Bars and restaurants in the Pacific Northwest are rolling out summer cocktail menus with fresh, bright and local ingredients like Aperol, lemon, basil and lavender. One Portland bar and restaurant is taking it more earthy than tropical this summer.
Irving Street Kitchen in NW Portland takes juiced ginger and carrot from a masticating juicer to make a deep and savory syrup for the What’s Up Doc? cocktail available now. The curried carrot syrup isn’t as challenging to make at home as it sounds, so you too can imbibe on this vegetable forward cocktail in the sun.
What’s Up Doc?
Recipe by Joel Schmeck, Lead Bartender at Irving Street Kitchen
Makes 1 cocktail
1 1/2 ounces blanco tequila
1 scant bar spoon Combier Kummel
1 ounce curried carrot syrup*
1 1/4 ounces lime juice
2 full droppers saline solution
Garnish: pickled carrots
Combine all ingredients in a shaker tin with ice, shake and double-strain in a rocks glass with one large ice cube. Garnish with pickled carrots.
*Curried carrot syrup
6 ounces carrot juice, fresh juiced or cold-pressed bottled
1 1/2 ounces ginger juice
2 teaspoons Madras curry powder
1 1/3 cups granulated sugar
1 jalapeño, sliced
Add all ingredients to large saucepan over medium heat and slowly bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Once at a boil, reduce heat and continue to stir for 5-6 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature. Strain out jalapeño slices and keep in a glass jar refrigerated for up to 2 weeks.
