BYO Pea

Spring is finally here and we have all the fresh produce to show for it. Although, this year we are being a bit more creative with our seasonal produce than crudite platters. Instead, we will be putting our produce to even better use… in our cocktails!

While there are many different vegetables you could use to make a myriad different of cocktails, we like the spring pea mojito. All you have to do is gently muddle peas with a handful of mint, and I’m sure you know the rest. Now, sit back, relax, enjoy the spring weather, and your new spring time cocktail.

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Photo Credit: tastingtable.com

Why you should be putting spring vegetables in cocktails.

The sun is shining, the birds are chirping and the mad rush for ramps is well under way. In other words: Welcome to spring.
We’re just as obsessed with the season’s fleeting produce as the next person, but there’s only so much pea-morel toast one can possible eat. Which is why this year, as the market stands start overflowing with the best spring has to offer, we’re thinking outside the crudités platter and using them for a happy hour instead.

It’s no secret that vegetables roll deep in many bartenders’ arsenals. “Bartenders are continually looking for ingredients that bring an extra depth of bitter and botanical notes to a drink,” Michael Cecelski of New York neighborhood gem The Red Cat says. And though he doesn’t support turning every vegetable into a happy hour special (“If it seems like a weird idea, it probably is”), his favorites to use include cucumbers, peppers and beets. Another ingredient he’s big on are vibrant, bulbous, springy radishes, which he serves in a gin, Cocchi Americano and citrus juice cocktail called the Red King (see the recipe).

While we want to use radishes as a salad garnish or toast topper, Cecelski is fond of the roots in cocktails for their “delicate but raw flavor with just a hint of spice” and the brightness they bring. When pairing the drink with your meal, Cecelski suggests keeping things on the lighter side. “We’re doing a pea salad currently with four kinds of peas, pea tendrils, hazelnuts and ricotta salata, and the Red King absolutely sings with that dish.” He also says it pairs well with fluke crudo, or the calamari on the restaurant’s menu.

Read the full article here.