Raise Your Glass

A Cocktail for Quarantine

Franklin Hills CC’s Executive Chef Keith Bjertness created a signature cocktail for members to make at home with ingredients they were likely to have on hand.

By Joanna DeChellis, Editor

THE CORONAVIRUS HAS

forced members in need of a refreshing cocktail to mix their own from whatever they happened to have in the liquor cabinet. Some concoctions have turned out to be delicious, but plenty of others have not.

Members of Franklin Hills Country Club (FHCC), in Farmington Hills, Mich., have been luckier than most, thanks to Executive Chef Keith Bjertness (above right), who created a specialty cocktail based on their tastes and preferences. It features a combination of ingredients he knew most members would likely have on hand.

The resulting beverage—dubbed the “Quarantine Cocktail”—features 10 blueberries, 2 ozs. vodka, 1 oz. simple syrup, 1 oz. fresh lemon juice and 2 ozs. pinot noir. It’s served over ice in a rocks glass, and, according to Bjertness, is a perfect balance of acidity, sweetness and tartness.

“We’re all looking for ways to connect with our members and still serve them,” says Bjertness, who has been with FHCC for more than twenty

FHCC’s Executive Chef Keith Bjertness

years. “Small things, like making a drink using ingredients and fl avors we know they like, can add value in ways we can’t underestimate.”

Bjertness demonstrated how to mix the cocktail as part of the club’s weekly video series.

“The member response has been great,” he says. “Many of them have sent me a photo of the fi nal product, with a virtual ‘Cheers.’” C+RC

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