NONFICTION
“Market-Fresh Mixology: Cocktails for Every Season”
by Bridget Albert
$17.95, Imprint Surrey, 120 pages
By Lindsay Friedman
Chicago Tribune
Just like her drinks, it was time mixologist Bridget Albert of Shorewood refreshed her cocktail book.
The author, along with Mary Barranco, first published “Market-Fresh Mixology: Cocktails for Every Season” in 2008, which at the time stood out for sourcing drink ingredients from the garden. But with more recipes in their collection, the authors needed to update the book. It also gave them a chance to give back, donating proceeds to Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry campaign.
“It’s great for home entertainment,” Albert said. “If you really want to impress friends and create a beautiful experience for them at home, this is the recipe book for you, and you get to give back.”
Featuring drinks, toasts, tips and tricks for every season, the new edition includes a few new recipes per section, most adding more veggies and fruit to the mix.
The list of summer recipes, for example, introduces two fruity concoctions, the cantaloupe cobbler and apricot lemonade freeze.
Both sweet, the cobbler’s pineapple, cantaloupe and bourbon create a refreshing mix. Though it’s easy to detect a slight hint of bourbon, the first taste of cantaloupe and then a sweet burst of pineapple and cherry dominate.
Cocktail lovers looking for a bit more punch would appreciate the apricot lemonade freeze — fresh lemon juice takes the lead, with an intense sweet-and-sour taste.
Though the new additions are pretty tasty, Albert said her favorites, and the biggest crowd pleasers, are the fresh tomato bloody mary and the blueberry lavender mojito.
They’re her go-to drinks when serving friends at her bar at home.
“I think that cocktails are always about the experience,” Albert said.
“They’re about bringing people together and making memories. Any cocktail should be about that.”
Cantaloupe Cobbler
Prep: 10 minutes
Makes: 1 cocktail
5 cantaloupe cubes (1-inch cubes)
2 pineapple cubes (1-inch cubes)
2 fresh pitted cherries
1 ounce fresh lemon juice
1 ounce simple syrup, see note
1/2 ounce orange liqueur
1 1/2 ounces bourbon
In a mixing glass, muddle 4 cantaloupe cubes, 1 pineapple cube and 1 cherry. Add lemon juice, simple syrup, orange liqueur and bourbon. Add ice. Shake well. Strain into a rocks glass filled with crushed ice. Garnish with remaining cantaloupe and pineapple cubes and cherry.
Apricot Lemonade Freeze
Prep: 10 minutes
Makes: 1 cocktail
1 cup ice
2 very ripe apricot cubes (1-inch cubes)
1 to 2 ounces fresh lemon juice
1/2 ounce simple syrup, see note
1 1/2 ounces apricot brandy
1/4 ounce amaretto
Lemon wheel
In a blender, combine all ingredients except amaretto and lemon wheel. Blend until smooth. Pour into a Collins glass or other tall glass; float amaretto on top of the cocktail. Garnish with lemon wheel; serve with a straw.
Note: For simple syrup, mix equal parts fine sugar and hot water in a measuring cup until sugar dissolves.
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