Choice Morsel: The Rise of Rhubarb, Part 2. Cocktails!

Rhubarb, the vegetable that thinks it’s a fruit, has made its way onto cocktail menus recently. Though the season for fresh local rhubarb is coming to a close, if you’re quick, you won’t miss out on some wonderful rhubarb-inspired drinks around town.

Jim Romdall's Sakuranbo from Vessel

For a potent concoction made with fresh rhubarb, head downtown to Vessel and watch Jim Romdall as he crushes raw rhubarb into a mash and mixes it with Voyager Dry Gin, Clear Creek Kirschwasser and Lillet Blanc for the Sakuranbo (“cherry” in Japanese). Flecks of mint shimmer in this cocktail, the color of cherry blossoms, and play off the earthiness of the rhubarb.

Discover more rhubarb cocktails after the jump.

David Nelson's Hubbub Cocktail at Spur Gastropub in Belltown

At Spur Gastropub in Belltown, David Nelson creates the Hubbub, a frothy rhubarb sparkler, with the help of both molecular technology and old-world kitchen science. First he puts up an old-fashioned shrub by combining rhubarb with citric acid, lemon juice and brandy, but the rhubarb is cooked sous vide (vacuum sealed slow cooking), today’s trendiest cooking method. Then he combines the shrub with Prosecco and Angostura bitters, topping it with a rhubarb foam worthy of elBulli.

If both the Sakuranbo and the Hubbub are off the menu by the time you read this, take heart.

You can make rhubarb-infused cocktails in your own home thanks to Miles Thomas, the founder of Scrappy’s Bitters, whose first batch of rhubarb bitters (only three cases!) is about to be bottled. Head to DeLaurenti’s and grab a bottle before they’ve disappeared.

There won’t be another batch until next year.

Choice Morsel is a biweekly exploration of unsual snacks, daring drinks and other gourmet experiments around Puget Sound. Follow it only on CAB.