If you haven’t heard, let it be known that it’s rhubarb season. The pink stalks of this vegetable are one of the most recognizable harbingers of spring, along with its bountiful harvest, and a magnet for drinks makers everywhere. If your Instagram feed is anything like ours, it’s hard to avoid the red-hued cocktails popping up on seasonal menus around the world.
there is Force-Carbonated Rhubarb Margarita From Lab 22 in Cardiff, Wales; Champagne Rhubarb Gimlet Made with fermented rhubarb wine from London’s Little Mercies; SaucyA clear rhubarb-infused rum cocktail created by Nico de Soto for a pop-up in Toronto; and SerpentiFrom Humaine, based in Athens, Greece, which requires both a rotovap and a centrifuge to create a clear drink with gin, rhubarb, and goat cheese.
But you might have seen this too A video by Jeffrey MorgenthalerThe bar owner, educator, and author from Portland, Oregon, has introduced his own technique for bringing the bright, tart, subtly vegetal flavor of rhubarb to cocktails at home. In its simplicity — no cooking needed, no high-tech equipment, ready in less than five minutes — this recipe offers an unbeatable approach to on-demand rhubarb flavor and doubles as an antidote to the dominant trend of preparation-heavy cocktails.
,I was inspired to make that video after seeing so many high-concept things from my peers and colleagues,” explains Morgenthaler, whose approach to drinks-making has always favored simplicity, though never at the expense of quality.
Punch staff made a batch of the syrup to test their recipe. As per their claim, it was ready in less than five minutes and its distinctive pink colour did not fade even when kept in the fridge. We tried it a gimlet Instead of simple, where it brings not only a delicious flash of color but also a subtle fruity flavor and a pleasant, pleasantly bitter finish. But its applications are far broader than just gin sours. As Morgenthaler explains, “The syrup is great in anything that requires a solid swig of simple syrup.” While it might not be great in an Old-Fashioned, where its delicate flavor would be overwhelmed by a spirit-forward build, many classic creations are fair game. “A Tom Collins? A whiskey sour? A French 75?” says Morgenthaler. “Anything like that is great with that rhubarb syrup.”
