Moment With Mel: Not Everything Needs To Be A Cocktail
Why? WHY does every food need to be made into some cocktail concoction? It seems like over the last year or so, cocktails have gone over the top. On social media there are tons of pictures of Bloody Mary’s with so much food in it it looks like a buffet. I don’t want chicken, lobster tails, burgers, shrimp and other foods in my drink! There’s so much food in some Bloody Mary’s you need a to-go box to put it all in just to get to the alcohol.
That brings me to the latest cocktail: the Latke Sour. If you’re unfamiliar with the Latke, it’s a deep-fried potato pancake that is served during Hanukkah. Usually, it’s served with sour cream or applesauce. I’m a sour cream person. They’re quite tasty and they remind me of my childhood.
Now a bar has decided to make the Latke into a cocktail. According to Wine Enthusiast, The Maccabee Bar in Boston created the drink. It’s made using simple syrup, grated potato and egg whites, and barrel-aged bitters. It’s supposed to taste like a potato pancake. UGH!
The bartender at the Boston bar says that since you can’t deep-fry a cocktail, the bitters give you that aromatic, cooked sensation. Nothing about this drink sounds festive except for the edible glitter on the rim. Potato syrup in a cocktail? No!
In my opinion, cocktails are supposed to be refreshing. Thinking about a heavy potato pancake cocktail just sounds gross to me. I do appreciate the bar catering to the Jewish community, and I like the bartender’s creativity. But ya gotta draw the line somewhere. I mean, what’s next? A brisket cocktail? A Matzo Ball Soup drink? I can’t.
IF you’re adventurous, here’s the recipe for the Latke Sour. Good luck!
Maccabee Bar Latke Sour
Recipe by Naomi Levy
DIRECTIONS
Combine all ingredients in shaker and shake without ice until frothy. Add ice, then shake hard. Double strain the drink into a coupe glass and garnish with bitters and edible glitter.
*TO MAKE POTATO SYRUP
- 1 cup grated potato
- 2 cups water
Combine grated potato with water and bring to a boil. Keep on medium-high heat until the water has reduced by half. Reserving the liquid, strain out the potato as much as possible. Measure the resulting liquid (potato water) and add an equal amount of granulated sugar, stirring until fully dissolved.
