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B2 — THE OBSERVER & BAKER CITY HERALD
TUESDAY, AUGUST 3, 2021
Cocktails infused with summer fl avor
TROPICAL
TEQUILA
By SHARYN JACKSON
Minneapolis Star Tribune
MINNEAPOLIS — Fruit,
fl owers, herbs — nothing says
summer more than the bounty
from farmers markets or our own
gardens. Those fresh ingredients
that fi ll our baskets are also the
best places to start when crafting
summer cocktails.
“We’re seasonal drinkers here
in Minnesota,” said Christian
Kyllonen, a bartender at Nolo’s
Kitchen and its breezy Rooftop
Bar in Minneapolis. “Obviously,
in summer, you think fresh and
fruity.”
That’s why Kyllonen jams his
cocktails with the fl avors of water-
melon, blueberry and lavender,
cucumber and berries.
He also leans toward clear
spirits. “Wintertime comes
around, I’m drinking stouts and
Scotch and whiskey,” he said.
“Summertime, I think tequila, I
think vodka, gin, more of those
lighter liquors.”
Bars across the Twin Cities
are welcoming guests back with a
slate of fun and refreshing concoc-
tions that speak to the season.
With surfboards for tables and
three churning slushie machines,
the menu at the Rooftop Bar,
perched on the top fl oor of the cen-
tury-old Maytag building in the
North Loop, is fi rmly rooted in
summer.
The Raspberry 75 takes the
classic gin cocktail and infuses
it with bursts of berry fl avors.
The cucumber smash melds the
salad staple with vodka, green tea,
mango and lime. And the Trop-
ical Tequila layers the spirit, a can
of fruit-fl avored Red Bull and a
splash of orange juice — a drink
that is easily re-engineered at
home.
After all, Kyllonen says
this summer might be tequila’s
moment to shine. “One hundred
percent,” he added.
It’s also the summer of travel,
after a long dry spell. Playing
up that theme is Travail’s Base-
ment Bar in Robbinsdale, which,
throughout July, is off ering three
vacation-themed cocktail fl ights
— one is nonalcoholic — inspired
by the beaches of the Caribbean,
Hawaii and Polynesia. In more
than a dozen fruit-forward drinks
from bar director Nathaniel Smith,
everything from the glassware
(a glass puff er fi sh and a ceramic
Great White shark) to the gar-
Serves 1.
Note: From Rooftop Bar in Minneapolis.
1 1/2 ounces (3 tablespoons) tequila
Tropical- or citrus- fl avored soda,
such as Red Bull Yellow Edition
Splash of orange juice
Ice, for serving
Fill a highball glass with ice. Add
tequila. Add tropical soda almost to
the top of the glass. Top with a splash
of orange juice.
BASIL GIMLET
Serves 1.
Note: To make simple syrup, mix equal
amounts of sugar and water and heat
until sugar is dissolved. From Minneap-
olis bartender Britt Tracy.
2 ounces (4 tablespoons) gin
3/4 ounces (1 1/2 tablespoons)
simple syrup
3/4 ounces (1 1/2 tablespoons)
fresh lime juice
Pinch of salt
1 to 2 basil leaves or other fresh herbs
Ice, for shaking
Fill a cocktail shaker with ice. Add
gin, simple syrup, lime juice and a
pinch of salt. Shake vigorously for 20 to
30 seconds. Strain into a coupe glass.
Twist and rub the basil leaves in your
hands to muddle before dropping
them into the glass.
HIBISCUS AND
ORANGE ICED TEA
Jeff Wheeler-Minneapolis Star Tribune/TNS
Cocktails from NOLO’s Kitchen & Bar. The two in front are the Cucumber Smash, and a Raspberry 75. In the back row are, from
left, the La Chapa, an orange mocktail, Sangria, Tropical Tequila, the Hearts of Fire and a Pink Lemonade Slushie.
nishes (a fl amingo pool fl oatie)
evokes summer fun in the tropics.
But summer drinks don’t have
to be complicated, drink-makers
say, and don’t be afraid to play
with what you have on hand.
“I just love fresh herbs in cock-
tails,” said Britt Tracy, a Twin
Cities bartender who’s also on
staff at the north Minneapolis
wine shop Henry & Son. “From a
Minnesota perspective, we spend
a lot of our time without local pro-
duce, and it’s all about preserva-
tion. Summer is the best time to
use fresh ingredients.”
Home bartenders armed
with fragrant, just-snipped
herbs can enliven almost any
classic cocktail.
“It feels good to be at the
farmers market and buy every
herb,” Tracy said. Infusing them
into vinegars, oils, simple syrups
and spirits is capturing the essence
of summer in a glass.”
Simply rubbing an herb in your
hands to crush it before drop-
ping it into your cocktail glass can
make a world of diff erence, like in
Tracy’s basil-scented gimlet (see
recipe).
Flowers, too, have a home in
quenching drinks for the hottest
days.
In the Middle East, nonalco-
holic cold beverages are lightly
sweetened with fl oral syrups
derived from orange blossom or
rose “to make them more celebra-
tory,” said Salma Hage, author of
the upcoming “Middle Eastern
Sweets.” One of Hage’s favorites
is an iced tea from dried hibiscus
fl ower petals, mixed with orange
juice and mint, a cool and tart
brew that’s an “ideal drink for a
heatwave,” and complex enough to
be an all-ages pleaser.
Garden aside, there’s one more
unexpected ingredient that can
elevate the freshest drinks.
Tracy likes to add a pinch
of salt to her shaken cocktails,
a tactic that “helps emphasize
and embolden already existing
players” in the glass, she said.
Think of it as taking a margarita’s
salt rim to the next level. “It’s so
much better.”
Makes about 2 1/2 cups.
Note: Dried hibiscus fl owers, which can
be found in many grocery stores in tea
bags or loose, lend a tart and tannic
fl avor to a brew that could be served hot
or cold, says Salma Hage, author of the
forthcoming “Middle Eastern Sweets”
(Phaidon). Make this iced tea ahead of
time and serve as an alternative to alco-
holic beverages.
2 tablespoons dried hibiscus fl owers
Strips of orange peel from 1/2 orange
Scant 1/4 cup orange juice
A few sprigs of mint, for garnish
Ice, for serving
Bring 2 1/2 cups of water to a boil, then
turn off the heat and add the hibiscus
fl owers and the strips of orange peel.
Cover and let steep for 20 minutes. Strain
the tea and add the orange juice. Allow
to cool in the fridge. Serve with fresh mint
leaves and plenty of ice.
A simple, spicy sauce
Puttanesca can
be served over
pasta or on bread
By GRETCHEN McKAY
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
The Feast of the Seven
Fishes is a much-anticipated
holiday tradition for Ital-
ian-Americans, tradition-
ally served on Christmas
Eve to celebrate La Vigilia,
the period of waiting for the
Christ child’s birth.
Menus range from
simple to over the top, with
everything from squid,
smelts and shrimp sharing
the table with cod, octopus
and lobster. The only rule
is there has to be at least
seven courses, each with a
diff erent seafood.
Summer is prime time to
source seasonal, responsibly
caught seafood like bran-
zino, shrimp and octopus.
To whet your appetite, DiA-
noia’s Eatery in Pittsburgh’s
Strip District is sharing
Chef Tyler England’s recipe
for Puttanesca Crostini.
Puttanesca is a simple
and spicy sauce made with
anchovies, olives, tomatoes,
capers and garlic. It’s usu-
ally served on top of pasta
but can also be enjoyed
on toasted crostini as a
summer appetizer, as it is
here, or on crusty sandwich
bread for lunch. I know
there are rules about cheese
and fi sh, but I think a
dusting of grated Parmesan
would add a lovely fi nish.
Puttanesca sauce is
much loved because it usu-
ally comes together quickly,
in less than 30 minutes.
This version cooks a bit
longer until it is thick and
stew-like.
Don’t be afraid of the
anchovies in the ingre-
dient list. They melt as they
cook and don’t really taste
fi shy, adding a rich umami
that pairs perfectly with
tomatoes.
The sauce can be refrig-
erated in a glass container
for up to six days or frozen
in a resealable container for
up to three months; thaw
overnight in the refriger-
ator and reheat in a large
saucepan or frying pan
until hot.
PUTTANESCA
CROSTINI
8 ounces olive oil
4 or 5 cloves garlic, minced
1 2-ounce can anchovies
fi llets in oil, drained
2 teaspoons red pepper fl akes
6 ounces pitted Kalamata
olives, chopped
2 ounces capers, rinsed
28-ounce can chopped
Italian tomatoes, or
whole, crushed by hand
1 bunch fresh parsley, chopped
1 loaf crusty bread, thinly
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In this easy appetizer, crostini are topped with puttanesca, a spicy
sauce made with tomato, capers, olives, garlic and anchovy.
sliced and toasted
Heat olive oil over medium
heat in a medium sauce pot,
When oil is hot, add garlic, an-
chovies and red pepper fl akes.
Saute until fragrant, about 1-2
minutes. (Anchovies will melt as
they cook).
Add chopped olives and
capers and saute for another
2-3 minutes.
Add canned tomatoes with
their juices, stir to combine and
then stew the sauce for 90 min-
utes on low heat, stirring occa-
sionally. Once stewed it should
be pretty thick, and most of the
water should evaporate.
Add chopped parsley and
check for seasoning; add salt if
necessary.
Transfer sauce to a serving
bowl and serve with toasted
bread.
Makes about 3 cups of sauce.
— Cher Tyler England, DiA-
noia’s Eatery, Strip District
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