Basil... and peaches!

 

[We've been stuck in holiday frantic-ness so I haven't written in LONGTIME, but now we're rapidly approaching New Years its all underway again.]

HELLO NEW ZEALAND SUMMER! It's stonefruit season!  Which means for the next month or so we are brimming with fresh cherries, apricots, peaches and nectarines, as well as fresh berries.  And it is also the best time to get fresh basil.

In Chinese Philosophy, peaches are a symbol of/and are eaten for Longevity and Good Health, which is great to remember for the new year.

ALL ABOUT BASIL:

Basil would defiantely be one of my favorite herbs, and it is so versatile, it can be used for sweet and savory, in food and drink, as well as being used for natural medicine.  It is belived to have originated in India, where it was believed to ward off evil spirits and misfortune.  It is placed in hindu temples, and is also know to have preserving qualities.  Basil was used to help preserve mummies in egypt as well as said to be found in the tomb of Jesus Christ. It has been used in the Greek Orthodox Chuch with the making of Holy Water,  and in Italy, Mexico, Romania, Iran, Egpyt and many other countries it is considered a token of love or used to find a suitor. 

However in Ancient Greece and Rome, Basil had mostly negative connotations as it was thought to be associated with the Devil, poverty and bad luck.  Another myth is that Basil was a symbol of chastity.  If an person held basil and it withered, they were considered impure and discarded as a marriage prospect.

Basil comes from the Greek "Basileus", which means "King", and is representative of scorpions.  It was taken to Europe around the 16th Century where it gradually became well know in mediterreanean cuisine. There is even a passage from the Rig Veda concerning the Lord Vishnu... basil is a supremely scared herb for Hindu people. 

TYPES OF BASIL:

 From left to right Mediterranean (“sweet”) basil, African Blue, lemon basil (O. americanum), spice basil, Thai basil (Siam Queen) and tree basil (O. gratissimum), upper and lower sides.

At Goodluck we use a lot of Thai Basil (or Bai Horapa, in Thai).  If you pop down to the bar, you can ask for a Thai Berry Baby, but today we're giving recipes for two other drinks:

1.  For Summer Freshness: Peach, Ginger and Basil Cooler

2.  A Cure for the Seasonal Hangover: Bloody Mary (Asian Influenced with Thai Basil)

PEACH, GINGER AND BASIL COOLER

• 45ml Cachaca
• Fresh Peaches
• Basil
• Lemon Juice
• tsp Palm sugar
• Small chunk of ginger
• Gnger beer
• Soda

1. Muddle two or three peach slices with palm sugar and ginger
2. Add two leaves of basil, cachaca and lemon juice
3. Shake
4. Gently rub a small handful of basil and put in a tall glass with ice
5. Strain peach concoction over this
6. Top with soda
7. Garnish with a peach slice (optional)

BLOODY MARY (with Thai Basil)

• 45ml Absolut Peppar
• Pickled Onion
• Thai Basil
• Corriander
• Worchester sauce (You could substitute soy sauce, but remember its very salty)
• Hot sauce (I like tobasco, its simple and reliable)
• Grinded Salt and Pepper

1. Muddle pickled onion, add vodka, hotsauce, worchester, some corriander and thai basil to taste.  Grind salt and pepper.
2. Add ice and shake.
3. Strain over ice into a tall glass, fill with Tomato Juice. 
4. Stir to blend ingredients
5. Grind salt and pepper
6. Garnish with some cucumber strips and thai basil.

Further Things To Check Out:

• Pineapple Basil Cocktail
• Watermelon and Basil Margaritas
•  Traditional Thai Food: Gai Pad Pra Gow
• thai basil pesto
• fried basil leaves
• 20 things about holy basil
• Everything you need to know about basil

Summer: A time for a good, Salty Margarita

The Stars have aligned lately,

1) The Margarita is one of my favorite drinks, and I've been hammering them back lately.  Much like onions (in my previous post) the idea of 'salt' scares people off them. 
1.5) I had a killer Honey + Clove Margarita with Ginger-Salt at Mea Culpa in Auckland a few months ago
2) I've also just finished reading "Salt: A World History" by Mark Kurlansky, which is a extensive yet fabulous book  all about, well, Salt. 
3) While rummaging in various stores ast week, I stumbled across 'Black' Salt Crystals, which are smokey, tasty and uniquely textured
4) I have a small obsession with salted fish.
5) I have a small obsession with salted chocolate

All of this inspired me to write about Salt, which the human body needs to function.

The long + short of it:  Salt is a life essential, it has been a highly valued commodity, currency, and used for various cusine aspects since, well, pretty much the start of time. 

Because salt has been such a commodity since way back when, there are alot of traditions associated with it and its use.  Throwing Salt on the Dohyo in Japanese Sumo wrestling is still an honoured tradition; Using salt as a 'purification' item- salt circles in rituals, sprinkling salt to 'purify' objects, using salt to ward off evil spirits is still practiced; and did you know the Great Wall of China was financed by the Salt Trade?

And this is all relevant to us in a bar environment, particularly in a society growing more aware of sustainability and waste, salt can be used in SO many ways!  Yet, like alot of things behind a bar, its often neglected in a shaker in the corner for use with cheap tequila shots or to rim a margarita glass.  And thats it.

- Shake some salt into a fruit drink- it automatically lifts flavour.  In Taiwan, they season fresh fruit with salt to bring out the sweetness
- Alternatively you can make a saline solution- at The Violet Hour in Chicago are fans.  A few drops of concentrated solution into a classic drink can lift certain elements.  (Salt + Campari, for example, see the Beta Cocktails link at the end of the post)
- Salt can be added to ice water to chill glasses or ice buckets quickly...
- Salt can be used as an assisting cleaning agent.  Mix with vinegar to clean carpets.  This mix can also remove lipstick and coffee stains from glassware and cups.  And help clean fridges too!
- Salt can be used to remove stains from napkins, teatowels and table cloths
- Salt can be sprinkled on shelves to keep ants away
- Salt can be sprinkled on mint and herbs to help them stop wilting.
- Salt can be added to Gelatine to help it set faster
- Salt can be added to Cream to help it whip faster

 

There are heaps of varieties of salt you could experiment with too, outside of traditional iodised salt, or rock salt you get at the super market.  All have a different look, taste, even smell:

- Himalayan Salt : 'pink' salt
- Hawaiian Salt : quite often hawaiian 'red' salt.  Gets its colour from red clay
- Hiwa Kai- (Hawaii) Pacific waters, solar evaporated with lava rocks, dusted with charcoal
- Fleur de Sel - (France, in particular Brittany): hand collected from the top layer of salt pans.  Very delicate, and quite expensive [flor de sal is a spanish/portuguese equivalent]
- Iburi Jio - (Japan):"iburi" = smoking (food) with wooden chips.  Deep waters, cystalized in stainless steel.  [Also used in the traditional preservation of Daikon Rashishes]
- As well as various smoked, coloured, scented, flavoured (such as chili salt, or ginger salt), 'luxury', that you can find at gourmet food shops.

Theres also Dead Sea Salt, Celtic Salt, Dairy Salt, Kosher Salt, Red Salt... I could go on, but instead i'll just give you a recipe I'm working on (its not perfect yet, mezcals a difficult one to balance):

Black Magic Woman


45ml Mezcal
20ml Cointreau
about 20 ml fresh squeezed lime juice
... a pinch of salt
Charcoal/Black Salt

Rim a cocktail glass with ground black/charcoal salt
Put all ingredients in a boston
Shake
strain
Enjoy.


LINKS:

The Nibble has a great article on the history of salt
WH Foods 'Salt'
Perfect Margarita
Beta Cocktails article "The Campari Martini" + on the use of Saline Solution
Salt in coffee article (taiwan)
The Salt Cathedral in Zipaquirá is pretty amazing
Kashmiri Namkeen Chai/Salt Tea in Kashmir