DRINK CULTURE
Nicole Yarovinsky and the Sour , in Green
NICOLE YAROVINSKY IS THE BEVERAGE DIRECTOR AT DAISIES IN CHICAGO .
This drink is an oddly accurate liquid representation of the color green . Not necessarily something super herbaceous , but instead more of a juicy , complex “ green .”
The drink draws inspiration from how delicately floral and aromatic underripe strawberries are ; and the anticipation of the quality of that flavor changing as the berries turn red in the coming weeks . Almost a phantom expectation , created by the combination of the present and future .
The base spirit is Empirical ’ s Soka , a sorghum distillate produced by a Denmarknative spirits company that distills just north of us in Wisconsin , using carefully selected yeast and a single farm harvest — aka everything we love at Daisies . We chose Del Maguey ’ s Puebla mezcal as a modifier to ground Soka ’ s grassy qualities .
The fore mentioned green strawberries , from local Mick Klug Farm , are cooked down in filtered water with sugar , and then acid adjusted to maximize the flavor as well as support our attempts in using acids alternative to citrus , which is far from local to the Midwest and highly perishable once juiced . To add additional complexity and more “ green ,” we fermented strawberry tops reserved from our pastry department , along with tarragon , and sugar adjusted that to use as the syrup for this drink .
A smidge of fresh cracked black pepper on top almost comically resembles a salad , but the aromatics really help us take this all the way home . A few drops of chlorophyll to assist the visuals and add that last rich herbaceous echo , and you have yourself an oddly accurate liquid representation of a color .
SOUR , IN GREEN
1 oz . Empirical Soka ⅓ oz . Del Maguey Puebla mezcal ½ oz . Dry vermouth ½ oz . Verjus ⅓ oz . Green strawberry cordial ⅓ oz . Fermented strawberry top syrup 2 dashes Chlorophyll 4 dashes Fee Foam
Combine ingredients and shake . Strained into coupe glass . Garnish with freshly cracked black pepper .
WHAT I ’ M
DRINKING NOW
Nicole Yarovinsky , beverage director at Daisies in Chicago , created this recipe . www . cheersonline . com Fall 2024 • Cheers 7