LAST CALL

The CulinaryNorth Last Call

DRINK PINK

by STACEY BRUGEMAN

The centuries-old gimlet gets a spring makeover.

Aproper gin gimlet apparently dates back to the 19th-century British Royal Navy. The lime cordial in it was thought to prevent sailors from getting scurvy. How fitting then that it was also the go-to cocktail of my late maternal grandmother—who spent her retirement years sailing the globe as a passenger on cargo freighters. She was born in May, so to celebrate her birthday I often pour this springtime take on her favorite drink. In it, I replace Rose’s lime juice (which in modern times is loaded with high fructose corn syrup and colorants) with a homemade rhubarb cordial. Rhubarb stalks are every bit as tart as limes, but bring us this welcome burst of spring pink. The end result is so colorful that numerous friends have asked me for the recipe over the years. I think “Bardy”—a graduate of both the University of Michigan and Michigan State—would be delighted that it's making its Traverse debut.

Stacey Brugeman is a Leelanau County-based food and beverage writer and editor. Her work has appeared in Food & Wine, Saveur, Travel + Leisure, Eater and Denver’s 5280, where she served as Restaurant Critic. Follow her on Instagram @staceybrugeman.

FROM OUR CELLAR

Not flexing your mixology muscles tonight? Here’s what area beverage professionals are drinking right now.

As springtime temps warm, many will turn to quaffable beer styles such as blondes and pilsners. Kyle Hunt, owner of Cøllect, a rooftop beer bar in Detroit’s Eastern Market, recommends the Farm Club Pilsner—brewed in Leelanau County with Hallertau Mittelfrüh and Saphir hops. “Good pilsners are hard to come by and this one is great—very clean and crisp,” Hunt says. farmclubtc.com; $13 per 6 cans

For those many still-cool days, Alex Truck, sommelier at Aerie, the Acme restaurant known for its award-winning wine list, suggests the 2017 Mari Vineyards Row 7. While a planting gaffe makes the varietals in this Old Mission row unknown, the elegance of this bold Bordeaux-like blend is no mystery. At home, Truck recently paired it with Anthony Bourdain’s meatloaf. marivineyards.com, $85 per bottle –S.B.

Rhubarb Gimlet

Serves 1 2 ounces gin ¾ ounces Rhubarb Cordial (recipe below)

Add ice to a cocktail glass to chill it. Fill a shaker with ice and add gin and Rhubarb Cordial and shake vigorously until the mixture is combined. Discard the ice in the glass, strain contents of the shaker into the glass and garnish with a rhubarb ribbon or a lime wheel.

Rhubarb Cordial

Makes 4 ounces 1 cup chopped rhubarb, about 1 stalk ½ cup water ½ cup sugar juice and peel of 1 lime

Combine rhubarb and water in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce to simmer, cover and cook until rhubarb has melted into strands, about 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool slightly without taking off the lid. Set a fine mesh strainer over a second saucepan and pour warm rhubarb mixture into the strainer, separating the liquid from the solid and pressing down on the rhubarb with a wooden spoon to release some juice. Discard the pulp. Add sugar, lime juice and a few pieces of peel to the pan of rhubarb liquid and stir over medium heat until the sugar dissolves. Reduce to simmer and cook until the syrup begins to thicken, about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat, discard the lime peel and allow to cool completely— storing in a non-reactive container in the fridge. –S.B.

photo by Dave Weidner / styling by Sarah Peschel