The idea for this Bibulo.us original must have begun bubbling up in Dinah's brain when Sherryfest came to San Francisco this past June.
Those wonderful raisin-y flavors of Pedro Ximénez have now combined with memories of the best snack of childhood, and undergone a transformation through one of the most bizarre modern cocktail techniques: fat-washing.
Here, then, in celebration of Mixology Monday XCI, is a glorious shim that makes the work worthwhile.
Pedro's Picnic
3 oz peanut-butter fat-washed Lustau "San Emilio Solera Reserva" Pedro Ximénez Jerez sherry*
.5 oz celery juice**
Stir (yes, even though there's a bit of juice, this one is stirred to keep it from being over-diluted) and serve up.
Garnish with a little section of tender celery.
*Take your bottle of sherry and pour an inch of it in a large glass container. Gently add approximately one cup or so of lightly warmed, creamy peanut butter. Pour in the rest of the sherry, cork the empty bottle and put the bottle in the fridge. Cover the container with plastic wrap and secure with a rubber band to keep curious fingers and insects out. Leave it alone, on the counter, for about 48 hours—resist temptation to poke it—and then place the entire container in the freezer until the peanut butter firms up enough to be carefully lifted out in one, perhaps slightly wobbly, piece. Set aside this augmented peanut butter for other uses such as toast or cookies. Strain the sherry through a clean coffee filter back into its bottle.
**A blender or food processor can be used if a juicer is unavailable, but prepare for an exotic textural experience. Feed the stalks in through the opening in the lid one by one. Once it's all evenly blended, you might be able to pour off some liquid but most will remain in the pureed celery. In a large bowl, lay out some cheesecloth, put the pureed celery on it, and then wrap the ball of celery up and squeeze out the juice. We recommend running the resulting liquid through a clean coffee filter for a less cloudy appearance.
Recent Comments