7.30.15 Raising the Bar
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Last month I had a book-signing in Narrowsburg, NY. This charming village on the Delaware River is about 20 minutes north of where I live, one of the only real destination towns in my area. It's got many wonderful attractions, including a delicious restaurant, a great liquor store, a world-class women's clothing boutique and a popular home store. And then there is Maison Bergogne. Owned by Juliette Hermant, this unique antiques warehouse is a world unto itself. Juliette is French, with a rare eye for beauty and patina, and a personal charisma that knows no bounds. An accomplished painter, photographer, stylist and interior designer, all of her talents come together to make Maison Bergogne a wholly original emporium. And because I am lucky enough to call her my dear friend and collaborator, my book-signing was held in this magical place.
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Juliette's partner Anie, a filmmaker, designer and builder, has an equally refined aesthetic that informs her business, Woolheater Wares. She transformed the vintage kissing booth out front into a nautically-themed oyster bar and shucked mollusks for the event.
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Juliette is the consummate hostess, and our oysters were sparkling fresh. On the side we served a sprightly mignonette, freshly grated horseradish from our garden, and wedges of lemon. What else do you need?
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The bar was set up amidst the many treasures in the smaller room off the cavernous main space of this 1920s industrial building.
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The dress code was called by Juliette: French nautical. I did my best to comply. My hat is actually Japanese, purchased from Barneys years ago. The jacket is a great favorite, from Makié in New York City. The neckerchief is a vintage Yves Saint Laurent bandana I inherited from my mother. Underneath, I'm wearing a striped t-shirt and a long linen apron from Libeco, like this one but without the bib.
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Juliette is not a plastic cup kind of woman. (Neither am I, for the most part.) She is not afraid to entertain 50+ people using her gorgeous vintage glassware. (For the record, those silver goblets are mine, from India.)
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Our local distillery, Catskill Distilling Company, was generous enough to donate the spirits for this occasion and I created a couple of refreshing seasonal cocktails with their wonderfully aromatic Curious Gin and their sweetly complex Otay Buckwheat spirit. The latter cannot officially be called a whisky, since buckwheat is not technically a grain (it's a pseudo-cereal), but it's in that family.
My goal was to make something hyper-local, so I was stumped with what to subsitute for the lemon or lime I would usually use to add a touch of sour to my drinks. Then it hit me: rhubarb. It's plentiful in my garden, has a wonderfully vegetal acidity, and happens to be in the same family as buckwheat! And so The Little Rascal was born: buckwheat whisky, rhubarb juice and a syrup infused with toasted buckwheat groats. Our guests sucked this down like there was no tomorrow.
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I did cave and garnish the cocktail with a lemon twist, though a bit of wild sumac would have been a more local choice. Wondering how I got them so perfect? I use this.
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As an option, I made carbonated gin-&-tonics that I bottled using this technique. (Yes, I'm a cocktail geek.) They were flavored with Tomr's Tonic and a wild lime leaf.
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For tee-totallers, there was an assortment of homemade syrups—sour cherry, sweetfern (an aromatic plant that grows in these parts) and shiso—to combine with soda water.
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I tended bar, one of my favorite pastimes. It's a great way to connect with everyone at the party, to make guests feel welcome and to share with them a little of myself.
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We sold out of all the copies of my cookbook (autographed, of course) and many people also bought a jar of The Shizzle, my spicy, garlicky seasoned salt, custom-blended for me by the amazing Lior Lev Sercarz.
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It was a fantastic evening, a successful event and a harbinger of good things to come. Next May, Juliette and I, and our third partner, Eva Barnett, are planning to throw open the doors of Fish & Bicycle, a bar, café and small grocery store housed in Maison Bergogne. I'll be in charge of the bar. Things are still in the works, but this is the first time I have actually announced our intention so publicly. Please hold a good thought for us as we cobble together financing to accomplish our vision.
It's only Thursday, but I'll wish you a wonderful weekend, my friends! Soak up summer!
The Little Rascal
- — 1 cup organic cane sugar
- — 3 tablespoons toasted buckwheat groats
- — 2 ounces Otay Buckwheat "Whisky"
- — 1 ounce rhubarb juice
- — 1 ounce toasted buckwheat syrup
- — Twist of lemon
To make the buckwheat syrup, combine sugar with 1 cup water in a small saucepan. Simmer over medium heat until sugar is completely dissolved. Remove from heat and stir in groats. Cover and cool to room temperature. Strain and transfer syrup to a glass jar. Keeps refrigerated for a week.
In a cocktail shaker, combine the Otay Buckwheat, rhubarb juice and buckwheat syrup with a generous handful of ice. Shake vigorously and pour into a rocks glass. Garnish with the twist.
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