May We Present You The Most Esoteric Cocktail You Will Never Make

MxMo LLXXII: Drink Your Vegetables
Hosted by Fogged In Lounge

The Logan 5: Parsnips and Carrots in a way you’ve never seen them before.

Cocktails, like fashion, follow trends. One day you’re sipping classics, like a Daiquiri or Manhattan, while sporting steampunk regalia; the next, you’ve back-closeted these for something trendier, perhaps a barrel-aged mastic-infused brandy cocktail that looks great on you along with your latest flight of sartorial fancy. This month, for Mixology Monday, a monthly online cocktail challenge that has been known to follow such trends, we are invited to create a new, or extol the virtues of an extant, drink that shines because of its vegetable matter.

Parsnips infusing in moonshine

A year or so ago we started infusing spirits like crazy, and many of our mad scientist experiments have paid off. One cocktail that we have not yet shared with our readers for obvious reasons involves three infused spirits. This one-off would be ideal for a bar or restaurant that can highlight this on its menu, but for home? Who, besides a total cocktail geek, is going to wait a week or so for all these infusions to reach their peak flavor profiles? Patience, one of the most difficult virtues for us 21-centurists to follow, is needed.

Parsnips in moonshine
 (closeup)

We had infused some Korean soju over a year ago with carrots for a Korean barbecue fest, and also some clean moonshine with parsnips for God knows what reason. Combined with some ginger tincture we had brewing, along with some Quebecois maple liqueur and Vermont maple syrup, this seemingly ill-conceived concoction actually tasted great. Especially with the addition of some organic egg white to give the libation a silky mouthfeel. The entire affair tasted like springtime, so we started riffing and free-associating on this fact to come up with a name we liked. Spring’s Bounty led to Spring Meadow, which made us think of Easter, and then the godawful Renewal. But it was Renewal that led us to Logan 5. Science fiction aficionados will get the reference, but for those of you who do not remember the 1976 film Logan’s Run (we will not discuss the remake), the lead character’s name is Logan 5. He is a Sandman, or rather, an officer of the futuristic domed city, charged with preventing people who are 30 years old from trying to escape their fate: Carrousel. You see, Carrousel is a bullshit event whereby 30-year-olds are destined to achieve Renewal, i.e., the afterlife. Just watch the movie with one of these. It will all make sense.

Logan 5
(created by Cocktail Buzz)

Ingredients
1 1/2 ounces parsnip-infused moonshine*
1 ounce carrot-infused soju**
1/2 ounce maple liqueur (such as Sortilège)
1/2 egg white
1/2–1 teaspoon ginger tincture***
1/2–1 teaspoon maple syrup

* Infuse 1/4 cup shredded parsnip in 1 1/2 cups clear moonshine (you can substitute vodka) for up to a week, shaking once or twice every day. Strain into a clean jar or bottle. Label.

** Infuse 3 to 4 carrots, cut into pieces, in 2 cups soju (at about 20% abv) for up to a month, shaking once or twice every day. Strain into a clean jar or bottle. Label.

* Infuse 1 large knob of ginger, peeled and cut into pieces, in 1 cup clear moonshine (you can substitute vodka) for up to 2 weeks, shaking once or twice every day. Strain into a clean jar or bottle. Label.

Method
In a Boston shaker, add all the ingredients except ice and shake vigorously for about 30seconds. Then add ice and shake vigorously for another 15–30 seconds. Double-strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

Variations
If you don’t want to use egg white, you can shake all the other ingredients in ice, strain into an ice-filled highball glass, and top with soda. Add a brandied cherry, or something akin to that, cupped in a half-moon orange slice, and speared with a pick. We’ll call this one the Jessica 6.

Further Exploration 
And, if you’ve caught the creativity bug, start your own infusions. Just walk around the produce aisle of your local grocery store for some inspiration. Then make a beeline to the liquor store for the perfect vehicle for whatever produce you just bought. Soju or some clear moonshine are a good start.

❤ ❤ ❤

Now, the next time you have a Manhattan, you’ll hit your forehead with the palm of your hand and exclaim, “Wow, I could’ve had a Logan 5.”


Other cocktails that use veggies:
Adam and Srirachacha (tomatoes)
Gibson (onions)
Ruby (beets)
Zul Mule (cucumbers)
Clear and The Wink (celery)
Martini (olives)

Korean Soju Is Made for Infusing

Carrots, kumquats, Asian pears, and persimmons turn soju into easily sippable dinner accompaniments.

We’ve been infusing spirits for years with ripe fruit, fresh vegetables, and piquant herbs and spices. Now it’s all the rage. Recently, we taught ourselves how to prepare a bunch of Korean dishes and, looking for a perfect pairing, decided that soju would be the ideal partner. Soju is a Korean slightly sweet vodka-like beverage that is usually distilled from rice, although today, it can be distilled from other grains such as barley and wheat, to a host of starchy tubers such as potatoes, sweet potatoes, and even cassava, from which we get tapioca. Most sojus hover around 20% abv, though they can range from 18.5% to 45% abv.

When you buy soju, try to get the 20% variety with as little flavoring and sweetening as possible. If you can find a big green cheap plastic bottle of the stuff, do, because this will be perfect for your infusions. Pick comestibles that you are fond of and that you think might go with Korean food (or whatever style of cuisine you are creating). We decided on three that were in season: kumquats, Asian pears, and persimmons, and also the ubiquitous carrot.

Make sure you have several clean jars with lids. Now it’s time to separate your washed and scrubbed edibles into the different jars. You can leave them whole if you wish, or you can cut them into pieces or crush them. Use as much as you’d like. The choice is yours. Fill the jars with soju so that the food is all covered (some of it, such as kumquats, will float, but do not worry about this). Cover with the lid, and give a good shake or swish. You will be shaking and swishing daily until the soju achieves your desired flavor. (You should taste frequently—herbs and spices sometimes only take one to a few days to infuse.) Since we were using only fruits and vegetables, we left ours in for over a month in order for the soju to develop deep, complex flavors. We can’t decide which is our favorite—they’re all so amazingly satisfying. And paired with a Korean Barbecue Grilled Sea Bass with a side of rice and kimchi, plus a helping of sautéed spinach and various pickled vegetables, you’re good to go.


Seng Sun Bulgogi, or sea bass first grilled skin-side down, is bathed in gochu jang paste. Serve it with sides of pickled vegetables, rice, sauteed spinach, and a glass of chilled infused soju. But remember, no Korean meal is complete without kimchi.