Gooseberry season has finally begun and oh thank heavens. While their name may be anything but sexy these beautiful, tart berries radiate sensuality. With their lime green, silky skin and their dangerously sour flesh gooseberries tingle all the right senses.
Like huckleberries, gooseberries have avid, lifelong admirers. Gooseberry lovers will wait and wait all year long till gooseberry season arrives. They long for the first moment of the year where they can pop a fresh gooseberry onto their tongue and take that first bite. Nostalgia, shared stories, and a deep love all seem to be part of the total gooseberry package. What is sexier than a coveted, diamond in the rough fruit?
Like huckleberries, gooseberries have avid, lifelong admirers. Gooseberry lovers will wait and wait all year long till gooseberry season arrives. They long for the first moment of the year where they can pop a fresh gooseberry onto their tongue and take that first bite. Nostalgia, shared stories, and a deep love all seem to be part of the total gooseberry package. What is sexier than a coveted, diamond in the rough fruit?
The origin of gooseberries is quite hard to distinguish, but some believe this berry has been growing throughout Europe, specifically Britain and Italy since the Middle Ages. It is culinary tradition to dry and store gooseberries in syrup for use as fillings in pies, crumbles and tarts. They are also pickled and jarred. In North America the love of gooseberries stems from consuming them just as nature intended, with all their tart goodness in tact. Why not take it one step further? It is but the present where tradition begins.
The Marigold And The Gander is a spine tingling, effervescent cocktail. The dry vermouth and Moscato d’Asti cool while the gooseberry seduces. Add the delicate floral notes of calendula and lavender and the calm only a great cocktail can bring takes over, inch by inch, from head to toe.
1 ½ oz Hangar One Vodka
½ oz Dolin Dry Vermouth
12 fresh gooseberries
1 oz lavender & calendula flower gum syrup (recipe below)
¾ oz fresh squeezed lemon juice
1 ½ oz Moscato d’Asti float
dried calendula flowers for garnish
Muddle gooseberries with firm pressure until well mashed. Add the vodka, vermouth, gum syrup and lemon and shake over ice for 30 seconds. Fine strain into a martini glass and gently pour the Moscato d’Asti over top. Garnish with dried calendula petals and serve.
1/2 cup dried calendula flowers (aka pot marigold)
1/2 cup dried lavender flowers
2 1/2 cups water
1 17.5 oz bottle Small Hand Foods gum syrup
Bring water to a boil and reduce to medium heat. Steep the dried flowers until their essence is released, approximately 5-8 minutes. Fine strain the liquid into a heatproof container, add gum syrup and stir. If it is only mildly sweet, add 1/3 cup sugar to intensify flavor.
The Marigold and The Gander is currently on the summer cocktail menu at Rivoli Restaurant in Berkeley, CA.
The Marigold And The Gander is a spine tingling, effervescent cocktail. The dry vermouth and Moscato d’Asti cool while the gooseberry seduces. Add the delicate floral notes of calendula and lavender and the calm only a great cocktail can bring takes over, inch by inch, from head to toe.
The Marigold And The Gander
Serving Size: 11 ½ oz Hangar One Vodka
½ oz Dolin Dry Vermouth
12 fresh gooseberries
1 oz lavender & calendula flower gum syrup (recipe below)
¾ oz fresh squeezed lemon juice
1 ½ oz Moscato d’Asti float
dried calendula flowers for garnish
Muddle gooseberries with firm pressure until well mashed. Add the vodka, vermouth, gum syrup and lemon and shake over ice for 30 seconds. Fine strain into a martini glass and gently pour the Moscato d’Asti over top. Garnish with dried calendula petals and serve.
Lavender & Calendula Flower Gum Syrup
Note: If you cannot find or make gum syrup you can create a simple syrup by adding 2 cups of sugar to replace the gum syrup1/2 cup dried calendula flowers (aka pot marigold)
1/2 cup dried lavender flowers
2 1/2 cups water
1 17.5 oz bottle Small Hand Foods gum syrup
Bring water to a boil and reduce to medium heat. Steep the dried flowers until their essence is released, approximately 5-8 minutes. Fine strain the liquid into a heatproof container, add gum syrup and stir. If it is only mildly sweet, add 1/3 cup sugar to intensify flavor.
The Marigold and The Gander is currently on the summer cocktail menu at Rivoli Restaurant in Berkeley, CA.
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