Spring brings with it precious, jewel-like fruits and vegetables that only stick around for a brief, wonderful moment before they fade away until the next year. Fiddlehead ferns, ramps, sweet peas and new potatoes are among these transient items, and so is rhubarb. These lovely pink stalks, which somewhat resemble rosy celery, pop up early each April and stick around ’til early June. Rhubarb’s intensely tart flavor is often tempered with sugar and other fruits, as in strawberry rhubarb pie or crumble.
Wigle, the well known distillery in Pittsburgh, takes the zippy flavors of rhubarb and makes a delicious liqueur that is released in small quantities each spring. Rhubarb Liqueur starts with a base of an organic wheat and barley spirit which is infused with rhubarb, lemon peel, ginger, vanilla bean, pink peppercorn and a touch of sugar. Bright and aromatic, it makes a refreshing Gin Fizz with a seasonal twist. If you’re lucky enough to snag a bottle before it sells out, try this sophisticated sipper for a happy hour treat.
Wigle Rhubarb Gin Fizz
| Yield |
|---|
| Makes 1 cocktail |
Vanilla Simple Syrup
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Method
- Add a 1/2 cup of water and the sugar to a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir until sugar is dissolved. Let cool, then stir in vanilla extract. Strain into a jar or bottle and enjoy!
Gin Fizz
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 oz. Wigle Organic Dutch-style Gin
- 1/2 oz. Wigle Rhubarb Liqueur
- 1/2 oz. vanilla simple syrup
- 3/4 oz. fresh lemon juice
- 2 Dashes Wigle Organic Rosemary Lavender Bitters
- 1 egg white
Method
- Combine all ingredients except the seltzer into a shaker (do not add ice; this is called a “dry shake”).
- Shake vigorously for 10 seconds. Add ice and shake for another 10 seconds.
- Strain into a collin glass with fresh ice. Top with seltzer and enjoy!
- Recipe and photo: Wigle
