A Bitter Day
For the last month I’ve had four mason jars on my bookshelf doing nothing but staring blankly at me and slowly turn shades of brown, red and gold. For a month I’ve been walking past them eyeing them with a mix of patient joy and apprehension. I would often wonder if all that time would be wasted.
Today is the day to open them and say hello. The first two jars hold the denizens I had mentioned a few post earlier. Organic Ontario peaches sitting in bourbon. The third jar contained the aromatic herbs, and the fourth jar the bitter herbs. The herbs used are listed below in their quantities.
Aromatics
2 tsp Hibiscus flower
2 tsp Lavender
2 tsp Cherry bark
2 tsp Lemon Grass
1/2 tsp Fennel pollen
3 cloves
2 pods Cardamom
1 stick Cinnamon
2 pods Star Anise
200 ml Vodka
Bitters
1 tsp Wormwood
1 tsp Gentian root
1/2 tsp Fennel Pollen
200 ml Vodka
I’ve strained the liquid from the jars, keeping them separate. The peaches were simmered in a pot for about a half hour in a cup of water, fine strained through cheese cloth, and added to the bourbon. Same goes for the Aromatics, which I’ll leave for another week, shaking every day. The bitters are really bitter and don’t need any more extraction.
What peaches!
Aromatics
I tried mixing a bit of each together: 1.5 oz peach bourbon, 1 oz aromatics and .25 of the bitters. The bitters could go less as they really shine through, but I have not added caramel yet, that should smooth things out into something more palatable. One more week and I’ll mix them again and add the caramel as well. Hopefully, they’ll be ready for a drink. Now, to decide on a cocktail…. any suggestions?
Corzo Blanco tequila!