Tag: gin and tonic

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Molecular Cocktail Recipe: The Aviary Gin & Tonic

Happy New Year – a phrase that holds a special sort of optimism this time around. To kick off a new and hopefully better year, I thought I’d offer a post on a different kind of drink: a molecular cocktail. The inspiration came from the Aviary Cocktail Book, a gorgeously illustrated compendium of complicated but delicious cocktails by the Aviary bar in Chicago. I decided to make my way through the book this year. My goal is not necessarily to try every recipe, but at least to consider each one, try a few out and share the results here and on Instagram. The first entry in the book is the Aviary gin & tonic. This drink is not actually served at the restaurant, but is a delightful recipe to enjoy at home.

It is worth noting that the reason the Aviary doesn’t serve this drink is that it is too labor-intensive. That word of caution is well-heeded if you intend to make the cucumber spheres that are the drink’s signature component. I would budget several hours to that task. And it wouldn’t hurt to have a friend help you speed things along.

The good news is that the gin and tonic component is not actually all that complicated. And it is a delicious recipe that does well without the cucumber spheres if you don’t have the time or inclination to make them. (For more gin & tonic inspiration and some fun travel photography, see my last post, the Sunset G&T. Or if you’re doing Dry January, check out my Actually Dry Martini recipe.) But we’ll go through the whole thing here. With enough patience, you should end up with something that looks like this:

The Aviary gin & tonic
The Aviary Gin & Tonic. Glass from Washington, D.C.’s own Salt & Sundry.
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Classic Recipe with a Twist: Sunset Gin and Tonic

So much has happened since my last post on the blog! When we last left our hard-hitting cocktail coverage at the end of 2018, my world – our world – was a different place. Since that time, I had a big day at the day job, the aftermath of which has contributed to my extended absence from posting. (I’ve done a little better on Instagram, but only a little.)

And of course, since earlier this year, we’ve all been struggling to adjust to life during a pandemic. For some of us this has meant virtual quarantine. Some luminaries of the cocktail universe have sought to help us through it all. One offered to give us recipes we can use based on ingredients we have in our house (Derek Brown is just an amazing human being). Many others have minted new “quarantini” cocktails for us to sample. (I don’t have any of those for you, but I do have a classic martini, a hot and dirty martini, and even a totally dry (i.e., alcohol-free) martini for you if you’re interested.)

Pandemic/quarantine has knocked me off my cocktail blogging game a bit. I (like many of you I imagine) now work from home day after day and for some reason that new pattern has further disrupted my already disrupted flow for creating cocktails and then posting here about them. I’ve said “yes” to collaborations on Instagram, thinking they would motivate me to get back to it, but then failed to follow through. I guess there is a momentum to this kind of thing. It’s (at least by comparison) easy to keep blogging going when you’re consistent about it; but impossible when you get out of rhythm.

So I know better than to promise you that “I’m back,” but I am at least popping up to say hello and offer you something to drink as you wait patiently for the world to return to normal. This one is inspired by the last superfun thing I did before quarantine: visit South Africa.

South Africa is a wonderland. I can’t show you everything I loved about it – there isn’t enough space here (and at some point we need to get to the recipe). But let’s consider at least a few items: penguins, mountains, zebras and sunsets.

Penguins near the Cape of Good Hope
Penguins near Cape of Good Hope

The penguins flock in large groups and just kind of party, looking as awesome as you would imagine. There’s no ice or cold weather here – it was in the 70s or 80s (Fahrenheit) in this shot. But they look unperturbed as they mingle on the shore between occasional trips to the water to cool off and look for food.

Mountains along the Garden Route
Mountains along the Garden Route
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Drinking D.C.: Del Mar de Fabio Trabocchi

In case you hadn’t heard, there’s a lot happening down at the Wharf, the District’s latest development, a long-overdue overhaul of D.C.’s southwest waterfront.  It’s everything you would expect from a fancy new D.C. development, including shopping, restaurants, and even a new concert venue in the Anthem, and, most relevant to cocktail connoisseurs such as yourself, great drinks.

I had to check it out for myself, so I made it down there on a recent Friday evening.  It was a fantastic fall day weather-wise, which I mention because one of the selling points of a waterfront is being outside; indeed, several spots on the Wharf offer outdoor seating, including the latest outpost of Hank’s Oyster Bar.

But our party was headed to the Del Mar, the new spot by Fabio Trabocchi, he of Fiola, Casa Luca, Fiola Mara, and Sfoglina fame.  I’ve enjoyed a number of cocktails at these other establishments, but Del Mar takes it up a notch.  Consider, for example, this gin and tonic for two:

This cocktail – the Habla de ti Gin Tonic – is presented like no other I’ve seen in the District.  And it is a triumph in substance as well as form.  It combines Gin Mare, a house made tonic, lime, cava, brine foam and bay leaf for a complex, tangy gin and tonic that doesn’t last long (especially if you are sharing).  I would love to have the recipe for that house made tonic!

The gin and tonic was a show-stopper, but the cocktail menu isn’t a one-hit wonder.  I also had the chance to sample the Sangre de Toro, a cocktail featuring blood orange and rose infused vodka, spiced syrup, and pomegranate, a sweet and spicy drink with flavors somewhat reminiscent of Hot Tamales candies (but in a good way).  And I couldn’t resist trying the other gin and tonic on the menu (the Estrellas Gin Tonic:  Tanqueray No. 10, ginger, lime, tonic water, star anise, and cardamom) for comparison’s sake.  This one was more of a traditional gin and tonic in terms of flavor, but the garnishes of star anise and cardamom added a unique aroma.

There are others on the menu (pictured below) I would like to try – all of them basically, except Tal Vez (pumpkin isn’t really my flavor when it comes to drinks) – but, in the interests of moderation, put off until next time:

Del Mar's cocktail menu

The dinner was also fantastic.  As the name Del Mar would suggest, the menu has substantial raw bar and seafood offerings, a number of which we enjoyed as appetizers.  But for me the best plate of the night was one of the shared paellas, with duck breast, grilled artichokes, and Malllorcan-style spreadable joked pimentón sausage.  Simply delicious.

In short, if Del Mar isn’t on your list of new places to try, it should be!