Celery Gimlet
Featuring fresh celery juice and a homemade celery seed simple syrup, this Celery Gimlet is a sweet, tart, and slightly savoury sip.
I’ve always found mixology intimidating. I feel like I don’t know enough to add my voice to the din. When it comes to cooking, I have endless internal resources. A vast culinary vocabulary of flavours, pairings, and textures. An armoury of techniques, in-the-field-fixes, and quick shortcuts. I don’t have that when it comes to beverages. My partner does, but I do not. I only recently learned what fino sherry is, so I'm not exactly in the know, you know? But how did I acquire that culinary thesaurus of textures, that barrage of technical skill? I did it through trial and error, through burnt cakes and pizzas ordered after dinner defeats. I did it through 15 years of trying. Perhaps, I can do the same with cocktails. So this is me, trying. And today’s Celery Gimlet is, in my less-than-informed opinion, my most successful try yet.
Okay, so I could see how you might not want to whip up a drink crafted by an admitted amateur. But let me assure you, I had help. My partner, Sunny, is a devoted armchair mixologist. His knowledge of spirits is so vast that we often get locked in conversations with bartenders, peppered with free samples, naturally. They always seemed tickled to meet someone who has not just appreciation for their craft but I knowing appreciation. I don’t offer much to these interactions aside from the occasional laugh, but I do listen. And recently I've started to have drink ideas. This is huge! This is the beginning of understanding for me.
Now, I am a human who loves a deadline. Okay, “love” isn’t the word. I should say I NEED a deadline. So, as you may or may not know, I recently launched a paid branch of Rhubarb & Cod called Hardcore Supper Club. It initially started as an outlet for my more extravagant food ideas. It has since been retooled to focus more on at-home entertaining. Everything has gotten so much more expensive that going out is starting to feel like an unattainable luxury. And, at the same time, people are seeking out more IRL community-building experiences. So, celebrating the dinner party seemed like a natural and timely fit. It’s cheaper than going out, and sharing resources is the ultimate bonding ritual.
Every week, I post a dinner party menu centred around a particular theme. Today’s Celery Gimlet will be featured in a Sandwich-themed menu. There are no actual sandwiches on the menu, but there will be Tuna Melt Deviled Eggs, a BLT salad, a Waldorf Roast Chicken, and an Elvis Ice Cream Pie. Admittedly, the Celery Gimlet is a bit of a reach, but we do put celery in an awful lot of sandwiches. Tuna or chicken salad, anyone? In these weekly menus is a welcome cocktail or mocktail, which means every week I have the opportunity to practice my budding mixology skills. This is good for me. You’re doing me a favour by being here. So, thank you!
But enough about my professional development, let’s talk about this stunning sip. This Celery Gimlet is a little more labour-intensive than I would like. Ordinarily, I like to craft drinks that can be batched or mixed ahead of time. I want you to be able to serve them to guests after all. Sadly, I cannot offer you this option with this beauty. You can shake up to two servings at a time, so I think this drink (really, the entire menu) is best for parties of four. This is a double date drink.
The first thing we’re going to do is make a celery seed simple syrup. A simple syrup is equal parts sugar and water, cooked in a small saucepan over low heat. You will find this in almost every craft cocktail. In this drink, we’re inviting celery seed to the party because I want this gimlet to scream “celery,” not just whisper it. So pour sugar, water, and celery seed into a small saucepan and bring everything up to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes. Strain the syrup into a heatproof jar and let it cool completely. The syrup can be made in advance and will last for a couple of weeks when stored in the fridge.
Now, for the actual celery. If you have a juicer, this is a good time to dig it out. If, like me, you don’t have a juicer, a high-powered blender or food processor will do just fine. You will have a use a little more elbow grease to extract the juice. Blitz a few stalks of celery and two limes’ worth of juice until extremely fine. Place the celery in a fine mesh strainer and, using a muddler, extract as much juice as you can. You will get roughly 1/3 of a cup to 1/2 cup of juice for your pains. I like to add a little pinch of salt to my juice to bring out the savoury side of the celery. It will serve as a nice counterpoint to the simple syrup.
Unfortunately, you can’t make this juice ahead of time. Well, you can, if appearance is not all that important to you. The juice does start to oxidize fairly quickly. It will go from bright green to muddy green in an afternoon. This in no way affects the taste of the juice; it’s just not the prettiest hue. But if that doesn’t bother you, you can make it the night before, no problem. I am shallow when it comes to cocktails, so I think it’s best to whip up the juice just before your guests arrive.
Okay, so with all the prep out of the way, it’s time to shake up the drinks. Pop some Nick & Nora glasses in the freezer to get them nice and chilled. You could also use coupe or martini glasses if you don’t have any Nick & Nora glasses handy. Fill a shaker with ice and add some gin, the syrup you made, Green chartreuse, lime juice, the celery juice, and some celery bitters. Shake the cocktails until frost creeps up the side of the shaker tin. Strain the drink into the chilled glasses and garnish with shaved celery ribbons and a slice of watermelon radish. The radish appears elsewhere on the menu, so I thought it would be good to use it here as well. I think it gives the drink a nice bit of earthiness.
And that’s everything you need to know about this Celery Gimlet. It’s a sweet, tart, and slightly savoury sip. Honestly, it’s so beautiful and well-balanced that I’m shocked I made it. Lol!
Enjoy!
Celery Gimlet
PREP: 20 Minutes
COOK: 20 Minutes
COOLING: 2 Hours
SERVINGS: 2 Drinks
TOOLS
1 small saucepan
1 fine mesh strainer
1 heat-proof jar
1 muddler
1 vegetable peeler
1 mandolin
INGREDIENTS
Celery Seed Simple Syrup
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 tsp celery seed
Celery Juice
4 stalks celery, coarsely chopped
2 limes, juiced
Pinch of salt
Celery Gimlet **
4 oz gin
1 oz Celery Juice, see above
1/2 oz Celery Seed Simple Syrup, see above
1/2 oz Green Chartruese
2 limes, juiced
6 dashes celery bitters
2 shaved celery ribbons
2 slices watermelon radish
METHOD
For the Syrup
Place the water, sugar, and celery seed in a small saucepan. Place over high heat and bring the mixture up to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and let cook for 15 minutes.
Strain the syrup into a heat-proof jar and let it cool completely. ***
For the Juice ****
Place the celery in a smoothie cup, food processor, or high-powered blender. Add the lime juice and blitz until very smooth. Working in batches, place the puree in a fine mesh strainer and, using a muddler, press to extract the juice. You should have between ⅓ cup to ½ cup of juice. Stir in a pinch of salt. Chill until ready to use.
For the Gimlet
Place Nick & Nora glasses in the freezer for 15 minutes.
Pour ice into a Boston shaker. Add the gin, celery juice, simple syrup, green chartruese, lime juice, and celery bitters. Shake until frost creeps up the sides of the shaker tin.
Place a celery ribbon in each chilled glass. Strain the gimlet into each glass. Stick a radish slice to the side of each glass. Serve immediately.
NOTES
** The measurements for the Celery Gimlet are for two drinks because you can shake two gimlets at a time. The recipe for the simple syrup and celery juice will make four or more drinks, so you can make as many drinks as your guest list dictates.
*** The syrup will keep for up to two weeks in the fridge.
**** Don't make the juice too far in advance. It will oxidize and look a little muddy. Make the juice just before your guests arrive. Or if you're making this for yourself and your partner, make the juice just before mixing.
That’s one mighty fine and very beautiful beverage!