Weekly Drink Me Recipe: The Rhubarbary Coast

We here at BAS Headquarters are always thinking of new awesome things to bring to you, our dear (and depraved) readers.  So with this in mind we’ve teamed up with the fine folks over at Drink Me Magazine to bring you a new drink recipe every Thursday.  That way you can make yourself a little special sumptin-sumptin to aid you in your weekend wickedness.

This week’s recipe, brought to you by the very esteemed Patrick Poelvoorde, is the Rhubarbary Coast.  Take it away Patrick!

The Weekly Drink Me Recipe: The Rhubarbary Coast

By Patrick Poelvoorde

In beginning to write my blog today, my mind wandered to years past, to the cutty streets of San Francisco during the mid-nineteenth century. It must have been amazingly dirty and tumultuous to grow up during those times, with danger and fortune lurking around every corner. Men came streaming from all points of the map with the heady dreams of striking it rich (or robbing the man who did). In turn, San Francisco’s Barbary Coast area'”where North Beach, Chinatown and the Financial District now stand'”blossomed into a beautiful cesspool of gambling, prostitution, drugs, and liquor (a far cry from the pristine nature of those streets now, right?).

The name Barbary Coast was nabbed from a similarly shady part of the northern coast of Africa; Arab pirates ransacked that coast during the mid-1800s just as pickpocketers ravaged the wallets of the newly wealthy here. I don’t know about you, but call me Black Stash and sign me up ' those times sound cool. Except instead of wenches and rum (alright, instead of just the rum), I’d drink something I’m dubbing the Rhubarbary Coast, using rhubarb I pirated from my neighbor’s garden. With a season that lasts throughout the summer and into autumn, it makes for a fantastic Indian Summer libation. In this application, we will be preparing a gastrique out of rhubarb, sherry vinegar and sugar. So, with heads filled with gold shavings and a Corsair’s penchant for the dramatic, let’s start cocktailing.

Rhubarbary Coast $1.60/drink, 12 servings

750ml Brugal Anjeo Rum $18
Club soda $2
½ cup of sherry vinegar $1
3 stalks fresh rhubarb $2
Fresh lemon juice $2
2 cups of sugar $1
Pinch of salt
Pinch of coriander seeds $1
Pinch of whole allspice $1

Rhubarb Gastrique Directions:

Step 1: To prepare the gastrique, combine 1 cup sugar with ½ cup water, ½ cup sherry vinegar, and a pinch of salt in a medium non-reactive pan.

Step 2: With a coffee filter and some string, construct a makeshift tea bag filled with he allspice and coriander. Add to liquids.

Step 3: Bring all to a boil and add rhubarb, chopped into 1-inch pieces. Reduce heat to medium and stir frequently for about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool. When gastrique has cooled to room temperature, remove spice packet and pour contents into food processor or blender and liquefy. There will be some fibers remaining after pureeing, so I strain the mixture though a mesh strainer, pushing the liquid through with the bottom of a ladle. The remaining gastrique should have the consistency of thick syrup. Makes about 4.5 cups.

Cocktail Directions:

Step 1: Combine 2 oz of Brugal Anjeo Rum with 1 oz of rhubarb gastrique, ½ oz fresh lemon juice and ½ oz simple sugar. Simple syrup, you’ll remember, is an equal mixture of sugar and water, brought to a boil and then allowed to cool. Simple syrup can be stored for up to 6 months in the refrigerator.

Step 2: Add ice and shake what yo mama gave ya.

Step 3: Pour into glass and top with 1 oz club soda and garnish with a peel of lemon.

Step 4: Get tipsy.

Yarr.