Rhuby Spritz the perfct summer cocktail

One of the most memorable cocktails I've had was during a visit to the OXO Tower London last summer, it was called Rhuby Spritz.  A rhubarb vodka muddled with redcurrants and charged with soda it was the perfect British summer drink. 

I say British as not only are rhubarb and redcurrants quintessentially British, the vodka in this cocktail is made by British distiller William chase, a Hereford potato farmer who brought us Terrell's crisps.

In Williams story he describes whilst travelling in the USA looking for packaging equipment for his crisps he stumbled upon a small distillery making potato vodka and thought this could be a great new chapter in his life. He reportedly sold his crisp business for £30 million deciding it would be more fun to make vodka ( have to agree there ) Chase vodka has since gone from strength to strength. In 2010 Chase was crowned the worlds finest vodka by a panel of 30 judges at the San Fransisco world spirit competition, beating the likes of Poland and Russia.

Distilling in a bespoke copper batch pot and using potatoes gives Chase vodka a natural sweetness and a much better taste than traditional methods of using cheaper wheat or rye grains.

I'm a big fan of trying to reproduce cocktails at home that I have tried and loved. Especially the classics that have an interesting story attatched to them. Although Rhuby Spritzs not in that category I loved it enough to want to make at home.

So I wanted to find out how to make this drink using the exact ingredients. 
The Mixologist at OXO kindly gave me the recipe.

Chase vodka is not cheap at £35 a bottle but the quality is amazing, and the taste of rhubarb comes through superbly.

Ingredients to make a Rhuby spritz


 

Ingredients
6-8 Redcurrants
1/2 tsp Caster sugar
15ml of lemon juice
50ml Chase Rhubarb vodka
Soda water

Glass style - Tall fluted - Highball
Method - Muddle - Shaken - Charge with soda
Garnish - Slice of lemon - String of recurrants

Method
Muddle 6-8 redcurrants with a 1/2 tsp caster sugar and 15ml lemon juice in a cocktail shaker
Add a double shot of Chase Rhubarb vodka, ice & shake
Strain into a glass filled with ice
Stir and top up with soda water
Garnish with a slice of lemon and some of the redcurrants.

Rhuby Spritz the perfect summer cocktail

Enjoy!

Wild Garlic and Lemon Risotto

Wild Garlic

Wild garlic seems to be on trend at the moment, over the last few weeks I've seen countless recipes using it. Most probably because it's in season, spring has sprung and the foragers are out in force.

I loved the ingredients in this recipe posted on Lucy Antal's Grab Your Spoon Facebook page, so when I spotted wild garlic this weekend at my local farmers market at Lark Lane, Liverpool http://www.larklane.com/farmersmarket/ dinner was decided.

You can see the original recipe here http://www.wellseasoned.co.uk/recipes/wild-garlic-and-lemon-risotto/

Risotto is a very quick and easy meal to put together, I like to have the prep done in advance so when you fancy eating, it can be on the plate within twenty five to thirty minutes.

Ingredients

• 1 small white onion, finely diced
• 2 stalks of celery, finely chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, finely crushed
• Risotto rice (110g for 2 people)
• A tiny pinch of dried herbs (dried sage and rosemary – just a pinch of each) Salt and Pepper
• Vegetable stock ( I made up a litre using four teaspoons of Bouillon stock powder, used most of this save a ladleful )
•  1 small glass of white wine ( I used a Sauvignon blanc, it's citrus and grassy notes perfect for this )
• A splash of rapeseed oil
• A knob of salted butter
• Handful of freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• A handful of freshly wild garlic
• 1 Lemon (zest only)

To dress the dish: ( original recipe calls for 1 pot of Well Seasoned Wild Garlic, Basil & Mint Pesto) I did not have this so just used the other two ingredients.
1) Parmesan shavings
2) Baby Rocket

Prep
Finely chop onion and celery, crush the garlic, zest the lemon, grate parmesan and weigh the rice.

Method

• Heat rapeseed oil and a knob of butter in a large saucepan.
• Add the celery, onion, garlic and herbs and fry gently until slightly softened.
• Add the rice and continue frying for 4 minutes. Season well with salt and pepper.
• Make up the vegetable stock and keep it warm.
• Add the small glass of white wine to the pan; this should simmer immediately. Let the alcohol evaporate for 2 minutes.
• Add the hot stock, a ladleful every few minutes and constantly stir the risotto until the stock is absorbed. Keep the heat low, the risotto should be only just bubbling.
• The rice will take roughly 22 minutes to cook. The texture should be oozey.
• Once you are happy that the risotto is cooked and seasoned well, turn the heat off and stir in the Wild Garlic, the lemon zest and the Parmesan, and let it rest for 4 minutes.

Tip! If you’re feeling indulgent stir in a little knob of butter at the end, this makes the risotto even richer and glossier. Serve in warm bowls, garnish with some Parmesan shavings, baby rocket leaves and a drizzle of rapeseed oil.