I need a project — so sayeth a lot of us right now as we face rising numbers of COVID-19 cases and decreasing ways to be with friends and family.
I’m not going to make this a whole coronavirus thing, other than to say I need something to do with some regularity to keep myself occupied. And one thing I’ve had in the back of my mind for a few years now is to come up with a way to use all the odds and ends liquor bottles in my cupboard.
There are a lot of them. Like, I’ve-had-to-make-a-list-of-what’s-in-there-to-keep-it-straight a lot.
Many are different brands of the same type of liquor — I have no fewer than six gins, for example. But others are one-offs that I’m not really sure what to do with. Like blueberry vodka and Pisco and two bottles of Cointreau. Yes, two bottles.
So, here we go. Project Lockdown Libations.
The rules are simple — and yes, I need rules. Otherwise the project will fall apart.
Rule no. 1: Each week, I need to make a cocktail. The results of this will be posted here.
Rule no. 2: Each cocktail must use something from the cupboard of wonders.
Rule no. 3: The primary ingredient may not be repeated until every single bottle — lord, help me — is used at least once. (Caveat: they can be used as secondary ingredients.)
That’s it.
Down the road, I’m hoping to get some local bartenders involved — if you’re game, let me know! But otherwise it’s me, my liquor and Google.
Which led me to this recipe.
I wanted to kick things off with pisco, that Peruvian liqueur that falls under the category of brandy, because I’ve had an unopened bottle of it for a few years. I thought I’d make a Pisco Sour — all y’all know I love a sour, but then I realized that as long as I’m using new liquors, I should try to expand my horizons at the same time. Which is how I landed on the Peruvian Elder Sour. Hey! It has citrus, I’m in.
The elderflower adds a nice floral undertone, while the lime adds a little tartness, though not as much as you might think.
Peruvian Elder Sour
- 2 ounces Pisco
- 2 ounces St. Germain
- ½ ounce freshly squeezed lime juice
- lime wheel or wedge for garnish
Shake with ice and strain into a chilled glass. Garnish with lime wheel or wedge.*
*Which I didn’t because the lime had seen better days and among the points of this project is to use what I have.
