Bufala Negra

Humanity is a privilege, we can't give in
When they build walls, we'll build bridges
This is resistance, we're resilient
When they spread hate, we shine brilliant.

-Wednesday Morning, Macklemore

Deep down inside, I thought we wouldn't get here. I thought, hoped, that maybe it was just a bad dream. But it's not. It's our reality. And now we have to figure out how to deal with all of it. Protesting makes a statement, but I think that only does so much. I hope to do more this year, get involved with our community, to provide in some way to those in need. It requires putting ourselves out there, which, I'll admit, is something I struggle with.  But each day, it feels as if our world gets smaller and smaller and I know that each of us will be impacted by what occurs over these next four years.

I was touched by the farewell speech given by President Obama a few weeks ago.  If you didn't get a chance to watch it, I highly recommend taking some time to hear his words. This passage struck me the most.

"Our Constitution is a remarkable, beautiful gift. But it's really just a piece of parchment. It has no power on its own. We, the people, give it power. We, the people, give it meaning. With our participation, and with the choices that we make, and the alliances that we forge. Whether or not we stand up for our freedoms. Whether or not we respect and enforce the rule of law. That's up to us. America is no fragile thing. But the gains of our long journey to freedom are not assured."

I'm not sure if that's leaving things on a hopeful note or not, but I figured I should at least write a little bit about why I made this cocktail. I realized that it'd been quite a while since I'd featured a drink here, so I spent a bit of time looking for inspiration online. For me, it's whiskey season (not that there's ever an end to that season), so I knew it had to include some form of that spirit. And I wanted to use vinegar. Now, I've done shrubs before (like this, this, and this) with balsamic or cider vinegar. But I thought using straight up vinegar would be unique. After a little research, I came across this Bufala Negra on The New York Times. I must admit, I was slightly skeptical of the addition of basil leaves. I shouldn't have been, because this turned out to be one spectacular and complex cocktail. It's perfectly balanced, with the balsamic to cut through any sweetness (plus, the ginger beer adds a slight kick which I loved).  I hope you all enjoy. 

Bufala Negra

SOURCE
The New York Times, adapted from a recipe by Jerry Slater of H. Harper Station in Atlanta

SERVINGS
1 Drink

INGREDIENTS
1/2 teaspoon turbinado sugar
1 teaspoon good aged balsamic vinegar
5 fresh basil leaves
1 1/2 ounces bourbon
2 ounces ginger beer

DIRECTIONS
Add sugar, vinegar and 4 basil leaves in a cocktail shaker. Muddle for 10 seconds. Add bourbon and shake to dissolve sugar.

Strain over ice into old-fashioned glass, top with ginger beer and garnish with basil. 

The Harvest Spritzer (Featuring Truly Spiked & Sparkling)

This post is sponsored by Truly Spiked & Sparkling. Thank you for supporting the brands that make A Thought For Food possible.

The other weekend, Eric and I were invited to a tailgating party/BBQ at our friend Dan's apartment. Massive piles of grilled sausage and hot dogs were served (it was a little lost on me, the non-meat eater of the bunch). Despite being the odd man out, I had a blast hanging with a bunch of food-loving folk on a beautiful autumn afternoon (plus, there were lots of fun photo ops). My contribution was a corn salad and a cooler of Truly. So, I have this cooler that's about halfway filled with bottles. Shortly after things get started, a few more people arrive with... yup... more Truly! Of course, no one complained. You can never have too much boozy sparkling water on hand, especially when you're washing down giant hot dogs (in fact, most of it went). Just thought it was funny. Apparently it's the IT drink. Who knew?!?!

Of their three flavors, I'm a bit partial to the Colima Lime Truly Spiked & Sparkling. So many beverages try to replicate "lime flavor," but this tastes just like lime. It's subtle, but definitely noticeable. Each can or bottle is only 100 calories, which is nice and low for an alcoholic beverage, and is 5% ABV. While they're super refreshing on their own, I am sharing a little creation here that I came up with to ease into fall. As to not detract from its delicate lime flavor, I simply muddled some ginger, and added tequila (because a little extra booze never hurts) and a few dashes of cranberry bitters. Topped with Truly, it's a great sipper, one that can be served at an upcoming holiday or tailgating party. 

The Harvest Spritzer (featuring Truly Spiked & Sparkling)

Yield
1 drink

Ingredients
1.5 oz tequila
2-3 peeled ginger slices
1/2 oz lime juice
1/2 oz simple syrup (see recipe below)
3-4 dashes Cranberry bitters
1 bottle or can of Truly Spiked & Sparkling Colima Lime

Directions
In a mixing glass, add tequila, lime juice, simple syrup and ginger slices. Using a muddler, mash ginger to infuse the tequila and lime juice. Strain into a highball glass. Add 3-4 dashes of cranberry bitters. Fill glass with ice. Top with Truly Spiked & Sparkling Colima Lime . 

Simple Syrup

Ingredients
1 cup water
1 cup sugar

Directions
In a saucepan, bring water and sugar to a boil. Whisk until sugar has dissolved. Simmer for 3 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool before using. Store in a lidded jar in the fridge for up to a month.

Tarragon Tequila Swizzle

We've really struggled with our garden this year, mainly because we've had little rain this summer. I've been religiously watering it every morning. The tomatoes are slowly coming in. I've been picking each cherry tomato off the vine as soon as it ripens, afraid that some critter might get to it before we can enjoy it. This happened a few weeks ago with our first cucumber. We returned home from a couple days away and I went out to water our pots. I was so excited to see something had grown and it looked like the most beautiful cucumber. Upon further inspection, though, I noticed that a big chunk had been taken out. The culprit, most likely a squirrel, also devoured a couple of peppers! So, yeah, I've been keeping a careful eye on things. We have another cuke growing and in a few days it'll be ready for picking. 

The herbs, however, have been doing very well. The parsley has exploded, as has the basil. I love our herb garden, to go outside and pick whatever I might need for dinner. Having access to fresh herbs also comes in handy when I want to spruce up a cocktail. I've surprised Eric with gin and tonics garnished with fresh rosemary (he doesn't quite get what the big deal is, but I think it looks and smells awesome). One of my favorite herbs (and one that I think is underused in cocktails) is tarragon. It holds up in drinks but also adds its own unique flavor (I find that it tastes a lot like vanilla, maybe with a touch of anise/black licorice). The easiest way to incorporate it in a cocktail is by making an infused simple syrup, which I did here for this swizzle. It's not a complicated drink to make, but it does require some crushed ice. It's very light and super sippable... just how a summer cocktail should be. 

This post is a part of the #DrinkTheSummer collaboration organized by Sherrie at With Food + Love. She got a bunch of us together to share original alcoholic and non-alcoholic creations. Heres the full list for everyone to check out: 

BOOZY!
A Little Saffron | Beach Bum’s Rum
A Thought For Food | Tarragon Tequlia Swizzle
Downshiftology | Limoncello Prosecco with Blueberries and Thyme
Heart of a Baker | Green Tea Mint Cooler
Hungry Girl por Vida | Whisky Peach Alexander
The Green Life | Spiced Plum Fig + Kombucha Cocktail
Hummingbird High | Watermelon + Mint Agua Fresca
Floating Kitchen | Peach Sun Tea + Bourbon Cocktail
Beard and Bonnet | Easy Melon Mojitos
EGD | Backyard Peach Sweet Tea
Appeasing a Food Geek | Basil + Black Pepper Gin Sour
Vegetarian Ventures | Garden Tonic Punch
Nosh and Nourish | Mango Margaritas with Chile Lime Salted Rims
Domesticate ME! | Watermelon-Basil Mezcal Margarita
The Foodie Nurse | Husk Cherry Margarita
my name is yeh | Choose Your Own Adventure Bloody Marys
Sevengrams | Cucumber Gin + Chartreuse Cocktail
Wicked Spatula | Coconut Gin + Tonic
Eat Boutique | Sbagliatos + Homemade Sweet Vermouth
Nutritionist in the Kitch | Healthy Muddled Blackberry Piña Coladas
Chocolate + Marrow | Pequito Verdecito
The Solstice Table | Jalapeno Watermelon Cooler
HonestlyYUM | Watermelon Fresh Herbs + Sotol Cocktail
Seasonal Cravings | Strawberry Lime Gin Rickey
Salted Plains | Frozen Honeydew Daiquiris
The Broken Bread | Honeydew-Ginger Apricot Mojitos
Fix Feast Flair | Ginger-Berry Splash Cocktail
Turntable Kitchen | Summer Cooler Cocktails, Two Ways
Foolproof Living | Blueberry Dark Cherry + Calvados Cocktail
Dessert for Two | Salty Melon Slush
The Wood and Spoon | Honey Basil Margaritas
Milly’s Kitchen | Golden Watermelon Ginger Basil + Tequilla

NOT BOOZY!
Heartbeet Kitchen | Salty Watermelon Shrub Elixir
TENDING the TABLE | Raspberry + Fig Hibiscus Cooler
Snixy Kitchen | Lavender Earl Gray Blackberry Ice Cream Floats
The Bojon Gourmet | Vanilla Rooibos Peach Ice Cream Floats
Gratitude and Greens | Hong Kong Style Crushed Watermelon Ice
My Heart Beets | Spiced Pistachio Shake
rooting the sun | Strawberry Fennel Soda
The Modern Proper | Vanilla Plum Shrub
Feed Me Phoebe | Watermelon-Cucumber Kombucha Coolers
Gourmande in the Kitchen | Stone Fruit Thyme Shrub Soda
dolly and oatmeal | Cold-Brewed Shiso + Hibiscus Tea Iced Latte
happy hearted kitchen | Heirloom Tomato Gazpacho with Fennel Orange + Cardamom
I am a Food Blog | Cherry Vanilla Sodas
Tasty Yummies | Fig Vanilla Bean Almond Milk
Let’s talk evergreen | Iced Earl Grey Yuanyang With a Hint of Rose
Kale & Caramel | Emerald Beaut Green Spritzer
Earthy Feast | Watermelon Hibiscus Agua Fresca
Now, Forager | Sparkling Plumcot + Purple Basil Shrubs
The Pig & Quill | Brown Sugar Blueberry Pie Shakes
Well and Full | Peach Bubble Tea
Sweetish Co | The Best Frozen Hot Chocolate
holly & flora | Spiced Pineapple Shrub Sparklers with Black Tea + Coconut
Pure Ella | Fresh Mint Tea

Tequila Tarragon Swizzle

Yield
1 drink

Ingredients
2.5 oz tequila
1 oz lime juice
1 oz pineapple juice
1/4 oz tarragon simple syrup (recipe below)
Crushed ice
Angostura bitters

Directions
Add tequila, lime juice, pineapple juice, and tarragon simple syrup to a collins glass. Fill 1/2 way with crushed ice. Immerse a swizzle stick (or a bar spoon, which is what I used) into the glass and, between both hands, rub the stick back and forth for about 15 seconds. Fill the remainder of the glass with crushed ice and swizzle again for 10 seconds. Top ice with approximately six dashes of angostura bitters (or until the top is covered) and then add a straw.

Tarragon Simple Syrup

Yield
1 cup

Ingredients
1 cup water
1 cup sugar
2 sprigs tarragon

Directions
Whisk together water and sugar in a saucepan. Set over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil. Add tarragon sprigs and remove the pot from heat. Let tarragon steep for 15 minutes. 

Let the syrup cool completely before using. Can be stored in an airtight container (a jar with a lid works well) for up to 2 weeks.