, there was only one answer...
Happy Hour
A boozy happy hour that goes all evening in the company of fun and interesting folks.
The menu included some of my favorite cocktails and snacks. The invitation was informal with a drop-by-whenever vibe. It was so much fun, I'm thinking about making it a monthly event.
Cocktails
Ramp Martini (with a beet)
2 oz gin
.25 oz Dolin dry vermouth
.25 oz brine from pickled ramps
pickled beet for garnish*
- Chill a martini glass either in the freezer or with ice water
- Shake gin, vermouth and ramp brine with ice
- Strain into chilled martini glass
- Garnish with pickled ramp (or beet)
By the way, if you're ready to make your own pickled ramps, now is a great time to stock up on pickling supplies. We are only 6-8 weeks away from ramp season!
Dirty Martini
2.5 oz gin
.5 oz olive brine**
cold green olive (without pimento) for garnish
- Chill a martini glass either in the freezer or with ice water
- Shake gin, vermouth and brine with ice
- Strain into chilled martini glass
- Garnish with olive
2.5 oz bourbon
.5 oz Carpano Antica
Angostura orange bitters
Brandied or all-natural maraschino cherry for garnish
- Chill a martini glass either in the freezer or with ice water
- Add ice and a few dashes of bitters to the bottom of a shaker
- Add bourbon and Carpano
- Stir
- Strain into the chilled glass
- Garnish with a brandied cherry
Sazarac
2 oz rye
3-4 dashes Peychaud's bitters
1 tsp agave syrup
splash of water
splash of Herbsaint
lemon peel for garnish
- Chill a rocks glass with ice water
- Stir agave, water, and bitters in the bottom of a cocktail shaker or another rocks glass until mixed together
- Add a few cubes of ice and the rye, stir
- Drain the chilled glass, pour in Herbsaint and swirl to coat the glass, drain extra Herbsaint
- Strain cocktail into the glass
- Garnish with lemon peel
- Cheese board with brie, Coach Farms goat cheese, Campo de Montelban, and a nice sharp blue, plus dried figs, apricots, fig and almond paste, and honey
- Cauliflower pickled with lemon-and-sage and beets pickled with fennel, mustard seed and coriander (almost the last of the year's pickled bounty!)
- Oil poached yellow-fin tuna (which I made following Katie O'Donnell's recipe for blue fish, courtesy of Mermaid's Garden CSF)
- Fantastic sourdough bread from an amazing, about-to-take-off local baker who is also my neighbor (served with delicious blue cheese)
- Warm dates stuffed with goat cheese and wrapped with basil and prosciutto
- Fennel salami and prosciutto-wrapped cantaloupe (which was a surprisingly delicious out-of-season treat)
- Rosemary, Almond and Parmesan Cocktail Cookies and Tarragon Apricot Cocktail Cookies (Food & Wine)
- Porcini-and-Pecan Pâté (Food & Wine)
- Sugar-and-Spiced Nuts (Food & Wine)
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| Photo by Catherine Oddenino |
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