Image courtesy of Fish & Game
It’s hard for me to drive past Hudson, New York and not think longingly about Fish & Game, chef Zak Pelaccio’s upstate enclave where he experiments with many a locally sourced ingredient. So on a recent trip heading back to the city, I pulled off the interstate with the hope that F & G might also serve lunch; I was in luck. The spread—a composed salad with beets and pickled trout, two homemade pastas, one streaked with uni and butter, the other with a light lamb ragu and summer squash, and an herby green salad dotted with nasturtium blossoms—was exquisite as always, but what stayed in my mind on the rest of the ride back to Brooklyn was the cocktail I had to accompany it. A glorified version of the age-old wine spritzer, F & G’s Cyn-Cyn created by Jori Jayne Emde, gives one of my favorite cold weather tipples, Cynar (the restaurant actually makes their own homemade version of the classic Italian artichoke liqueur), a summery spin. For my fellow Cynar fans, here is the recipe. FV
Cyn – Cyn Cocktail
1 oz Lady Jayne’s Alchemy “Cynar” Artichoke Liqueur or Cynar brand
4 oz Le Mazel ‘Cuvee Charbonnieres’ wine
soda water splash
2 pieces brandied sour cherries (recipe follows)
Build in a wine glass by adding the Cynar, followed by the Le Mazel ‘Cuvee Charbonnieres’ and add ice. Top with soda water splash and garnish with skewered cherries.
Brandied Cherries –
Pit sour cherries and add to a jar.
Cover with brandy and allow to sit for minimum of 1 month.
Strain brandy from jar and measure liquid. Add equal amounts sugar to strained brandy and bring to a simmer to dissolve sugar (don’t boil out the booze). Add hot brandy sugar liquid back to jar with cherries. Store cold.
