Cold Snap
The Ginger Snap spices up the season
If your favorite part of November is spelled P-I-E, give thanks to ginger. In its powdered form the knotty root adds sweet heat to holiday desserts: think ginger snaps, gingerbread, pumpkin and sweet-potato pie. All that warm spice calls for a cold chaser, and while a glass of milk might be the traditional choice, a ginger cocktail is an infinitely merrier accompaniment.
“It’s a nice aperitif and digestif,” says Talish Barrow, manager at Graze. “It whets the appetite and soothes the stomach.
True, ginger is reputed to aid digestion, but Graze’s Ginger Snap cocktail has other selling points: Cointreau, dry sparkling wine and Barrow’s ginger-infused vodka. The cocktail is smooth and spicy-sweet, but not overly so; it won’t overwhelm, say, a slice of ginger-spiked apple pie.
As for a garnish, hold the ginger twist—Barrow prefers pomegranate seeds.
“They create a lava-lamp effect,” he says. “Initially they float to the top, but as the wine bubbles pop, they sink.”
Consider it part of your seasonal entertainment.
RECIPE: Ginger Snap
2 oz ginger-infused vodka (find recipe online)
3/4 oz Cointreau
1 to 2 oz dry sparkling wine
Fill a cocktail shaker with ice. Add vodka and Cointreau. Shake and strain into a chilled martini glass. Top with sparkling wine and garnish with pomegranate seeds.
Recipe courtesy of Graze, 1 S. Pinckney St., 251-2700, grazepub.com
Find more Hip Sips recipes here.
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