[Sponsored Post]
You came, you tasted, you purchased. You did the Yakima Valley so well that you now have bottles to show for it. Put them to good use in this three-course, summer-soaked meal featuring Yakima craft beverages.
FIRST COURSE:
Swede Hill Distillery Cherry Moonshine + Grilled Summer Vegetables with Pickled Cherries
Handcrafted spirits are the name of the game for Yakima’s Swede Hill Distillery, a husband-and wife-run operation focused on craft spirits and local ingredients: like Washington cherries. The moonshine is infused with cherries for the finished spirit which makes for a perfect base spirit in this herbal, fruity summer cocktail. Pair with this recipe for grilled summer vegetables with pickled cherries and buttermilk dressing.
Cherry Harvest Moon
Makes 1 cocktail
2-3 Yakima Bing cherries, pitted
5-6 mint leaves
1 tablespoon fresh-squeezed lemon juice
2 ounces Swede Hill Cherry Moonshine
½ tablespoon simple syrup
4-5 ounces soda water
Garnish: mint sprig
Muddle pitted cherries and mint leaves together in a mixing tin. Add the lemon, moonshine and simple syrup to the tin. Cover with ice, cap, shake and strain into a tall glass filled with fresh ice. Top with soda water and garnish.
SECOND COURSE:
Tieton Cider Works Tieton Dry + Crab and Hazelnut Salad Sandwiches
While Yakima’s Tieton Cider Works is one of the Northwest’s most sought-after cider producers, it is also the largest grower of cider-specific apples on the West Coast. These apples are featured in the Tieton Dry, the flagship cider from the cidery. Inspired by crisp, dry English ciders across the pond, this sip’s floral and fruit nose is balanced with citrus and green grape skin on the palate, finishing with a lingering pepper quality that makes it a model match for the cidery’s own recipe for crab and hazelnut salad sandwiches.
THIRD COURSE:
Wilridge Winery & Distillery Brandy + Hard Apple Cider Crisp
Wilridge Winery & Distillery battled for 15 years before receiving its distillery license and, as of 2017, is now proud to present its line of fruit brandies. In addition to award-winning wines, the winery-distillery hybrid features a hand-hammered copper alembic pot still for making its brandies, all produced from certified organic and biodynamic grapes, apples and pears from the estate vineyard and other nearby orchards. The traditional still allows Wilridge to create a truly local palate for colorful brandies, like the French oak-aged grape brandy to couple with this fresh, cider-splashed apple crisp.
