This was a fun and interesting cocktail to make, and so far, it’s given me the best storytelling opportunity. The “barbecue aroma” called for here was crazy! And people seem to think the whole idea is outrageous.
Here’s the deal: you grind up a package of hotdogs (I used Nathan’s) in the food processor. You cook them until the fat renders out and the hotdog bits are crunchy (and tasty, I should add). Then you toss in a few chunks of charcoal and douse the whole operation with 190-proof grain alcohol. Light and duck. The charcoal burned for about 45 minutes. Let it cool, then add in some additional grain alcohol, strain and reserve in the freezer. The fat from the hotdogs sort of solidifies, then you strain the mess through a coffee filter.
I was feeling pretty skeptical up until the last step because the liquid was the color of charcoal, which I wasn’t excited about spraying around the cocktail. But after a quick pass though the coffee filter, the resulting nectar was amber hued and almost glowing. And it smelled like a barbecue – mission accomplished.
The rest of the cocktail is a refreshing blend of sugar snap pea syrup (made by juicing the sugar snap peas then blending with an equal weight of sugar), Brugal White Rum (which is an extremely superior alternative to Bacardi), St. George Botanivore Gin, Green Chartreuse, Lustau Los Arcos Amontillado Sherry and lime juice. It was a very nice concoction, bright green in color, and heavy with herbal and botanical notes thanks to the Chartreuse and Botanivore Gin. In retrospect, this follows the classic tiki cocktail structure (strong, weak, sour, sweet), which is music for my soul.
The cocktail is shaken over ice then strained and carbonated (I’ve explained about how to do this here: https://theaviaryathome.com/2-in-1/#carbonation) and then served in a tall glass with an equally tall ice cube, which I carved out of a block of ice (read more about making clear ice here: https://theaviaryathome.com/science-a-f-page-208/#clear-ice).
The garnish is pea shoots, dressed with olive oil and a sprinkling of the Green Thumb Spice Mix (fennel pollen, dill pollen, black pepper, white pepper, distilled vinegar powder, kosher salt). This also makes quite a delicious little salad!
