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Charlie returned recently from faraway conquests, and I can confirm that absence makes the heart grow fonder. Or was it the hop rhizomes he brought me that I mistook for love? These particular roots — Chinook and Wilamette — come from the garden of a northerly friend, from parent vines that have long produced delicious homebrew.
As always most of the work preceded the actual planting. First was site selection, and the options were limited. Next came soil prep; in one spot Charlie strangely found himself chipping through a thick plate of subterranean concrete. But we were committed, sunlight being so scarce around here, and did the best we could with ten gallons of compost, mounding the soil above ground level for better drainage. Then came lunch. Clearly we both earn our livelihoods sitting at desks.
The actual planting of rhizomes took about thirty seconds, and I’m hopeful that the combination of soil and sun will prove close enough to the mark for this hardy plant. Meantime, there are still plenty of good places to track down a delicious beer.
According to the Post-Intelligencer, Washington State now permits distilleries to host tastings and sell their own liquor. Good news. A similar law in Oregon brought about craft products like Aviation Gin; I’m confident Seattle locavores also have it in them to back high-quality hometown drinky drink.
Life slows down just enough this time of year to revive the long-neglected cocktail hour. This week we’re drinking a seasonal interpretation of the Old-Fashioned, whose key ingredient is homemade maraschino cherries. I promise these maraschinos are nothing like the food product you know and love, the one with the nuclear glow. Made from scratch, these are a lovely mix of sweet, spicy, and tangy; I’ve watched full-grown adults eat them straight from the jar. Save a few to muddle with slices of orange and a dash of bitters, stir in bourbon and club soda to taste, a slug of maraschino juice, and you’ve got a cocktail that looks and tastes like summer itself.
Recipe: Maraschino Cherries
A dozen large cherries, pitted / ½ cup water / ¼ cup sugar / 3 tbls grape juice concentrate / 1 large star anise / 1 generous strip fresh orange peel / pinch salt / juice of 1 lemon / dash of almond extract
While preparing the cherries, boil water in a small saucepan, stir in sugar and dissolve, then turn heat down. Add grape juice, star anise, orange peel, lemon juice, and salt and simmer for 5 minutes. Add cherries and almond extract. Cook gently for another 5 minutes, then cool and pour into a glass jar; these are better after curing for a day or two; they stay good for weeks, refrigerated. Adapted from Nick Mautone.
Seattle didn’t really need another coffee company but last fall it got Stumptown Coffee, a smallish outfit that sells a novel local coffee bean. By local, I mean “local”, of course. No one’s growing coffee trees in this kale-and-lentil climate. But the Portland, Oregon-based outfit does its roasting here in the Northwest, and the proximity makes for a fresh and intensely aromatic product. The coffee is as good as any, and as a drinker of decaf, I think I’m qualified to discuss taste.
The original Stumptown outpost is on 12th Avenue in the Capitol Hill neighborhood, just south of Madison, and Charlie regularly stops by on his way to work. On a recent visit he learned that these folks are about to begin roasting beans at this location, which should make it easier to find the stuff around town. It isn’t the cheapest, but Stumptown employees make a living wage, which in my book means health insurance, and that makes the price begin to look pretty darn reasonable.
Winter Sparkler
1 bottle champagne, chilled / 4 oz brandy / large pinch each of ground cinnamon, cloves, allspice, and ginger / 1 tbl brown sugar plus extra for rimming glasses
Combine brandy, spices, and sugar and mix well. Rim glasses with additional brown sugar. Distribute brandy mixture among 5 glasses, fill with chilled champagne, and serve.
