AOL News blogger and bon vivant Mo Rocca wanted to know what his poison oughta be.



I'm suggesting a...

Mo-Hattan on the Roccas

2 oz Sazerac rye whiskey
1/4 oz dry Vya vermouth
1/4 oz sweet Vya vermouth
Regan's Orange Bitters
Hickory-smoked, rye-soaked cherries*

Stir rye, sweet and dry vermouth, a dash of bitters, and a dash of the cherry rye* in an old-fashioned glass with ice and 2-3 smoked, rye-soaked cherries. Sip and enjoy, or dash in the face of the next person who ridicules your drink order.

*I've discussed my cherry-smoking penchant before. Just fire up a batch of 'em, and pack in a mason jar with rye whiskey for a week or two.

Just wanted to share this weekend's bit of cocktail experimentation. My husband said he was having a hankering for a clear, lemony drink, served straight up. If I cared all that much about vodka (that's another conversation, and do have a few faves, which weren't on hand), I'd have just shaken up a quick Lemon Drop but well -- we had Pisco (a Peruvian brandy) in the house, and I opted to play with that.


Now, a proper Pisco Sour calls for eggs, and we were fresh out, and as it happens, we had to save the lemons for that evening's rib grilling. Pisco & lime seemed like a natural fit, and orange curacao was the logical sweet counter-balance, but it was still missing something. I peeked in the cupboard for inspiration, and found it pretty quickly -- smoked salt and a small pinch of cayenne pepper. The result was a cocktail that's simultaneously sweet, sour, salty, smoky and spicy, and dangerously drinkable. Sometimes it pays to think kitchen when you're behind the bar.


Pisco Pepper

1oz freshly-squeezed lime juice
1oz orange curacao
2 oz Pisco
Pinch of smoked salt*
Pinch of powdered cayenne pepper


Shake vigorously over ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass.


*Wanna know where to get smoked salt? Sure, you can buy it in a grocery store, but it's much more fun to make your own.

Get Grilling!

Celebrate the bounty of the season with fresh, grill-sweetened peaches and a subtle hint of your favorite brew.


Grilled Peach & Beer Sorbet

1 dozen ripe, grilled peaches
1 tbsp lemon or lime juice
3 tbsp beer
1 cup simple syrup
Pinch of kosher salt


Grilled Peaches:
Halve peaches and remove pits. Spray lightly with cooking spray, and grill face-down over medium gas or charcoal heat until grill marks appear, and fruit is soft. (Note – wood smoke such as mesquite or hickory adds a great touch of flavor.) Remove from grill and cool. Peel skin, and place the fruit in a mixing bowl.


Simple Syrup:
To make simple syrup, stir 2 cups sugar and one cup water in a small saucepan, and bring to a gentle boil. Simmer until the mixture is slightly thickened. Remove from heat, and let it cool. Syrup can be stored in a clean, sealed jar in the refrigerator until it's needed.


Sorbet:
In mixing bowl, combine peaches, lemon or lime juice, beer and salt. With a hand mixer or immersion blender, beat until smooth, and then blend in simple syrup.

Process in ice cream maker according to manufacturer's instructions, or simply pour into a freezer-safe container and freeze to desired consistency.


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Lemonade 101

As testament to why it is often fortuitous to have little, random bottles of herbed spirits and/or accents within easy reach, I offer these two cocktails that recently came out of my kitchen.

Herbal Cocktail #1 (a.k.a. Piscojito)

Candied mint (which of course you have left over from when you last made mint simple syrup - like, say for Derby Day juleps)
1/2 lime
1 bar spoon mint simple syrup
2 oz Pisco
Splash of club soda

Thickly cover the bottom of a rocks glass with candied mint. Muddle 1/2 of a lime and 1 bar spoon simple syrup into mint and leave hull in the glass. Add 2 oz Pisco and 2-3 ice cubes, stir, and top with club soda.

Herbal Cocktail #2

1 1/2 oz rosemary-infused gin* (which you've been steeping for weeks)
1/2 oz dry vermouth
1/4 oz simple syrup
1 or 2 shakes of salt

Shake with ice, and serve up in a chilled cocktail glass.

*Oh -- so you'd like to know about this whole "infusing" hoo-ha? We'll get to that soon enough. Right now, I've got some Thai basil vodka that's screaming to be shaken and sipped.

Okay - one more grilled bevvy before the sandwich drink I'd teased earlier (seriously -- it's worth the wait). Like so many of my mixology experiments, it was inspired by some fresh produce I had on hand. There was an untouched honeydew melon left over from a bridal shower I'd hosted the weekend before (luckily, they keep well), and I happened to be grilling/smoking a beer can chicken anyhow. It all just came together organically, and the grill's flames added a pleasing touch of caramelized sweetness. I've a feeling I'll be chilling with this fizzy, fruity cooler all summer long.


Grilled Honeydew Sorbet Sparkler


1 honeydew melon
1 1/4 cups sugar
3 tbsp fresh lime juice (approx 2 limes)
2 tbsp vodka
Club soda, prosecco or cava
Lime rind


Split a honeydew melon in half, remove pulp and seeds, and grill face-down on the top rack until insides are softened and the surface is caramelized. Scoop out insides and chill in a bowl in the refrigerator.


Once chilled, use a food processor or immersion blender to combine the sugar, lime juice and vodka into the melon, and liquefy. Pour the mixture into an ice cream maker and prepare according to the manufacturer's instructions. Then transfer the sorbet into an airtight container and chill into the freezer until uniformly hardened.


Fill a goblet with several scoops of sorbet, and top with club soda, prosecco or cava. Garnish with lime rind twist and serve immediately.


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Explore Seasonal Produce

As I mentioned in my previous post, seeing as I was spending the day tending a smoker full o' brisket anyhow, it just seemed all resourceful and whatnot to populate the Char-Griller's top rack with various foodstuffs. You know -- For Science. (And possibly also because I was APPALLED at the high cost of the smoked salt I'd just bought for the beer can chicken rub and wondered why the heck I oughtn't just make my own, but mostly, I'd like it known, For Science.)


The cherries took but two hours to absorb the rich, hickory goodness, but I let that foil pan of kosher salt steep for a good six or more. On the hour, I'd re-stoke the heat and heady smoke with a chimney starter full of coals and a generous handful of Corona-soaked chips, shake the pan, and then spend the next 55 minutes resisting the urge to lift the lid to assess progress.


My patience was rewarded last night, when nearly two weeks later my husband sniffed the contents of the salt's mason jar and noted, "That smells like our barbecue weekend." I thought that called for a drink. Thus, I present to you, the Smoky 'Rita.


Smoky 'Rita

Smoked salt
1 oz fresh lime juice
1 1/2 oz fresh grapefruit juice
1 oz triple sec
1/2 oz simple syrup
2 1/2 oz 100% agave tequila (like Jose Cuervo Tradicional or Don Julio Reposado)
1 slice of grilled lime, for garnish


Run a lime peel around the rim of a margarita glass or goblet to dampen it. Roll the dampened edge through smoked salt. Set glass aside.


Fill a shaker with cracked ice, the lime juice, grapefruit juice, triple sec, simple syrup and tequila, and shake until the exterior is frosty. Strain into prepared glass, and float a thin slice of grilled lime on top.


And sure, nothing's to say that you couldn't also serve this on the rocks in a double old fashioned glass, but with ingredients this notable, why run the risk of diluting?


Next up - the refreshing summer drink that tastes like a sandwich in a glass. (We swear it's delicious!)


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Read More About Summer Drinks

Get Inspired By Our Margarita Gallery

More soon on this weekend's all-day hickory smoking adventure, but first, a little libation.

Hickory Smoked Cherry Limeade

Juice of 2 dozen limes
1 1/2 cups simple syrup (more or less to taste)
2 cups water (more or less to taste)

Stir these together in a large pitcher with 2-3 handfuls of smoked cherries.

Hickory Smoked Cherry & Bourbon Lemonade

2 quarts lemonade (fresh or from concentrate)
1 cup triple sec or orange curacao
2-3 cups bourbon (to taste)
1 cup smoked cherries

Pour over ice. For a lighter drink, top with seltzer.

So how do you happen to come upon smoked cherries? Prolly not in your local 7-11. Seeing as I was spending 8-ish hours smoking brisket, I figured I might as well put the top racks to use. Took a couple of foil baking pans, and laid in a layer of fresh cherries in each. Two hours in the low, steady lump charcoal heat, suffused with the heady smoke of beer-soaked hickory chips left the cherries with unbelievably rich, mellow, sweet-smoked flavor. Seeing our guests repeatedly sidling over to the bowl with the extras, and plucking them from their cocktails to savor on their own makes me think I've stumbled upon something pretty distinctive. I've a notion there will be a goodly bit more experimentation as long as they're in season.

Oh - and I also tossed in a foil pan of kosher salt for about 6 hours. That smoked salt will add some delicious wood-char undertones to my next batch of margaritas. But that's a whooole other post.

Next outing - we smoke the lemons & limes, and potentially a few peaches. Wanna come over?

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Lemonade 101

Special to AOL Food from Kat Kinsman

Mick and Keith probably had something a little stronger than brunch cocktails on the brain when they wrote Mother's Little Helper. Even so, they might think twice before turning down a glass of this sparkling, sophisticated pick-me-up. It's full of luscious, fruity, herbal flavor, kicked up by festive Prosecco bubbles – a refreshing treat for a Mother's Day brunch, or an easy-to-make afternoon tipple (we'll never tell!).

Pour equal parts chilled Lillet Rouge (a classic Bordeaux, herb, Armagnac and fruit based French apéritif) and dry Prosecco (Italy's affordable answer to Champagne) into an ice-filled goblet. Squeeze and drop an orange wedge into the goblet, and garnish with an additional orange wheel.

For a crowd, stir equal amounts of chilled Lillet Rouge and dry Prosecco, and one quartered orange in a pitcher. Pour into ice-filled goblets, garnished with orange wheels.