May 2019 Feast Magazine

Inspired Local Food Culture

/

midwest

may 2019

The Road Worth Traveling augusTa WINERY NOBOLEIs VINEYaRDs BaLDuCCI VINEYaRDs

MONTELLE WINERY

Montelle Winery 201 Montelle Drive Augusta, MO 63332 (888) 595-9463 M-F 10am-5pm, Sat 10am-6pm, Sun 12am-6pm (Open Late Saturdays May-Sept)

Augusta Winery 5601 High Street Augusta, MO 63332 (636) 228-4301

Noboleis Vineyards 100 Hemsath road Augusta, MO 63332 (636) 482-4500

Balducci Vineyards 6601 S. Missouri 94 Augusta, MO 63332 (636) 482-8466

Mon-Fri 10am-5pm Sat 10am-6pm, Sun 12pm-6pm

Open Daily 11am-5pm, closed Tuesday

Mon-Fri-11am-5:30pm, Sat-11am-7pm, Sun 11am-6pm

PURCHASE YOUR TICKETS ONLINE FOR OUR UPCOMING EVENT!

Augusta AVA Festival • June 22 & 23 SAVE THE DATE! Augusta Wine Trail Gala - November 16

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www.augustawinetrail.com

f a h s e FFrresh af

Made with fresh squeezed lime juice. ONLY at Mission Taco Joint Made with fresh squeezed lime juice. ONLY at Mission Taco Joint SAINT LOUIS: Soulard | Delmar SAINT LOUIS: Soulard | Delmar KANSAS CITY: East KANSAS CITY: East

Loop | Central West End | Streets of St.Charles Loop | Central WestPlaza End | (Streets of) St.Charles Crossroads | South Crossroads | South Plaza ( )

www.missiontaco jo int.co m www.missiontaco jo int.co m

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Upscale comfort food, close to home.

Enjoy our wide selection of seasonal lunch and dinner menu items

HAPPY HOUR MON.-FRI. 3 TO 6 PM

COMING SOON: Clancy’s Brew Pub Lascelles is a place for excellent food and drink, friendly faces and promoting social change within the Granite City Community.

1324 NiedriNghaus ave., graNite City, illiNois 618.709.7375

lascellesgc.com

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Fishing

is a great way to spend time with family and friends and create memories that last a lifetime. All you need is a pole and a permit. No matter where you live in Missouri, a fishing trip is close to home.

Don’t know where to fish?

Visit mdc.mo.gov/PlacesToFish.

Need a rod and reel?

Visit mdc.mo.gov/FishingPoles.

Discover

Nature

bass-and-crappie spring rolls Serves 6 as an appetizer 8 ounces bass and/or crappie (trout works also) Flour for light coating 2 to 3 tablespoons vegetable oil 1 ounce mung-bean threads (vermicelli noodles) 3 large Bibb or Boston lettuce leaves 12 6-inch-round rice papers 12 large Thai basil leaves ½ cup fresh cilantro, loosely packed ½ cup fresh mint leaves, loosely packed 1 small avocado, cut into 12 slices ¼ cup toasted peanuts, coarsely chopped Coat fish lightly in flour that has been seasoned with salt and pepper. Heat oil in medium-hot skillet and sauté fish until lightly browned on both sides. Set aside to cool.

In a bowl, soak bean threads in very hot water to cover.

When they are soft, but still have a bit of a bite to them (about 10 minutes), drain well in a colander.

Remove ribs from lettuce leaves. Wash and dry thoroughly.

Break fish into 6 portions, and assemble rest of ingredients within easy reach.

In a shallow baking pan, soak 2 rounds of rice paper in warm water until very pliable, about 45 seconds.

Meanwhile dampen two tea towels and spread one out on a flat work surface.

Carefully spread both soaked rice papers on the tea towel. Blot papers gently with the other towel. Arrange 1 piece of lettuce leaf on the bottom half of one paper, leaving a 1-inch border along the bottom edge. Cover lettuce with about ¹⁄6 of the fish. On top of that place 2 basil leaves, side by side. Cover those with ¹⁄6 each of bean threads, then cilantro, mint, avocado, and peanuts.

Roll up filling tightly in rice paper, folding insides after first roll to completely enclose filling, and continue rolling. Wrap remaining rice paper around spring roll in same manner (double wrapping covers any tears and makes the roll more stable and easier to eat). Wrap roll in a rinsed and squeezed-dry tea towel. Make 5 more rolls with remaining ingredients in the same manner, covering each with towel as they are made.

Halve the rolls diagonally and serve with dipping sauce.

dipping sauce ½ cup sugar ½ cup water ½ cup rice vinegar ¹∕³ cup fish sauce 2 garlic cloves, minced ½ teaspoon minced fresh ginger root (peeled) 1½ teaspoons dried red pepper flakes 2 small sprigs cilantro, minced Combine sugar, vinegar, and water in a small saucepan.

Heat to dissolve sugar. Once sugar is dissolved, remove pan from heat and add remaining ingredients. Stir well.

Once cooled, this sauce will keep in the refrigerator for several days.

Serve alongside spring rolls for dipping.

Find more wild recipes in Cooking Wild in Missouri. Order yours at mdcnatureshop.com.

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5

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od, MO 63122

ter Road Kirkwo m | 10230 Manches

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Inspired Local Food Culture /

midwest

may

2019

Volume 9 / Issue 5 contributors

Vice President of Niche Publishing, Publisher of Feast Magazine

Catherine Neville, publisher@feastmagazine.com

Frank Norton

sales

ART

project manager

Art Director

Michele Russo, sales@feastmagazine.com 314.475.1297

Alexandrea Povis, apovis@feastmagazine.com

account manager, Kansas City Region

Kelly Glueck, kglueck@feastmagazine.com

Morgan Cook, mcook@feastmagazine.com 417.619.0131

Contributing Photographers

to represent that on the cover illustration.

I made a point to highlight beer, wine and

Editor in chief

Zach Bauman, Keith Borgmeyer, Julia Calleo, Adam Caselman, Tessa Cooper, Judd Demaline, Jonathan Gayman, Sam O'Keefe, Anna Petrow, Drew Piester, Samuel Reed, Rolf Ringwald, Jennifer Silverberg, Starboard & Port Creative, Mabel Suen, Jessica White

Liz Miller, editor@feastmagazine.com

Contributing illustrators

Digital director

Frank Norton

Hilary hedges Kansas City, Writer

FEAST TV

"This issue’s Hot Blocks showcases wineries in the

special projects Editor

Bethany Christo, bchristo@feastmagazine.com

EDITORIAL

Heather Riske, web@feastmagazine.com Kansas City Contributing Editor

Jenny Vergara St. Louis Contributing Editor

Mabel Suen

producer: Catherine Neville production partner: Tybee Studios

Feast Media, 8811 Ladue Road, Suite D, Ladue, MO 63124 314.475.1260, feastmagazine.com

Rose Hansen Proofreader

"I enjoy all things fermented and fussed over, so this assignment was right up my alley. It's

production designer

Contact Us

fact checker

Kansas City, Illustrator

great how communities can be represented by their food and beverage scene, so I wanted

spirits, but also the people who enjoy them together. I like the idea of tasting with our eyes, so I created the color palette to suggest something bright, fresh and punchy." (Cover illustration; Home-Bar Handbook, p. 56)

Augusta American Viticulture Area (AVA), the first federally designated AVA in the country. A few years ago, some friends and I spent a weekend there wine tasting and learning more about the area’s rich history.

There's no shortage of interesting stories among the families and winemakers who call the AVA home.

The Midwestern hospitality, amazing views and wide variety of wines made the experience one to remember.

We often talk about how much fun we had and we’re

Erica Hunzinger

Distribution

editorial intern

Hayley Abshear Contributing Writers

Christy Augustin, Julia Calleo, Tessa Cooper, Gabrielle DeMichele, Amanda Elliott, Natalie Gallagher, Juliana Goodwin, Hilary Hedges, Rogan Howitt, Justin Phelps, Jessica Vaughn Martin, Nancy Stiles, Lillian Stone, Jenn Tosatto, Emma Veidt, Shannon Weber

To distribute Feast Magazine at your place of business, please contact Eric Freeman for St. Louis, Jefferson City, Columbia, Rolla and Springfield at efreeman@post-dispatch.com and Jason Green for Kansas City at distribution@pds-kc.com.

planning a trip back this fall to revisit some of our favorite spots. I encourage you to add the Augusta AVA to your road-trip bucket list and experience everything the historic area has to offer." (Hot Blocks, p. 30)

Hayley abshear St. Louis, Editorial Intern “In this issue, I interviewed David Weglarz of StilL 630 and Meredith Barry of Grand Tavern by David Burke. What unites both of these beverage industry experts is their dedication and passion for their work, which I found very inspiring."

(One on One, p. 28; Culinary Library, p. 53)

Feast Magazine does not accept unsolicited manuscripts, photographs or artwork.

Submissions will not be returned.

All contents are copyright © 2010-2019 by Feast Magazine™. All rights reserved.

Reproduction or use in whole or in part of the contents, without the prior written permission of the publisher, is strictly prohibited. Produced by the Suburban Journals of Greater St. Louis, LLC.

jessica white Columbia, Missouri, Photographer "I recently spent time with two amazing restaurants: Bleu Market and Bakery and Taqueria Don Poncho in Columbia, Missouri. Bleu already had defined roots in Columbia, and with its new market, it's adding even more delicious flavor to the community. And while new to Columbia, Taqueria Don Poncho is no stranger to the restaurant industry. The restaurant's incredibly friendly

on the cover Drink Local by Frank Norton table of contents Go Out: Balducci Vineyards courtesy Balducci Vineyards; Stay In: Saint Louis Crafted Cocktails by Samuel Reed; Features: Gin cocktails by Jonathan Gayman

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vibe and mouthwatering Mexican dishes are the talk of the town. As an artist myself, being able to show the hard work and beautiful cooking of these two amazing restaurants through photography in Feast truly brings me joy." (Dine & Drink, p. 21; One on One, p. 24)

Go Out

Stay In

/ 30 /

/ 19 /

DINE & DRINK Morning Day Cafe, Ragazza Food & Wine, The Wildseed Restaurant & Bar, Balkan Treat Box, Bleu Market and Bakery, Pop, City Barrel Brewing Co.

/ 22 / On TREND

Canned cocktails

Features

/ 50 /

/ 39 / the dish

Stout-onion jam / 40 / one ingredient 3 ways

Dry white wine / 42 / the mix

Legendary Mai Tai

/ 24 / one on one

Francisco and Pancho Rutiaga of Taqueria

Don Pancho

/ 44 / MIDWEST MADE

Cocktail essentials

/ 26 / SHOP HERE

Mitch e Amaro

/ 46 / mystery shopper

Dosakai

/ 28 / one on one

David Weglarz of StilL 630

/ 48 / healthy appetite

Spring pea soup with dukkah and pea shoots

/ 30 / HOT BLOCKS

Augusta, Missouri, AVA

/ 50 / one on one

Jared Williamson and Wil Rogers of Saint Louis

Crafted Cocktails

/ 32 / one on one

Jerry Eisterhold of TerraVox Wines and

Vox Vineyards / 34 / HOMETOWN HITS

Maryville Board Game CafĂŠ, Heinrichshaus Winery,

The Anvil Saloon & Restaurant

/ 52 / sweet ideas

Citrus-olive oil pound cake / 53 / culinary library

Meredith Barry of Grand Tavern by David Burke / 54 / quick fix

Mussels with bourbon-maple syrup cream sauce / 56 / crash course

Home-bar handbook

/ 89 /

69 78 89

all aboard the coolship The centuries-old brewing tool is wildly unpredictable, yet can produce unique, terroir-driven beer. Meet the local breweries riding the coolship wave.

the grape whisperer With Midwest Vineyard Consulting, Nick Pehle is helping grape growers raise better fruit to, ultimately, yield even better wine.

gin comes of age These local distilleries are dipping into 2019’s must-sip spirit, barrel-aged gin.

In Every Issue

/ 10 / from the PUBLISHER

Raise a glass / 12 / events / 14 / feast tv

For the Win / 98 / back burner

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Letter

from the

Publisher

I

ran into Nick Pehle at Adam Puchta Winery in Hermann, Missouri, last summer. He saw me pulling into the winery’s long, winding drive and followed me into the tasting room, eager to say hello and get out of the hot July sun.

I had just finished judging the Missouri Wine Competition, an annual event that awards bronze, silver and gold medals to Missouri’s best wines along with the C.V. Riley Award to the state’s best Norton and the Governor’s Cup to the state’s best overall wine. The competition is held annually in Columbia, Missouri, and I always take the long way back to St. Louis, choosing the gorgeous path along Route 94, which cuts through wine country. Along the way, I take the time to stop off to taste wines and check in with wineries I haven’t visited in some time. That’s how I ended up in Adam Puchta’s tasting room, sipping my way through the winery’s portfolio.

In the For the Win episode of Feast TV, which won a Mid-America Emmy last year, we traveled to Las Vegas with chef Ben Grupe (pictured right) to chronicle his bid to represent the U.S. at the Bocuse d’Or. You’ll find this episode, along with all episodes, in the Feast TV section of feastmagazine.com. You can experience Grupe’s refined and inspired cooking at his new restaurant, Tempus, opening in St. Louis this summer.

And be sure to look for our Best Of season of Feast TV to debut next month on public television stations across Missouri and Illinois.

It had been a while since I’d seen Nick, who for years had been the vineyard manager at the venerable Stone Hill Winery, and I was surprised to run into him at Puchta. Turns out, he was there working in the vineyard, helping the winery’s team get their vines in shape for the remainder of the growing season. And Puchta wasn’t the only winery he was working with – he was consulting with wineries large and small across Missouri, Kansas and Iowa to help them get the best fruit possible from their vines.

Rounding out our issue dedicated to drinking is Natalie Gallagher’s look at the barrel-aged gin trend (p. 89) and digital director Heather Riske’s ride on the coolship wave (p. 69). This entire issue is peppered with people, places and products that reflect the explosion in our region’s beverage industry. The craft beer, artisan spirit and local wine industries are all growing and offering more – and more interesting – options for us to sip and celebrate.

Until next time,

All wine starts in the vineyard – a winemaker can only do so much with mediocre grapes – and Nick is leveraging his considerable vineyardmanagement experience to assist grape growers in everything from site selection to shoot thinning. Our local wineries – and wine-lovers – will reap the benefit of his expertise in the coming years as quality continues to improve thanks to Nick’s guidance. You’ll meet him on p. 78 in editor-in-chief Liz Miller’s profile, The Grape Whisperer.

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Catherine Neville

publisher@feastmagazine.com

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Fr om cr af t- be er fe st s to ba rb ec ue co m pe ti ti on s, pl an th e m on th s ah ea d w it h fe as t

CALENDAR

STL | 5/3 + 5/4

KC | 5/19

St. Louis Microfest

Cook for Courage

Fri., May 3 and Sat., May 4, session times vary; $45; $60 VIP; Upper Muny Parking Lot, 1 Theatre Drive, Forest Park, St. Louis, Missouri; 314.616.7205; stlmicrofest.org

Sun., May 19, 6 to 8:30pm; $100; 12th Street Bridge, 1222 W. 12th St., West Bottoms, Kansas City, Missouri; 816.78.8013; cpckc.org/cookforcourage

Benefiting Lift for Life Gym, St. Louis Microfest is a two-day beer-tasting festival of international and craft offerings, with more than 125 breweries pouring more than 600 beers. With three different sessions available over Friday and Saturday, each Microfest ticket includes a commemorative tasting glass, access to chef demos and brewery discussions and live music. Food will be available for purchase from Bogart’s Smokehouse, The Dam, Mission Taco Joint and Strange Donuts.

KC | 5/11 Strother Brewfest Sat., May 11, 1 to 5pm; $35, $50 VIP; downtown Lee’s Summit, Missouri; 816.419.3138; strotherbrewfest.com

Strother Brewfest is an epic tasting session that will take place in the streets of downtown Lee’s Summit, Missouri, and profits will benefit local nonprofits. Taste unlimited samples of craft beers from 40-plus breweries, as well as food from Strother District restaurants. Each brewery has been asked to bring a taproom-only beer and/or a rare or limited-release option. VIP ticket holders gain entry one hour early.

mo | 5/17 - 5/19 Downtown Washington Art Fair & Winefest Fri., May 17 to Sun., May 19, times vary; $20 to $40; downtown Washington, Missouri; 636.239.1743; downtownwashmo.org

Downtown Washington, Missouri’s 38th-annual Art Fair & Winefest in the heart of Missouri wine country draws visitors each spring from across the Midwest. Enjoy wine tastings from 14 Missouri wineries – a commemorative glass and cheese and crackers are included with your ticket – plus live music, vendors and a full food court. Sip & Savor Sunday runs from noon to 3pm with unique food and wine pairings, and visitors can vote for their favorite in the People’s Choice category. Save on tickets if you bundle or purchase before May 6.

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Dubbed “KC’s Best Que With Local Brew,” Cook for Courage will feature chefs competing in a barbecue cookoff to determine the best smoked ribs. Patrons, along with a panel of celebrity judges, will sample and vote for their favorite ribs, side dish and local brew.

There will also be dessert and live music from the Heather Newman Band. VIP preparty tickets available.

STL | 5/22 Schnucks Cooks: Mussels With Bourbon-Maple Syrup Cream Sauce Wed., May 22, 6 to 9pm; $45; Schnucks Cooks Cooking School, 12332 Manchester Road, Des Peres, Missouri; 314.909.1704; nourish.schnucks.com/ schnucks-cooking-school

In this class, you’ll learn how to perfectly poach eggs and cook mussels – two tasks that are much easier to do at home than you may think.

mo | 6/1 Mayor’s Summer Cruise Sat., June 1, 2 to 11pm; free; downtown Festus, Missouri; 636.937.6646; cityoffestus.org/303/ mayors-summer-cruise---june-1-2019

The first Mayor’s Cruise of the year on Sat., June 1, will feature a car show in downtown Festus, Missouri, at 2pm, cruising at 6pm and music from Borderline band on the library parking lot from 7 to 11pm. Registration is free but not required. The event is sponsored by the Festus Tourism Commission.

KC | 6/8 Meet the Makers: Kansas City Sat., June 8, 2 to 5pm; $20; Plexpod Westport Commons, 300 E. 39th St., Kansas City, Missouri; watchtastemakers.com/meet-the-makers-kc

Join tasteMAKERS for an immersive taste of the Midwest. tasteMAKERS is a nationally syndicated TV show hosted by Cat Neville that puts a spotlight on American makers who are defining the flavor of food today. In June, you can meet the makers profiled in the Green Dirt Farm episode. A tasting experience and the Makers Market will follow the live show.

3 2 nd A N N U A L

2019 MAY 10, 11 & 12 Mother’s Day Weekend

Friday, May 10 / 6–10 p.m.

Saturday, May 11 / 10 a.m.–8 p.m.

Sunday, May 12 / 10 a.m.–5 p.m. $10 / Ages 10 and under are FREE! Laumeier Members are FREE!

www.laumeier.org/membership Advance online sales now open! www.laumeier.org/tickets Purchase or renew your Membership online before May 9th to receive a special gift at the fair!

Presented by

Leading Sponsor

Contributing Sponsor

Patron Sponsor

Art by

LAUMEIER SCULPTURE PARK 12580 Rott Road / St. Louis, MO 63127 / 314.615.5278 www.laumeier.org

Taste the

Tingle Ting

Zambu is a grapefruit-flavor liqueur infused with the tingling sensation of the Brazilian Buzz Button. Enjoy as a shot, on the rocks, or in your favorite cocktail.

For our story and recipes, visit

Zambuliquors.com

DISCLAIMER: Blended and bottled by ZAMBU Beverage Co., Louisville, KY; 60 PROOF; 30% ALC/VOL

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episode: for the win Check your local listings

to watch feast tv on these networks:

In this special episode, host Cat Neville follows chef Ben Grupe and his commis, Jared Dix, as they prepare for and then compete in the Ment’or competition in Las Vegas, Nevada. Months of intense practice go into preparing for the Ment’or competition, which determined Team USA to represent the U.S. at Bocuse d’Or in 2019. Ben and Jared, formerly the executive chef and chef de partie at Elaia in St. Louis, were one of just three teams to make it to the highly prestigious competition.

This is a rare look into the rigorous world of competition-level cooking.

hungry for more feast tv? look for the show's first-ever best of season to debut in june!

feast tv

is brought to you by the generous support of our sponsors: 14

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Missouri Wines supports the more than 125 wineries operating in the state and is focused on promoting the industry’s growth and vitality.

Kaldi’s Coffee Roasting Co. is dedicated to creating a memorable coffee experience for customers and guests via sustainable practices and education.

Ole Tyme Produce provides some of the finest produce in the St. Louis region, serving restaurants, hotels, food service and catering companies.

The Raphael Hotel is Feast’s official hotel, offering luxury accommodations and dining near Kansas City’s Country Club Plaza.

•

•

Now Serving Wild Sun Beers!

4830 Pioneer Rd, Hillsboro, MO 63050 | 636-797-8686 | www.wildsun.com

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tap?

WINE& CHEESE ADVENTURE!

Social Brew

This ligh ht, dry, ager is crushable la perfect fo r patio weath her and hrough shuffling thr the ga mes at Westport Social, h a ssubtle with hop citr us and fruit itt flav flavor.

Westport social

+

has s 20 mirrored t tap lines: from a strong hopped ipa to a cre creamy milk stout o a fruit fruity sour, to there’s an option there’ or e everyone. find for your favorite try a new or tr brew! bre

citrapoliS c

Modern Brewery

Modern Brewery describes this drinkable, juicy citra-hopped American IPA as a beer fusion.

Citrapolis blends the characteristics of a drinkable APA with the aroma of a double IPA.

1099 Welt Street, Weston, MO 64098

GREENDIRTFARM.COM/CREAMERY

new menu

Coming Soon

+

Mother’s Mother’ Brewing co.

~ cheese and charcuterie boards ~ gourmet sandwiches ~ cheese tastings ~ wine and beer pairings

MON - SAT

we recommend the new burger

11 AM - 1 AM

SUNdAy

11 AM - 11 PM

MUST BE AT LEAST T 21 NIGHTLY AFTER 4 PM

910 Westport plaza Drive, st. louis,, M Mo westportsocial-stl.com | 314.548.2876 6 / may 2 019

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Go Out DINE & DRINK

/ ON TREND / SHOP HERE / HOT BLOCKS / HOMETOWN HITS

▪ NIXA, MO.

Morning Day Cafe Written by Juliana Goodwin / photography by tessa cooper

Morning Day Cafe is Nixa, Missouri’s newest spot for farm-fresh eggs, local produce, grass-fed meat and cocktails. The menu features several Bloody Marys with housemade mix, plus mimosas and house-infused spirits, making it a great brunch spot. Chef-owner Miranda Barchers’ menu is playful and creative: The breakfast egg rolls, for example, feature scrambled eggs, four different cheeses and your choice of bacon, sausage or avocado wrapped in a wonton and served with housemade bacon gravy. When the sun is shining, enjoy a cocktail in the outdoor bistro area.

105 S. Main St., Nixa, Missouri, facebook.com/mdcnixa

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DINE & DRINK

/

ON TREND

/

SHOP HERE

/

HOT BLOCKS

/

HOMETOWN HITS

▼ KANSAS CITY

Ragazza food & wine Written by Jenny Vergara / photography by anna petrow

Ragazza Food & Wine has relocated from Kansas City’s Westport neighborhood to a new home on the busy corner of 43rd and Main streets. The historic building boasts plenty of charm, featuring arched windows and doorways and pieces of the original mosaic floor tiles. The move added more seating as well as a scenic view of bustling Main Street. Owner Laura Norris has curated a wine list with Italian pours to pair with Ragazza favorites, including its famous lasagna and meatballs. Don’t miss the best-selling eggplant fries, which are tossed with parsley and Parmesan and served with a pesto aïoli and red dipping sauce.

4301 Main St., Kansas City, Missouri, ragazzakc.com

The Wildseed Burger tops a ground beef patty with a seasoned onion and pepper mix, cilantro aïoli and Feta cheese. ▶ STRAFFORD, MO.

The Wildseed Restaurant & Bar Story and photography by Tessa Cooper

When mother-and-daughter-in-law duo Tammy Stafford and Rima Walker cook together, magic happens, and you can get a taste. Try their coveted family recipes at The Wildseed Restaurant & Bar in Strafford, Missouri, where Walker honors her Indian heritage through dishes like the chicken curry, which uses her mother's curry gravy recipe, served with chicken tikka skewers. End your dinner with a nightcap: The restaurant's namesake drink, The Wildseed, combines pomegranate vodka, triple sec and housemade sour mix.

305 E. Chestnut St., Strafford, Missouri, eatwildseed.com

▶ WEBSTER GROVES, MO.

Balkan Treat Box Story and photography by Mabel Suen

Balkan Treat Box, the beloved St. Louis food truck that first debuted in December 2016, opened a brick-and-mortar restaurant in February. The menu serves the same best-selling Balkan-inspired street foods from the truck, including chicken döner kebab and pide (a Turkish flatbread), plus a variety of new items from owners Loryn and Edo Nalic. The patlidžan, for example, plates wood-fired eggplant over somun bread with cheese, cabbage, cucumber, tomato, lettuce, pickles, a marinated egg, herbs, kajmak and apricot-pomegranate molasses.

8103 Big Bend Blvd., Webster Groves, Missouri, balkantreatbox.com 20

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▼ COLUMBIA, MO.

Bleu Market and Bakery Written by Jessica Vaughn Martin / photography by jessica white

Bleu Market and Bakery in Columbia, Missouri, is the latest concept from Bleu Events; the fast-casual spot opened in the former Brasserie space in January. The menu resurrects favorites from now-shuttered Bleu Restaurant, including the mac 'n' cheese, Cobb salad, roasted turkey pot pie and a signature quiche of the day. Sweet and savory seasonal baked goods fill the pastry case, and the market is also Columbia’s depot for Sugarfina, a specialty candy brand known for its Champagne-flavored gummy bears and other candies.

3919 S. Providence Road, Columbia, Missouri, facebook.com/bleumarketandbakery

▲ ST. LOUIS

pop Story and photography by Mabel Suen

In January, the latest concept from Baileys’ Restaurants made a bubbly debut: Pop, a bar and restaurant focused on all things sparkling,

offers a full menu of shareable fare alongside an extensively effervescent beverage program.

At Pop, owners Dave and Kara Bailey hope to make bubbles a regular indulgence to “celebrate the everyday.” Choose from an extensive by-the-glass and bottle list including 20 bottles of Champagne, nine

sparkling wines, sparkling sake and more than 40 wines from around the world, plus beer, cider and cocktails such as the Pop’s Martini with Old Tom gin, vodka, dill, vermouth and sparkling trocken, a dry German wine.

1915 Park Ave., St. Louis, Missouri, popstlouis.com

▶ KANSAS CITY

City Barrel Brewing Co. Written by Jenny Vergara / photography by april fleming

City Barrel Brewing Co. is the latest brewery to join Kansas City’s East Crossroads neighborhood, an area that’s earned the nickname “brewer’s alley.” Head brewer Jay Mead focuses on unique wild sours like the Ahoy!, brewed with tart pink guava and lime, and double-hopped beers, like Rad AF, a double-dry-hopped hazy IPA. In the kitchen, executive chef Benjamin Wood brings a rustic touch to the lunch and dinner menu. For dinner, stick-to-your-ribs entrées include the herb-citrus chicken in a lavender-thyme glaze served with sautéed root vegetables, grapefruit sections and a Yukon gold potato purée.

1740 Holmes St., Kansas City, Missouri, citybarrelbrewing.com / may 2 019

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DINE & DRINK

/

ON TREND

/

SHOP HERE

/

HOT BLOCKS

/

HOMETOWN HITS

Chad Brewer

manager Underdog Wine Co.

loves

Pinckney Bend Distillery’s canned gin and tonic

“With the [canned cocktail] craze currently, I think the Pinckney Bend gin and tonic herb- and fruit-driven with a little bit of sweetness. It’s going to be a knockout for poolside and camping, where you can [enjoy it] without worrying about taking glass [bottles] with you.”

Canned cocktails are ideal for picnics, float trips, pool parties and outdoor concerts, and now, local distilleries are getting into the game, expanding your pop-top options from beer and wine to Moscow Mules and gin and tonics.

-Natalie Gallagher

▪ KANSAS CITY This spring, Boulevard Brewing Co. launched Fling Craft Cocktails, featuring some local spirits. “We've grown in expertise over the years,” says Boulevard president Jeff Krum, “and we realized we were limiting ourselves to beer when we have the ability, equipment and interest in other areas.” The first four flavors are blood orange-vodka soda (with McCormick Distilling Co. 360 Vodka), a cucumber-lime gin and tonic (with Restless Spirits Builders Botanical Gin), Margarita (with Mean Mule Distilling Co. Silver American Agave Spirit) and Mai Tai (with imported rum). Look for Fling at stores where Boulevard beer is sold.

2501 Southwest Blvd., Kansas City, Missouri, boulevard.com photo by jonathan gayman

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◀ ST. LOUIS

◀ NEW HAVEN, MO.

Rob Vossmeyer, head distiller at 4 Hands Brewing Co.’s distilling arm, 1220 Artisan Spirits, created the spirits and recipes for the popular gin and tonic and Moscow Mule on tap at the 1220 tasting room in St. Louis, which paved the way for canned cocktails. The Moscow Mule features 1220 Encrypted Vodka, distilled six times from Missouri corn; a canned gin and tonic made with 1220 Origin gin is also available. In April,1220 released four new canned cocktails, including a lavender vodka lemonade, Aviation and a gin-hibiscus-cucumber.

In 2014, New Haven, Missouri’s Pinckney Bend Distillery developed a tonic syrup to pair with its American Gin. The rose-tinted Pinckney Bend Classic Tonic Syrup features lemongrass, chamomile, hibiscus and rose hips; the recipe on the back of the bottle recommends combining 1 ounce of the syrup with 1 ounce of gin and four parts club soda or sparkling water. The distillery christened this cocktail The Perfect Gin & Tonic – and has been canning

1220spirits.com

pinckneybend.com

feastmagazine.com / m ay 2 0 1 9

the drink since last year.

photo by anna petrow

is going to be very successful, since it’s

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ONE ON ONE /

ONE on

columbia, mo.

with Francisco and Pancho Rutiaga / owners, Taqueria Don Pancho 3 Must-Try Menu Items

Written by Emma Veidt / photography by jessica white

Columbia, Missouri’s newest taqueria is a dream realized for Pancho Rutiaga (pictured right). Pancho, a restaurant industry vet, and his son, Francisco, opened Taqueria Don Pancho in December; they always wanted to run a restaurant together, but didn’t have the opportunity until they met Daniel Abraham, owner of Loop Liquor & Convenience Store. After befriending Pancho, Abraham offered space in the front of his liquor store for a small eatery. It’s best to stop by Taqueria Don Pancho early: Although open for lunch and dinner, the taqueria has become so popular that it often sells out long before suppertime.

tacos al pastor

Fresh corn tortillas stuffed with marinated pork, onion and cilantro.

nachos de discada

Tortilla chips topped with Taqueria Don Pancho’s signature discada meat, queso and beans, pico de gallo and sour cream.

How did you develop the menu for Taqueria Don Pancho? It’s like the Olympics – you show off your country. We want to show what Mexico has to offer. It’s about the meat, spices, sauces, tacos. People ask us if we put lettuce and cheese on our tacos; no, this is traditional [Mexican cuisine]. You can taste the freshness.

–Francisco Rutiaga One of your best-sellers is discada. How do you make it? Discada is traditionally made with beef, pork, chorizo, ham, sausage, bacon – all that together with Mexican spices. You can make it into anything. It’s like meat-lover’s

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choice – that’s how I describe it to people. It’s a traditional dish from Durango [the Mexican state where my family is from]. –F.R. What else does the restaurant offer? We did catering yesterday, and we catered ceviche.

We’re doing this menu here, but what I can do better is seafood. –Pancho Rutiaga We did shrimp ceviche and a Mexican dish called tinga, which is chipotle [peppers] and shredded chicken. We’ve been working in restaurants for so long, we can do a lot more [for catering] than what we have on the menu; we sit down and decide a menu that fits the event. –F.R.

What has been the most rewarding part of the work so far? I know my customers are working hard at their job, and then they come [here] to eat good food. When the customer comes in tired, with problems or whatever, I want to provide good service and a nice, happy face. When you come in here, you forget your problems for a little bit. I’m working hard for my customers. –P.R. 26 Business Loop 70 E. (inside Loop Liquor & Convenience Store), Columbia, Missouri, facebook.com/ taqueriadonpancho74

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DINE & DRINK

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HOMETOWN HITS

▶ NORTH KANSAS CITY, MO.

Mitch e Amaro Written by Juliana Goodwin photography by adam caselman

Mitch e Amaro, a new shop in North Kansas City, Missouri, is already a gathering place for craft cocktail-lovers and home bartenders. Brothers Ben and Josh Edwards opened Mitch e Amaro in February after noticing a void in the market for cocktail connoisseurs like themselves.

In addition to retail, they stock the largest selection of amari in the area and offer gin flights or gin and tonic pairings at the shop's bar.

306 Armour Road, North Kansas City, Missouri, mitcheamaro.com

Must-Try Spirits at Mitch e Amaro

Customers will find rare and specialty spirits: everything from a premium selection of Italian aperitivos, French apéritifs and mezcal to shakers, jiggers and cocktail books. If you’re unsure about something new, sidle up to the full bar and try before you buy.

amaro meletti

Although this rich, caramely amaro is generally served neat, it’s ideal for cocktails, too, as it’s not as bitter as other amari. Amaro Meletti is a great starting point for an amaro novice.

maurin rouge vermouth

This fruit-forward French vermouth features notes of cardamom and absinthe; Josh says Maurin Rouge adds depth to cocktails and is outstanding to sip on its own.

del maguey vida mezcal

Del Maguey Vida is an excellent introduction to the world of mezcal.

It mixes well with Amaro Meletti to make a Mezcalletti, a smoky, sweet cocktail that’s become very popular at Mitch e Amaro.

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27

ONE ON ONE

ONE on

/

st. louis

with David Weglarz / co-founder, Missouri Craft Distillers Guild and owner, StilL 630 What has the guild accomplished in its first year? We got everybody organized.

We’ve raised our membership from the original nine to 33. It was a lot of writing up the bylaws and establishing how we’re going to operate. We [want] the guild to be a viable and important [part] of [the] Missouri [distilling industry] for generations to come; we’re trying to take our time and really do it right.

Written by Hayley Abshear / photography by rolf ringwald

When David Weglarz launched his St. Louis distillery, StilL 630, in 2012, he wanted to create spirits that were anything but cookie-cutter. As he began to meet

What is the purpose of the guild? We’re working to generally promote all of us, so we're working on organizing some tastings around the state this year, [we recently launched] a distillery trail and [want to] pass legislation that hopefully helps us all and helps create unique Missouri spirits.

other fellow Missouri distillers, he became infatuated with how so much of life is shared over a drink, and he sought to share that message with others in the industry. Last year, he co-founded the Missouri Craft Distillers Guild, a nonprofit with more than 30 member distilleries from across the state. The

What does the future of the guild look like? Hopefully the guild becomes a respected arbiter of high-quality craft spirits, so that if you’re a guild member, you’re doing the right things the right way and making fine spirits. When the Missouri Division of Alcohol & Tobacco Control has changes it wants to make, hopefully it’ll look out to the guild to say, “Let’s get feedback from people who are in the industry and leading the industry.”

I hope that [from a tourism standpoint, distilleries can be] a valuable industry in Missouri. We’re [an] agricultural [state], but we're also manufacturing, and we're a tourist destination. So I hope that we’re a part of the pride and joy that Missourians see in our great state.

guild focuses on advancing the local industry through tastings, promotions and even state legislation to reduce the barriers of entry for new distilleries.

missouricraftdistillersguild.com

Last month, the Missouri Craft Distillers Guild announced the Missouri Spirits Expedition, a statewide distillery trail.

Visit missouricraftdistillersguild.com to learn more.

david weglarz talks

local distilling trends 28

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gin

bitters

canned cocktails

“I think gin is the next big category ripe for growth, especially in Missouri. There’s so many different botanicals to play with that every distillery out there can make their own expression and come up with something very unique and delicious. Gin also lends itself to an enormous array of cocktail opportunities for our local bartenders to play with.”

“Bitters are a high-proof flavor extract used in many cocktails.

They’re very popular in Europe and elsewhere around the world, and it's something, along with amaro, that’s really catching fire here in Missouri.”

“I'm personally very excited about the trend of canned cocktails. I foresee smaller distilleries like [StilL 630] putting out delicious cocktails in the convenience of a can. And as we’ve seen with our incredibly talented local mixologists, there's no end to the flavor combinations that are possible. I'd love to be kayaking and pull over to enjoy an awesome cocktail with a killer Missouri sunset.”

Grapes in the Garden Taste more than 250 wines!

May 10 | 6–9 p.m.

Presented by Schnuck Markets, Inc.

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/ may 2 019

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DINE & DRINK

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Randal Oaks

owner Kate’s Coffee House

loves

Augusta and Montelle Wineries “Tony Kooyumjian, the owner of Augusta and Montelle wineries, is a pioneer of Missouri, and he’s raising the bar for quality Missouri wine. Each [winery in Augusta] has distinctive, quality wines. I tell people, ‘When you’re tired of wine-ing, come to Kate's Coffee.’ They do, but they’re not tired of the wine!”

noboleis vineyards

Augusta Missouri AVA In 1980, the region encompassing Augusta, Missouri, became the first federally designated American Viticulture Area (AVA) in the United

Noboleis Vineyards

Mount Pleasant Winery

Augusta Winery

Established in 1859, Mount Pleasant is the oldest winery in the Augusta appellation, and the original cellars are still used to age its wine today. If you’re looking for more than a wine tasting, try the cellar tours, wine classes or winemaker dinners. The wine list includes everything from sparkling, sweet, dry and fortified wines; lunch is available Thursday through Monday at the Appellation Café, open April through October.

Winemaker Tony Kooyumjian discovered his appreciation for wine while traveling the world during a career in aviation, leading him to open Augusta Winery in the heart of town. The wine list includes dry, sweet and fruit wines, as well as a 5-year Tawny Port.

The tasting room features an expansive gift shop with great finds for wine-lovers. On weekends, guests can enjoy pizzas, locally made cheese and sausage or bring a picnic basket and relax on the patio.

100 Hemsath Road, noboleisvineyards.com

5634 High St., mountpleasant.com

5601 High St., augustawinery.com

Balducci Vineyards

Holy Grail Winery

Montelle Winery

Balducci Vineyards boasts a wine for every palate and a food menu designed to complement it. Winemaker Nic Balducci produces both sweet and dry wines from several grape varietals, including Vignoles and Norton. Food is focused on Italian-inspired dishes such as the portobello mushroom ravioli appetizer or chicken Parmesan sandwich with housemade red sauce. Bocce ball courts offer a fun way to enjoy scenic views of the property.

In addition to traditional Missouri varietals like Norton, Holy Grail Winery also offers limited production Pinot Noir and Bordeaux-style blends made with grapes from the Lodi region of California. Rare finds include a late-harvest icewine made with Cabernet Sauvignon and a 100-percent Petit Verdot. Guests can indulge in wine and chocolate pairings every Friday, Saturday and Sunday, when Holy Grail is open to the public.

Montelle Winery – also owned by Tony Kooyumjian – offers everything from sunset dinners to live music on its patio overlooking the Missouri River valley. Sample a selection of wine or upgrade to a premium tasting of limitedproduction wines, like the Norton Reserve, made with the best barrels of the vintage. The on-site Klondike Café serves sandwiches, salads, breads and pretzels; for fancier occasions, dine on a rib eye steak or scallops in the new Parliament Room.

Noboleis Vineyards was awarded the prestigious Jefferson Cup in 2017 at the Missouri Wine Competition for the best Norton in Missouri. Other dry wines produced here include Baril de Blanc, a barrel-fermented white, as well as a refreshing dry rosé; sweeter options like Traminette, Moscato and Autumn Blush are also available. Once you’ve found your favorite, dig into a housemade pizza or bring a picnic and enjoy the lovely outdoor pavilion overlooking the vineyards.

States, earning the title eight months before Napa Valley. AVAs feature specific geographic features and boundaries uniquely suited to grape-growing; in the Augusta appellation, which also includes parts of Washington, Dutzow and Defiance, the soil, climate and proximity to the Missouri River create an ideal environment for quality grapevines.

Some of the oldest and most acclaimed wineries in the state fall within the AVA, making it ideal for a day trip or weekend getaway. -Hilary Hedges 30

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6601 S. Highway 94, balduccivineyards.com

17814 Hwy N, Marthasville, Missouri, holygrailwinery.com

201 Montelle Drive, montelle.com

photo by natalie hinds

the resurgence of the wine industry in

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31

ONE ON ONE /

ONE on

kansas city

with Jerry Eisterhold / founder and proprietor, TerraVox Wines and Vox Vineyards Written by Jenny Vergara

Jerry Eisterhold’s

photography by adam caselman

In 1996, Jerry Eisterhold was running Eisterhold Associates Inc., his design firm, when he became

3 Favorite Native Grapes

fascinated with the idea of growing native grapes in Missouri for winemaking. He soon got his hands on cuttings from 60 grape varieties native to North America, largely identified by Thomas Volney Munson, an early 20th century viticulturist, and launched a vineyard with those unique – and almost forgotten – varietals. In 2012, Vox Vineyards released its first vintage under the TerraVox label, and a new Missouri winery was born. TerraVox roughly translates to “voice of the land,” which is exactly what

wetumka

Eisterhold believes his wine represents. Last month, TerraVox released a pétillant-natural, or pét-nat, an unfiltered, naturally sparkling wine, made with America, an extremely rare variety.

“When this grape is in bloom, it smells absolutely out of this world.

It gives off this sweet elderberry flower aroma that almost makes up for how difficult it is to harvest.”

cloeta

“This is a favorite red grape

How many of Munson’s varietals are you still using and experimenting with at Vox today? Eight years later, we’re down to growing around 40. In the future, our goal is to focus on about 20 grape varietals from the American heritage list. From that, our winery is on track to produce around 1,200 cases of wine for TerraVox this year. Besides the single-varietal wines, which have mostly sold out months ago, also popular are our red blends like the Munson Report, a silver medal winner at the 2016 Jefferson Cup Invitational Wine Competition, Wetumka RePort, a gold medalist at the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition and our Chateauneuf du Platte.

What’s the biggest challenge with growing native grapes and using them to produce wine? You just don’t know what you’re going to get in terms of flavor and color with these grape varietals, so we’ve learned to roll with what Mother Nature gives us. We planted America, a red grape from Munson’s list, in our vineyard and we were surprised at how light in color last year’s crop was.

The flavor was strangely beefy, similar to how steak tartare tastes. Our winemaker, Whitney Ryan, had the idea to lean into

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the funky taste, color and unpredictable nature of the grape and use it to make a pét-nat, a method of producing sparkling wine by bottling the wine during primary fermentation, capturing the carbon dioxide that’s naturally released.

of mine, because it grows in the prettiest, most luscious clusters. The wine made from it tastes of coffee and chocolate.”

How did the pét-nat turn out? It’s our first unfiltered sparkling wine, and there’s not a whole lot of it! I think it’s uplifting, bright and bracing with notes of hibiscus, cranberry and pomegranate seeds. I’d recommend pairing it with beef carpaccio.

What’s your goal for Vox Vineyards and TerraVox? The truth is, we’re selling experimentation and discovery as much as we’re selling wine. But ultimately, I’m looking to get down to 12 to 20 native American heritage grapes that grow well in my soil and make wines I really like to drink. At the same time, while trying to hone down the number of grapes we plant, we’ve discovered a contemporary grape-breeder’s work, so there are more varietals yet to experiment with.

ellen scott

“This grape was named for Munson’s wife’s maiden name. In fact, he named several grapes after himself, and eventually each member of his family. It’s a grayish-pink

1099 Welton St., Weston, Missouri, voxvineyards.com

grape that makes white wine that tastes like red wine.”

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HOMETOWN HITS

These three delicious destinations are under the radar – but should be on yours.

▲ MARYVILLE, MO.

Maryville Board Game Café

written by nancy stiles

Scott and Thuy Copeland opened Maryville Board Game Café in Maryville, Missouri, north of Kansas City, in 2017, but their love of board games began much earlier. After raising their two sons on games like Candyland, Chicken Cha Cha and Forbidden Island, they decided to share the family pastime with their community. The café offers a library of more than 400 games, plus coffee from Kansas City’s Maps Coffee Roasters – everything from espresso to a white mocha latte – tea, juice, Jones Soda and a variety of Freezers, frozen drinks in flavors including Chocolate Mountain, Birthday Cake and Gratifying Greens.

324 N. Main St., Maryville, Missouri, maryvilleboardgamecafe.com

braised liver dumplings

photo courtesy maryville board game café

▲ STE. GENEVIEVE, MO.

The Anvil Saloon & Restaurant written by heather riske

Step inside The Anvil Saloon & Restaurant, and you’ll likely spot regulars huddled at the bar, fashioned from an old Mississippi River steamboat. Located in the heart of Ste. Genevieve's town square, the traditional 19th-century décor befits the restaurant’s down-home fare. Local favorites include The Anvil’s famous beer-battered and deep-fried onion rings, pork tenderloin (available either grilled or breaded) and the most iconic of Ste. Gen specialties, braised liver dumplings smothered in gravy. Be sure to save room for dessert, as The Anvil’s pies are all housemade – we particularly like the coconut cream.

▲ ST. JAMES, MO.

Heinrichshaus Winery written by nancy stiles

Heinrich Grohe has been making award-winning wines in St. James, Missouri, for more than two decades at Heinrichshaus Winery. Grohe, who runs the winery with his wife, Gina, was born and raised in Germany – specifically, the Rhine Valley, a renowned winemaking region. As such, he focuses on dry, European-style wines, mainly made with hybrid grapes including Chardonel, Vidal Blanc and Chambourcin.

Bring a picnic basket and enjoy your wine on the terrace on a nice day.

46 S. Third St., Ste. Genevieve, Missouri, facebook.com/anvilsaloon

18500 State Highway U, St. James, Missouri, heinrichshaus.com

photo courtesy the anvil saloon & restaurant photo by sam o'keefe

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What’s on the Menu?

PROMOTION

Barbecue Edited by BethAny ChRISto

CouRteSy AMy SChRoMM PhotogRAPhy

1.

2.

CouRteSy AMy SChRoMM PhotogRAPhy

4.

4: In additon to go-tos such as ribs, brisket and burnt ends, Dalie's smokehouse serves specialty sandwiches including its Cuban, making the Valley Park, Missouri, restaurant more than a smokehouse. 636.529.1898, daliessmokehouse.com

1: the apricot-brûléed ribs headline St. Louis' Bogart’s smokehouse's menu, which includes pulled pork and turkey, smoky beef brisket and mouthwatering pastrami. Sides include pit-baked beans and sweet-heat Fire and Ice Pickles.

314.621.3107, bogartssmokehouse.com

3.

2: Beast Craft BBQ Co.’s award-winning barbecue earned its high ranks – the team proudly serves only the best-quality smoked meats available in the St. Louis area, from Compart Family Farms’ Duroc pork to Snake River Farms’ wagyu brisket. 618.257.9000, beastcraftbbq.com 3: The “fine-casual” sugarfire smoke house

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feastmagazine.com

january 2019

experience combines slow-smoked classics with local, chef-driven creations every day. With 10 locations across Missouri and Illinois, Sugarfire currently holds the World’s Best Sandwich title from the World Food Championships for its Cuban Reuben. sugarfiresmokehouse.com

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6.

8.

CouRteSy AMy SChRoMM PhotogRAPhy

8: the barbecue served at smokin k’s BBQ &

5.

5: Duke’s BBQ is a roadside barbecue shack located at the crossroads of America in Wentzville, Missouri. the pit crew specializes in creative barbecue using the best ingredients possible: from burnt-end Rangoons to the Duke Plate, with a choice of prime brisket, Duroc pulled pork, St. Louis-style ribs and more. 636.856.9227, dukesbbqshack.com

more in Millstadt, Illinois, is delicious – but don’t just take our word for it. the 2-pound gigantic pork steaks, ribs, rib tips, snoots, wings and more have won 100-plus awards in prestigious barbecue competitions across the country. Plus, the restaurant offers daily barbecue and homestyle specials including burnt ends, rib eye, meatloaf and chicken dumplings. 618.476.1777, smokinksbbq.com

7.

6: In Kansas City, Q39’s signature Burnt end Burger is butchered and ground in-house daily. It features sliced burnt ends from certified Angus beef brisket, spicy pickle slaw and Q39’s classic sauce. q39kc.com

7: St. Louis' PaPPy's smokehouse serves the

Adam Bomb in honor of Adam Richman, which includes a slab of ribs, pulled pork and beef brisket sandwiches, a quarter chicken, four sides and a hot link Frito pie. 314.535.4340, pappyssmokehouse.com / may 2 019

Inspired Local Food Culture

january 2019

37

%PG

PROMOTION

SPONSORED CONTENT BY KARA BEHLKE REGISTERED DIETITIAN, SCHNUCKS DIRECTOR OF HEALTH AND WELLNESS PHOTOS PROVIDED BY SCHNUCKS There is something about summer and sitting on the patio or by a pool that makes me want to sip on something refreshing. If you’re like me, I get bored drinking plain ‘ol water, even though I know all the benefits and that I should be drinking more of it. Luckily, the sparkling water craze has upped my water-drinking game as the myriad of flavors keeps my palate interested.

When I’m not hydrating with water or caffeinating with coffee, you’ll almost always find a bottle of kombucha on my desk. I get so many questions about this bubbly beverage that it’s time to spill the tea.

So what exactly is kombucha? To keep it simple, it is a fermented tea beverage. Surprisingly, kombucha has been around for thousands of years and thought to have originated in China.

It gained popularity in the U.S. in the early 21st century partly because of increased awareness of probiotics and fermented foods.

Fermentation is nothing new, you’ve likely heard of it to brew beer, preserve cabbage as sauerkraut or transform milk into yogurt. Kombucha is fermented using a living culture (known as a SCOBY) that is added to a base of sweetened tea. The SCOBY consumes the sugars as it transforms the tea into a naturally effervescent drink with a tangy, slightly vinegary taste.

It also contains gut-friendly bacteria (probiotics) that aid in digestion and support the immune system. Fermentation also naturally yields trace amounts of alcohol. Most commercial kombucha is labeled “non-alcoholic” but always be sure to read labels to find the beverage perfect for you.

Still skeptical? Don’t worry, there are many different flavors to help tame the tang. Our taste buds are so used to sugary drinks that the tart, biting taste might initially catch you off guard.

First-timers can ease in with a sweeter brew — think strawberry, mango, honey or blood orange.

Kombucha has actually helped many of my friends and family ditch their soda habit by slowly replacing soda with this fizzy functional beverage.

If you’re hosting a summer party and are in search of a signature cocktail that has added benefit, try this refreshing Berry Kombucha Cocktail.

BERRY KOMBUCHA COCKTAIL SERVES 2 12 6 2 4 12

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mint leaves, stems removed large strawberries, stems removed tbsp. fresh lime juice oz. white rum (or Perrier for a mocktail version) oz. GT’s Gingerberry kombucha ice lime wedges, raspberries, and mint leaves for garnish

PREPARATION

Divide mint leaves, strawberries and lime juice among two highball glasses. Use a muddler or wooden spoon to gently muddle without breaking up the mint leaves.

Add 2 oz of rum to each glass, stir gently. Add ice and top with kombucha. Stir, garnish and sip.

Stay In THE DISH / 3 WAYS / THE MIX / MIDWEST MADE / MYSTERY SHOPPER / HEALTHY APPETITE / SWEET IDEAS / QUICK FIX / CRASH COURSE

stouT-onion jam With locations in St. James and Rolla, Missouri, Public House Brewing Co. is as much a destination for craft beer as it is tasty pub fare. At the St. James location, menu items incorporate the brewery’s beers as much as possible – think pretzels and cheese made with Hide and Seek Hefeweizen and braised short ribs topped with Revelation Stout-onion jam. The jam also appears on the best-selling pub burger, a ¹⁄₃-pound grass-fed beef patty topped with white Cheddar cheese, lettuce, red onion and house sauce. Just in time for grilling season, we asked executive chef Gabriel Albert to share his recipe for the sweet, tangy jam, which complements more than burgers and ribs: try it mixed with Feta and stuffed inside a pork chop or atop steak tacos. -liz miller

Recipe by Gabriel Albert, head chef, Public House Brewing Co. in St. James, Missouri Photography by sam o'keefe

Stout-Onion Jam

yields About 1 pint 5 medium red onions, small dice 1 12-oz bottle stout beer 1½ Tbsp freshly ground black pepper ½ cup tightly packed brown sugar

Public House Brewing Co. uses its Revelation Stout to make this onion jam, but any dry, lighter-bodied stout with a dark chocolate aroma will work in the recipe. If serving the jam on burgers, use about one to two tablespoons per patty.

/ preparation / In a large sauté pan over medium heat, add onions and cook until caramelized, about 5 to 10 minutes. Add beer and pepper and let liquid reduce by ¹⁄₃, about 5 to 10 minutes more. Add brown sugar and cook until a syrupy texture, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat, transfer to a heatproof container and refrigerate until chilled.

/ may 2 019

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Serves 2

Mustard-White Wine Skillet Chicken

The good thing about chicken thighs is that they’re very difficult to dry out, which

1 Tbsp olive oil

2 lbs skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs

2 shallots, finely diced

4 garlic cloves, minced ½ cup dry white wine

1 cup chicken stock ¼ cup coarse-grain mustard

1 Tbsp heavy cream

1 Tbsp honey

1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice 2 to 3 sprigs fresh thyme kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

makes this a perfect no-fail meal. Feel free to turn on the broiler at the end to crisp up the skin for a minute or two.

I always keep a bottle of dry white wine in

/ preparation / In a cast-iron skillet over medium heat, add oil. Once shimmering, add chicken and brown, 3 minutes per side; remove to a plate. Add shallots to skillet and sauté 3 minutes. Add garlic and sauté until fragrant, 30 seconds. Add wine and reduce for 1 minute; add stock and whisk in next 5 ingredients. Return chicken to skillet and cook for 4 minutes per side. Season with salt and pepper to taste; serve.

the fridge solely for cooking purposes. It’s a great way to add acidity to a dish; as the

Rigatoni with Leeks, Sausage and White Wine

alcohol cooks off in whatever sauce or syrup you’re making, the flavor becomes more

1 Tbsp olive oil 1 lb Italian sausage, casings removed 1 leek, white and light green parts only, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced ½ cup dry white wine 3 Tbsp unsalted butter 1 lb rigatoni, cooked al dente, with ½ cup pasta water reserved ¼ cup grated Parmesan (plus more to serve) kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

concentrated, so cook with a wine you would like to drink. Of course, cooking with wine gives you the added bonus of sipping and stirring at the same time.

Recipes and photography by Julia Calleo, writer and recipe developer, mylavenderblues.com

Serves 4

Make sure you give your leeks a good wash. I like to cut and then wash leeks in a salad spinner; if hand washing, be sure to dry them thoroughly.

/ preparation / In a skillet over medium-high heat, add oil.

Once shimmering, add sausage and brown, breaking up with a wooden spoon, 5 minutes. Add leek and sauté until softened, 5 minutes. Add wine and cook until slightly reduced, 3 minutes. Add butter and reserved pasta water; cook for 30 seconds more. Remove from heat and add cooked pasta, tossing to coat. Stir in Parmesan and season with salt and pepper to taste. Divide pasta between 4 serving bowls and top with Parmesan to taste. Serve.

Serves 4

Serve this refreshing dessert with whipped cream or vanilla

White Wine-Poached Peaches

ice cream with dry white wine after a heavy meal.

1½ cups water 1½ cups dry white wine ¾ cup granulated sugar 1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice 1 Tbsp vanilla extract 1 lb peaches, sliced / preparation / In a saucepot over medium-high heat, add water and wine and bring to a boil; add sugar and stir until dissolved. Add lemon juice and vanilla extract and whisk to combine. Add peaches and bring back to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer, 10 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer peaches to a plate. Carefully remove peach skins and seal in a glass container. Continue to cook poaching liquid until thick and syrupy, 15 minutes. Remove from heat. Pour syrup over peaches and refrigerate at least 4 hours.

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/ may 2 019

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Mai Tai Tai Legendary Mai Add up to ¼ ounces more orgeat syrup if you prefer a sweeter cocktail

Legendary Mai Tai

Serves 1

2 ½ ½ 1 ½ 1

oz aged Jamaican rum oz orange liqueur oz orgeat syrup oz fresh lime juice lime sprig fresh mint (for garnish)

/ preparation / In a cocktail shaker, add first 4 ingredients and fill with cracked ice. Shake just a few times and pour into a double Old Fashioned glass. Top with more ice, squeeze lime over top and garnish with mint. Serve.

Rum and Tiki-cocktail enthusiasts tend to agree that the king of cocktails is the classic Mai Tai. With a history dating back to the 1940s, the Mai Tai has spawned endless variations, eventually including a variety of tropical juices and store-bought mixes. However, the classic recipe will always reign supreme, as it’s both tart and boozy yet balanced. With just four main ingredients, this version is easy to assemble and will transport you straight to the beach.

Written by Rogan Howitt, co-owner, Good Spirits & Co. in Springfield, Missouri Photography by Starboard & Port Creative

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The funk of Jamaican rum pairs well with dry orange liqueur, fresh lime juice and orgeat syrup. For this recipe, I prefer Appleton Estate Reserve aged Jamaican rum, Pierre Ferrand Dry Curaçao and Giffard or BG Reynolds Original orgeat, all of which can be found at local liquor stores or online, but feel free to experiment with your own favorites.

3 Rums to Try in Your Mai Tai Appleton Estate Reserve Aged Jamaican Rum Spicy, funky and dry, this Jamaican rum is ideal for anything Tiki.

Plantation Xaymaca Special Dry Rum This rum, a newer, 100-percent pot-still release, is made in the style of 19th-century Jamaican rums, with light funk and a smooth finish.

Neisson Rhum Agricole Blanc Try substituting a portion of this vegetal French rhum agricole in your Mai Tai for an even more traditional approach.

314-349-2277 | 5351 Devonshire Ave., St. Louis, MO | espressoyourselfcafe.com | #groundedinhappiness

Destination: Waterloo, Illinois

Drink Locally

ChiCken Dinner SunDayS! Buy One Get One Chicken Dinner

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Expires 5/26/19 Dine-in Only. Limit one coupon per table.

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Just 15 Minutes froM the JB Bridge!

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The Mayor’s Summer Cruise Saturday, June 1, 2019

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- Car Show at 2pm -

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All licensed vehicles are welcome.

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Only 20 minutes from St. Louis, Kimmswick and Jefferson County & Ste. Genevieve wine countries.

For a one night stay or a weekend getaway, stay at one of these fine establishments.

Check out our new website! www.cityoffestus.org / may 2 019

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Cocktail

Essentials Presley Green, a 9-year veteran of the Kansas City beverage scene, debuted Green Bitters last fall. He sources as many local ingredients as possible to make a variety of bitters, shrubs and syrups. Some of his more unusual flavors include dandelion and peanut butter bitters, while shrubs range from mango-poblano to English pea. His products are available for purchase online. greenbitters.com

Great cocktails don’t have to be complicated. These locally made shrubs, bitters and syrups all amplify your drinks with aromatics and intriguing flavor combinations Written by Nancy Stiles / photo by judd demaline

Kansas City-based Boozy Botanicals specializes in infused cocktail syrups ideal for making craft cocktails at home. Owner Cheryl Bisbee's classic rose syrup is the flagship, but don’t miss flavors like vanilla-allspice and lavender-Earl Grey.

Boozy Botanicals products are sold online and in select regional retailers. boozybotanicals.com

owner Fiddlehead Fern Café Marcel van Eeden launched The Bitters Club in New Franklin, Missouri, last year with a line of four cocktail mixers, two bitters and a lavender-amaro syrup. If you’re feeling adventurous, The Bitters Club also offers DIY mixes to make your own bitters at home. We like the hibiscus whiskey sour cocktail mixer, which adds floral notes to the classic drink. Browse and buy his products online. bittersclub.com

In St. Louis, Heirloom Bottling Co.’s Brad Zulick uses fresh ingredients to make both shrubs and simple syrups. The aromatic combinations are easy to pair with your favorite spirit: The cherry-orange spice cocktail syrup is particularly nice with whiskey. Select products are available online as well as at a handful of St. Louis-area stores. heirloombottling.com

Cocktail buffs have long sung the praises of KC Canning Co. Shrubs are great mixers; usually made from vinegar, sugar and fruit, they’re often called drinking vinegars. We like KC Canning Co.’s Meyer lemon-lavender shrub stirred into a gin and tonic. KC Canning Co. also offers blood orange-ginger, watermelon-habanero and smoked and spiced pear shrubs, which you can order online or pick up at specialty stores such as Made in KC in Kansas City and Civil Alchemy in the St. Louis area. kansascitycanningco.com

Heirloom Bottling Co. “I like using Heirloom Bottling Co.’s shrubs because they’re so full of flavor that we can make what seems to be an elaborate cocktail, when it’s actually quite simple – and still delicious. I have a different favorite depending on which style of drink I’m having: For a cocktail, my favorite is the grapefruit-ginger-vanilla shrub with elderflower

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liqueur and cava, a sparkling wine.”

photo by anna petrow

Darcy Heine

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/ may 2 019

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Dosakai

The prettiest little melons you ever did see.

Written by Shannon Weber, writer and recipe developer, aperiodictableblog.com photography by Jennifer Silverberg

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What Is It? Dosakai are a little mysterious: Some research suggests it’s a member of the cucumber family, while others claim that it’s simply a lemon cucumber known by a different name. However, dosakai is technically a melon – one with cucumberlike tendencies, perhaps, but a melon nonetheless. They’re a bit flashy, with mottled, solid or tiger-striped skin ranging in color from deep green to vibrant sunset orange. They can be as small as a lime or as big as a grapefruit, firm but with a little give when you squeeze it. Inside, you’ll find creamcolored flesh that’s neutral to softly bitter – think raw zucchini – with a surprising amount of edible, peach-colored seeds in the center.

What Do I Do With It? Dosakai are native to India, and a perfect fit for classic Indian fare. You’ll find them in pickles, chutneys and sambar curry, a lentil and mixed vegetable soup eaten just as commonly for breakfast as it is for dinner. Try using them as you would a zucchini or cucumber: Grill or stir fry them with a little balsamic glaze or soy sauce, or shred them to use in quick breads, fritters, chopped salads or slaw.

Although they can be eaten raw, I prefer these little melons cooked. Their flesh becomes beautifully translucent and takes on an aroma and flavor reminiscent of an Asian pear or sweet apple, with clean, floral undertones and not even a whiff of bitterness.

This tender sweetness makes a lovely inclusion in savory dishes, but sorbet is also an excellent showcase. Chamomile brings out the floral notes, and rosé wine adds a crisp acidity and hints of summer berries. It’s the perfect sorbet for warmer weather; try it as a palate cleanser or as a delicate final course.

Dosakai-Chamomile-Rosé Sorbet Look for dosakai in international markets and Asian grocery stores.

Serves 8 to 10

2 lbs dosakai, peeled and halved

1½ cups granulated sugar

2½ cups cold water, divided

4 chamomile tea bags

¾ cup dry rosé wine / preparation / Scrape out seeds of dosakai with a spoon; discard seeds and roughly chop flesh. In a large saucepan

over medium-high heat, add sugar and 1½ cups water and bring to a boil, stirring until sugar has dissolved completely.

Add dosakai and stir, bring back to a boil and cook 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and set aside to cool fruit in syrup. In a medium saucepot, bring remaining water to a boil, remove from heat and add chamomile tea bags. Steep for 10 minutes; remove and discard tea bags. Set tea aside to cool.

In the bowl of a blender, add fruit, syrup, cooled tea and rosé wine and blend on high until puréed and smooth. Transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate until completely chilled, 4 to 6 hours or overnight. Once chilled, add mixture to an ice-cream maker and spin according to manufacturer’s instructions; transfer back to airtight container and freeze until firm, 6 hours or overnight, until ready to serve.

You’ll need an ice-cream maker for this recipe.

pair with: Pear Brandy

PA I R IT!

Bubbles and sorbet are like bread and butter: One elevates the other. A light and simple cocktail topped with sparkling wine is an ideal complement for this floral sorbet. Considering the neutral to slightly bitter, cucumber flavor of dosakai, using pear brandy from Edelbrand Pure Distilling in Marthasville, Missouri, as the cocktail’s base adds a hint of fruitiness as a foil. In a Champagne flute, combine 1 ounce pear brandy with ¼ ounce fresh lemon juice and ¼ ounce simple syrup; top with cava for a bright cocktail that balances beautifully with this refreshing sorbet. -JENN TOSATTO edelbrandpuredistilling.com

/ may 2 019

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Highlighting one of my favorite spring vegetables, chilled pea soup is a refreshing introduction to spring.

The crunch and spice from the dukkah, an Egyptian blend of herbs, nuts and spices, in this creamy soup adds needed texture and an extra kick of flavor. It takes a bit of effort to make dukkah at home, but it’s absolutely worth it.

Written by Amanda Elliott, chef, Peachtree Catering and Rustic Supper in Columbia, Missouri Photography by Drew Piester

Spring Pea Soup with Dukkah and Pea Shoots serves 4 Dukkah (Yields 1 cup)

2 cups canola oil ½ cup quinoa ¼ cup pistachios, toasted Nigella seeds,

2 Tbsp toasted white sesame seeds sometimes called

1 Tbsp nigella seeds

1 Tbsp fennel seeds black cumin,

1 tsp ground coriander black caraway or ½ tsp dried mint fennel flower, are an ½ tsp red pepper flakes herbaceous member

1 tsp kosher salt of the buttercup

1 tsp freshly ground black pepper family; you can

purchase nigella Pea Soup seeds at spice

1 Tbsp olive oil shops or online. ½ yellow onion, roughly chopped

2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste ½ medium sweet potato, peeled and roughly chopped

1 cup dry white wine 3 cups chicken stock 4 cups fresh spinach

2 cups peas, hulled from fresh or frozen

1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice

1 Tbsp heavy cream 4 Tbsp dukkah, divided (recipe below) ½ cup fresh pea shoots (for garnish) / preparation – dukkah / Line a small baking sheet with paper towels and set aside. In a medium saucepot over medium-high heat, heat oil until it reaches 420°F on a candy thermometer. Add quinoa; allow to puff, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Strain quinoa, reserving oil. Transfer quinoa to prepared baking sheet to dry. In the bowl of a food processor, add all remaining ingredients and pulse until coarsely ground. Place in a bowl, add puffed quinoa and stir. Use immediately or refrigerate in airtight container for up to 2 weeks.

pair with: Viognier

PA I R IT!

Look for a full-bodied, fruit-forward white wine to pair with this chilled soup.

The 2017 Viognier from Amigoni Urban Winery in Kansas City has a rich mouthfeel and balanced acidity that doesn’t compete with the other flavors in this recipe. The wine's bold aromas and flavors of stone fruit and honey make it a refreshing choice. -HILARY HEDGES amigoni.com 48

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/ preparation – pea soup / In a medium saucepan over medium heat, heat oil. Add onion and garlic and season with salt and pepper to taste. Sauté until onion is translucent, 5 minutes. Add sweet potato and season with salt and pepper to taste; cook for another 2 to 3 minutes and add wine.

Cook for 3 minutes more. Add stock and simmer until potatoes are tender, 10 minutes. Add spinach and peas and remove from heat. In the bowl of a blender, transfer potato mixture and process on low for 2 minutes. Add lemon juice and heavy cream; blend on high until mixture is puréed and smooth. Adjust seasoning to taste and refrigerate until cool, about 3 hours. Divide soup between 4 serving bowls. Top each with 1 tablespoon dukkah, garnish with fresh pea shoots if desired and serve.

Menu now featuring select German entrees, sandwiches and appetizers as well as our Tavern favorites.

Daily lunch and evening specials • Beef and pork supplied by Schubert‘s smokehouse Large selection of German beers • Large outdoor patio 602 N Main St, Columbia, IL 62236 | http://tinyspub.com/

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See our full Spring and Summer lineup at Syncopationwine.com

y and Pinot Noir wines onoma soil and aged ench oak. Because when ou combine the best this world has to ys rise distinctly above.

ompletely Cutrer.

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y our wines responsibly. er Vineyards, Windsor, Sonoma County y, ca

Our Chardonnay and Pinot Noir wines are born of the Sonoma soil and aged in the finest French oak. Because when you combine the best this world has to offer, the holidays rise distinctly above.

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Gold - Bloody Butcher Red Corn Whiskey American Corn Whiskey Distillery of the Year

American Distilling Institute Best of Category Bloody Butcher Red Corn Whiskey Silver - Bourbon Rubenesque and Twin Timbers Bourbons

Denver International Spirits Competition

Best of Show (Tied) Twin Timbers Bourbon Silver - Aged Blue Corn Whiskey www.woodhatspirits.com / may 2 019

49

ONE ON ONE /

ONE on

st. louis

with Jared Williamson / lead brewer and Wil Rogers / head of marketing

Saint Louis Crafted Cocktails

Written by Heather Riske photography by samuel reed

Best known as the parent company behind St. Louis' oldest craft beer brand, Schlafly Beer, The Saint Louis Brewery recently debuted a sister brand. Saint Louis Crafted Cocktails is a new line of malt beverages inspired by classic cocktails, ranging from a toffee-forward White Russian Wheat Ale to a tart, salty Paloma Gose.

Although the cocktail-inspired beverages aren't made with spirits, they're a far cry from Schlafly’s brews – and they look the part, packaged in four-packs of 330-milliliter apothecary-style bottles.

Here, Schlafly lead brewer Jared Williamson (pictured left) and head of marketing Wil Rogers explain how the line sets itself apart.

Why did you decide to launch these beverages under a new brand name? We wanted it to feel like something different, because that’s what it is. It’s a line of cocktail-inspired [drinks], so it’s different than your typical Schlafly Pale Ale. We felt like it just needed its own look and feel, and that’s where Saint Louis Crafted Cocktails came from; it’s a whole departure from what we’d been doing. –Wil Rogers What’s the difference between a malt beverage and a beer? It’s kind of like whiskey and bourbon: All bourbon is whiskey, but not all whiskey is bourbon. All beer is a malt beverage, and really, it comes down to the intent of the brewer. Schlafly has always been about

White Russian Wheat Ale The first release from Saint Louis Crafted Cocktails, the White Russian Wheat Ale is a 7.5 percent ABV malt beverage made with coffee toddy, vanilla and lactose.

It’s inspired by the “smooth toffee sweetness” of The Dude’s favorite coffee-forward cocktail.

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classic styles, and these beverages – which are deconstructed cocktails – kind of blow that apart. They have certain essences to them that harken to certain beer styles, but we really were inspired by the cocktails and developed new [drinks] around them that didn’t fall into any true style guidelines. –Jared Williamson How did you begin making the cocktail-inspired beverages? The Kentucky Mule Ale [which was released under the Schlafly label a few years ago] is kind of where this whole thing started.

We were at a music festival in Kentucky about six years ago, and it was blazing hot outside. I had a Kentucky Mule [cocktail] and it just blew me away. I thought, “Man, I could really turn this into a beer.” In the past few years, we’ve really

Paloma Gose The traditional salty German beer style marries perfectly with the flavors of the classic tequila cocktail. The Paloma Gose also features the cocktail’s customary grapefruit and lime juices to add hints of citrus to this slightly tart beverage.

figured out how to deconstruct things that aren’t typically a beer. We’ve done that with some desserts, like our Sticky Toffee Porter. We know how to make beer, but for these, we were really inspired by those cocktail ingredients to make something different. –J.W. What other releases can we expect to see?

We have two more releases planned for the year. The next is a Bellini, which will feature a much higher carbonation level, so it’ll be very bubbly, effervescent and Champagnelike.

Then, our take on the Old Fashioned will have some heavy bourbon overtones, orange and a little cherry note. –J.W. instagram.com/stlcraftedcocktails

Kentucky Mule ale A riff on the classic cocktail of the same name, the Kentucky Mule Ale is brewed with fresh lime juice and then aged on bourbon-barrel wood chips to impart a smoky bourbon character. You’ll also notice a sharp ginger bite: The beverage was inspired by hard ginger soda and uses ginger in the recipe.

2015 NORTON Awarded BEST Wine in Missouri • 2017 Governor’s Cup

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C.V. Riley Award for Missouri’s Best Norton & Best of Class Dry Red N OW a va i la b le to purchas e a t local re t aile r s or online

Hermann, MO • stonehillwinery.com / may 2 019

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C e k a Pou nd l i O e v i l O s Citru

Traditional pound cake is made with equal parts butter, sugar, flour and eggs.

The result is sweet and buttery – although, unfortunately, it’s as heavy as any cake I’ve ever had. Instead, I like this take on pound cake that swaps out butter for olive oil for a light and fragrant crumb; be sure to use a bright, floral extra virgin olive oil for the best flavor. At my bakery, we make this cake as mini loafs to top with lemon glaze and candied lemon peel. At home, I love to toast slices of it to crisp the edges and then serve it with marmalade, citrus segments, lemon curd and fresh whipped cream. It also makes an amazing alternative to shortcake for spring’s first strawberries.

Written by Christy Augustin, chef-owner, Pint Size Bakery in St. Louis Photography by jennifer silverberg

b

You can substitute one small pink grapefruit for the orange, if desired.

For the citrus liqueur, I recommend Grand Marnier, Cointreau or limoncello.

You’ll also need a 10-inch, nonstick angel food cake pan with a removable bottom, although a nonstick Bundt pan can be used in a pinch.

Yields 1 10-inch cake 2½ cups unbleached, all-purpose flour ½ tsp baking soda ¾ tsp baking powder Depending on your 1¼ cups whole milk flavors, you can ¼ cup citrus liqueur substitute extracts ¼ tsp vanilla extract such as orange 4 eggs flower water or 2 cups granulated sugar lemon oil here.

1 tsp kosher salt 1¼ cups extra virgin olive oil 1 large orange, zested and juiced powdered sugar (to serve) fresh citrus segments (to serve) orange marmalade (to serve) / preparation / Preheat oven to 350°F. On a sheet of parchment paper, sift together flour, baking soda and powder and set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together milk, liqueur and vanilla extract and set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, add eggs, sugar and salt and whisk on medium-high speed until pale yellow and fluffy. In a medium bowl, combine olive oil and citrus zest and juice; drizzle oil mixture into egg mixture on mediumlow speed until well combined.

Using prepared parchment paper, carefully add ¹⁄₃ of dry ingredients to batter on medium-low speed, alternating with ½ of milk mixture, until all ingredients are incorporated. Pour batter into unfloured and ungreased 10-inch nonstick angel food cake pan. Set pan on a cookie sheet and bake until top is cracked and brown, 1 hour.

Wrap any remaining cake in plastic wrap and keep at room temperature for up to three days.

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Remove from oven and invert angel food cake pan onto a cooling rack; let cool 30 minutes before removing bottom of pan. Run a butter knife around the edges of pan to loosen cake; carefully remove from pan.

Dust top of cake with powdered sugar and serve with fresh citrus segments and marmalade.

CULINARY LIBRARY /

st. louis

beverage director, Grand Tavern by David Burke

with Meredith Barry

/

tMeredith Barry began her career in the hospitality industry working with her father at a South

Carolina country club, where he instilled in her the value of hard work. She did everything from washing dishes to painting tennis courts before she was finally offered a chance to serve drinks in the club's cigar-lounge bar. Today, Barry is beverage director at Grand Tavern by David Burke, overseeing the restaurant’s creative craft cocktail program as well as the upstairs bar at the Angad Arts Hotel in St. Louis. Here, Barry shares the books that helped shape her mixology career. -Hayley Abshear

Death & Co.

The Flavor Bible

by David Kaplan and Nick Fauchald (2014)

by Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg (2008)

“This book is based on the bar Death & Co. in New York. [The book] teaches you how to build a cocktail around balance, and the elements of a good cocktail, breaking it down from boozy to citrusy. It’s not just telling you about techniques – it has stories of regulars and renderings of them. That’s what’s so special. It validated what I already felt. That, in addition to all of those other things, it’s really about the people and the relationships you build.”

“This book is awesome from inspiration to execution. You can transform the culinary to the cocktail world. Once I had a salad with pistachios, artichokes and lemon. I thought, ‘Would these [flavors] work in a cocktail?’ I looked them up in The Flavor Bible, [finding] the connections and where they could go. The Flavor Bible helps guide you, and then boom – you put it together. That’s the beautiful thing about this book – flavor connection.”

Meehan’s Bartender Manual

by Jim Meehan (2017) “This book talks about practicality and efficiency in bartending. It’s a dance [behind the bar], so the space where the bartender moves and where the guest moves makes a difference.

[Meehan] really dives into the design of [a good bar], includes recipes of his own fantastic drinks and gets helpful advice from many of the pros in the industry. It’s insightful.”

/ may 2 019

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THE DISH / 3 WAYS / THE MIX / MIDWEST MADE / MYSTERY SHOPPER / HEALTHY APPETITE / SWEET IDEAS / QUICK FIX / CRASH COURSE

In this class, you‘ll learn how to perfectly poach eggs and cook mussels – two tasks that are much easier to do at home than you may think.

Mussels with Bourbon-Maple Syrup Cream Sauce Mussels are a delicious and quick meal – and easier to make at home than you may imagine. Paired with a sweet and smoky cream sauce and some crusty bread, these mussels are as decadent as they are delicate.

Written by Gabrielle DeMichele Photography by Jennifer Silverberg

serves 4

Get Hands-On Join Feast Magazine and Schnucks Cooks Cooking School at 6pm on Wed., May 22, at the Des Peres, Missouri, location to make the dishes on this month’s menu. Tickets are just $45 for a night of cooking, dining and wine.

RSVP

nourish.schnucks.com/ schnucks-cooking-school

or call 314.909.1704.

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8 pieces maple-smoked bacon, cut into lardons 2 Tbsp unsalted butter 2 shallots, finely diced 4 cloves garlic, minced 2 lbs mussels, scrubbed and debearded ½ cup bourbon ¼ cup maple syrup 1 cup clam juice 1 cup crème fraîche 2 jalapeños, deseeded and sliced into ¼-inch rounds juice of 1 lemon kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste ¼ cup roughly chopped fresh parsley crusty bread (to serve)

/ preparation / In a large sauté pan with a lid over medium-high heat, add bacon and sauté until bacon just starts to brown. Reduce heat to medium, add butter and shallots, and cook for 1 minute more. Add garlic and sauté for 1 minute more. Increase heat to high and add next 4 ingredients; stir to combine.

Cover and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, or until mussels begin to open. Add crème fraîche, jalapeños and lemon juice. Stir to combine, cover and bring back to a boil.

Season with salt and pepper to taste and sprinkle with parsley. Remove from heat and serve immediately with crusty bread.

pair with: Bourbon Barrel-Aged Belgian Ale

PA I R IT!

Aged in spent bourbon barrels, this Belgian ale from Boulevard Brewing Co. in Kansas City features dark fruit, toffee and vanilla notes. Cherries are added during the aging process, which complements the sweetness of the maple syrup in this recipe without overpowering the mussels. -Justin Phelps boulevard.com

 Chef’s Tip: LOOK ALIVE. Mussels are sold live and need to be properly stored to stay that way. Scrub mussels under cold running water, remove the beards and transfer, on ice, to a colander. Set colander over a bowl, cover with a dish towel and refrigerate.

Mussels should stay fresh for a couple of days, but drain water from the bowl daily until ready to cook. Before cooking, smell them: Mussels should smell fresh and briny. If they don’t, dispose of them.

MAKE THE MEAL • • • •

Frisée Salad with a Poached Egg Garlic Toast Parmesan Fries Mussels with Bourbon-Maple Syrup Cream Sauce • Chocolate-Stout Cake

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/ may 2 019

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THE DISH / 3 WAYS / THE MIX / MIDWEST MADE / MYSTERY SHOPPER / HEALTHY APPETITE / SWEET IDEAS / QUICK FIX / CRASH COURSE

1

musthave

bar tools

With the right tools and a little bit of confidence, you’re sure to shake up a drink that will impress friends and maybe even yourself. Here, Cockson shares her essential bar tools; she suggests shopping for quality professional barware online through Cocktail Kingdom, though these items are available for purchase in local retail stores as well.

Jigger

“A jigger is a measuring tool designed to help make sure the proportions in a drink are correct. Usually, it’s two-ended: One side might measure two ounces, with a line on the inside showing one-and-onehalf of an ounce, and the other side measures one ounce, with a line on the inside measuring half an ounce.”

Making drinks at home can be fun – and, let’s be honest, it’s a whole lot cheaper than going out. But with so many different spirits, bar tools and techniques, it can feel like you need formal training just to understand how to work a shaker. Here’s the good news: It doesn’t have to be that complicated.

We tapped mixologists Jill Cockson, owner of Swordfish Tom’s in Kansas City, and Naomi

Paring knife

“A paring knife is basically what you’d use in the kitchen to peel an apple. Some people prefer a Y-peeler to get the rind off of your citrus to use as garnish twists, but I like a paring knife.

You want as little of the pith as possible. Sometimes, the tool you are most comfortable using just gives you a bit more control.”

Shaker

“There are lots of types of shakers, both metal and glass.

The idea is you put all your drink ingredients in a shaker with ice, secure it closed and shake vigorously so the drink is thoroughly chilled and properly diluted before you strain and serve it. If your cocktail has citrus or fruit juice, you’re almost always going to shake it.”

Strainer

“The Hawthorne is the most common strainer; it has a spring attached to the metal head, which kind of resembles a spatula with holes. Use a strainer to release the mixed cocktail from a shaker or mixing glass into the cocktail glass while keeping the ice separate.”

Roquet, bar manager at Reeds American Table in Maplewood, Missouri, to help us master cocktails at home, from using the proper glassware and ice to crafting the perfect Old Fashioned.

Written by Natalie Gallagher illustrations by frank norton

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Barspoon

“A barspoon has a long, sometimes twisted handle, and is used [to make] stirred cocktails. Stirred cocktails are more booze-forward, so a barspoon is used to simply move the ice through the drink to chill it.”

Muddler

“Muddling is a method that crushes or expresses an ingredient’s flavor and releases it into the drink. A muddler is usually made of unvarnished wood, but sometimes it’s made of metal with a stamplike, flat rubber tip.”

Highball/Collins “This tall, slender glass or tumbler is used to serve lighter cocktails, such as the Tom Collins, with ice cubes.”

Double rocks/ Double Old Fashioned “A short, stout glass that usually contains the same volume as the Collins glass, it’s best used for mixed cocktails, like vodka soda and spirit-forward cocktails – like an Old Fashioned – that require a large-format ice cube.”

Raising a Glass Your cocktails deserve to be served in the proper glassware. Cockson gives us a rundown on what to add to your home-bar arsenal.

Lowball/rocks “Another short, small tumbler, it’s a smaller version of the double Old Fashioned glass – best for a spirit [served] neat or on the rocks. It’s the psychology of the pour line: The smaller the glass, the higher the pour line.”

Coupe “A coupe is a stemmed glass resembling a saucer. It’s the original Champagne glass, but it’s also used for cocktails that are stirred and served up, including Manhattans and Martinis. An even smaller version is the Nick & Nora glass, [which] is more traditional for high-ABV cocktails, such as the Martini, to facilitate responsible consumption.”

▲

MUDDLING IN THREE STEPS If your drink calls for muddling, you’ll want to gather the right tools: a muddler and a sturdy mixing glass or shaker.

●

Place your ingredients – sugar cubes, mint leaves, blueberries, whatever it is – in the bottom of the glass or shaker.

Gently press down on the ingredients with the muddler and twist slightly to express the juice or oils out of whatever it is you’re muddling.

Be careful not to over-muddle, or you risk over-expressing bitter agents into the mix.

Continue building your cocktail.

●

●

Flute “A flute is a stemmed glass with a long, tapered, cylindrical top designed for drinking Champagne.

Champagne purists, however, argue that this may not be the best choice, as the design may too quickly force the carbonation out of your bubbly.”

Martini “A stemmed glass with a V-shaped bowl, this one rose to popularity [for cocktails other than the Martini] in the ’80s. Use it for Martinis and Martini-style cocktails – particularly like the 1930s Cosmopolitan, which saw a resurgence in the 1980s."

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THE DISH / 3 WAYS / THE MIX / MIDWEST MADE / MYSTERY SHOPPER / HEALTHY APPETITE / SWEET IDEAS / QUICK FIX / CRASH COURSE

The drink you’re making determines the ice you should use – whether crushed, regular cubes or a large sphere. For the latter, look for ice molds online or in liquor stores. “It comes down to what amount of [melting] is appropriate for that drink to taste the way it's supposed to,” Cockson says. “The smaller the ice particles, the higher the total surface area ratio of ice to liquid.”

photo by samuel reed

Crushed “If I put crushed ice in a glass of water, it’ll melt much more quickly than regular ice.

Crushed ice is for drinks with a higher alcohol content, which need more dilution, or to purposely decrease the ABV of a cocktail.

Think Juleps, Cobblers and Tiki drinks.”

Cubed “You can use regular ice cubes – from the freezer or from a bag of ice – for just about anything. They’re great for shaken and stirred drinks that don’t require ice in the finished product.”

Large-format ice “Large-format ice keeps the drink cold, but doesn’t water it down. Use that when you’re serving just the spirit – a really nice whiskey, or an Old Fashioned – and you want to control the [melting] and not dilute the spirit profile.”

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shaken

vrse. d

stir

Not sure of the difference between shaken and stirred cocktails and when to use each approach?

Pull up a seat at Naomi Roquet's bar.

“Shaking causes the ice to break, causing more surface liquid, which adds more dilution,” Roquet says. “You need this when there’s juice in a cocktail because of its intense acidity, especially when it’s freshly juiced. Taste the cocktail before shaking, then taste it after and notice how the other ingredients shine through more.”

When cocktails contain no juice, Roquet says to stir them.

“At this point, your ingredients just need to be chilled to help tone down the boozy-ness and bring out the flavors of the spirits,” Roquet says. “This helps their underlying flavors really shine through.”

Try your hand at making both shaken and stirred cocktails with these two approaches:

You Mock My Pain

Serves 1

1½ ¾ ¼ ¾

kosher salt (for rim) oz vodka oz Luxardo Maraschino Liqueur oz Pierre Ferrand Dry Curaçao oz fresh lemon juice

/ preparation / Rim a double rocks glass with salt. In a cocktail shaker, combine remaining ingredients, add large-format ice and shake vigorously. Strain mixture into prepared double rocks glass and top with fresh ice. Serve.

Classic Old Fashioned

Serves 1 2½ ½ 2 4 1

oz rye whiskey oz simple syrup dashes orange bitters dashes Angostura bitters orange peel (for garnish)

/ preparation / In a mixing glass or pint glass, add all ingredients except garnish. Add large-format ice and stir with a barspoon. Strain into a double rocks glass, garnish with orange peel and serve.

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photography by: Jennifer Silverberg

/ may 2 019

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pick

PROMOTION

PICK OF THE POURS: BEER / WINE / SPIRITS

of t h e

pours Edited by BEthANy ChRIStO

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PROVENANCE: St. Louis PAIRINGS: chargrilled fruit • barbecue • salad In German, radler means “cyclist” and is popular with those on two wheels when the weather warms up – and anyone else looking for a refreshing sipper. Last year, Urban Chestnut Brewing Co. in St. Louis released a lemon radler in collaboration with local Big Shark Bicycle Co., made with a blend of pale lager and housemade lemon soda. This April, they released a thirst-quenching variant made instead with grapefruit soda. The grapefruit radler has an initial, noticeable sweetness and crisp finish. The bright-pink beer has a sessionable 4.2% ABV, which means you can easily crack open a couple cans on the patio.

Urban Chestnut Brewing Co. 4465 Manchester Ave. 3229 Washington Ave. St. Louis, MO 314.222.0143 | urbanchestnut.com

FirsT iMPressions

KrÄFTig Lager

PROVENANCE: St. Louis PAIRINGS: vanilla ice cream • pork chops

4 Hands Brewing Co. 1220 S. Eighth St. St. Louis, MO 314.436.1559 4handsbrewery.com

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▶

wiLLiaM K. bUscH brewing co.

First Impressions is the latest can release from 4 Hands Brewing Co. – although visitors of its two-floor St. Louis tasting room have had the chance to try it for a handful of months. The brewery waited to can the Belgian white ale until they were sure they could properly nitrogenate the beer in cans, and the resulting brew features a creamy mouthfeel and full body.

Brewed with lactose and fermented with raspberries and Madagascar vanilla, First Impressions is best enjoyed by shaking the can vigorously a few times before pouring directly into a glass. The foam will quickly dissipate, cascading from the bottom to the top, resulting in a deep pink pour with a thick, creamy head.

feastmagazine.com

big sHarK graPeFrUiT radLer

4 Hands brewing co.

◀

%PG

Urban cHesTnUT brewing co.

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PROVENANCE: Defiance, Missouri PAIRINGS: spring greens salad • bourbon- and brown sugar-glazed rib eye • honey crème brûlée Adhering to the Purity Law of 1516, William K. Busch Brewing Co.’s Kräftig Lager is an unadulterated expression of the American premium lager style.

Made from only two- and six-row barley malt, Hallertau hops, pure yeast and water – no corn or rice – this beer exhibits a true malt flavor and light grain sweetness that is absent in most other beers in this category. Expect balanced and enjoyable hop character in this thoroughly approachable lager.

William K. Busch Brewing Co. 4020 Benne Road Defiance, MO 314.932.7911 kraftig.com

PROMOTION

scHLaFLY beer

rasPberrY HeFeweiZen

▶

PROVENANCE: St. Louis PAIRINGS: strawberry shortcake • bratwurst • other grilled meats Schlafly Beer’s Raspberry Hefeweizen distinguishes itself among others in that it’s a true fruit beer – not a fruit-flavored beer – that uses real raspberries in the brewing process. Once the fruit’s sugar ferments out, the aroma and flavor of raspberries remain, making this beer a delightfully drinkable option that’s not too sweet, but refreshing and balanced with a naturally hazy pink color. Because it brings a smooth dose of wheatiness and is low in alcohol, at only 4.1% ABV, it’s perfect for summer. At the St. Louisarea brewery, the brewers consider it their summer water, and the subtly tart flavor quenches after a long day – or any time.

Schlafly Beer 2100 Locust St. | 7260 Southwest Ave. St. Louis, MO | Maplewood, MO 314.241.2337 schlafly.com

sMoKe brewing co.

ciTra obscUra

◀

PROVENANCE: Lee’s Summit, Missouri PAIRINGS: pork belly grilled cheese from Smoke Brewing Co. Loaded with hop varieties Citra, Amarillo and Simcoe (also known as Cryo hops for the use of cryogenic processing), Citra Obscura from Smoke Brewing Co. in Lee’s Summit, Missouri, is a hazy New England IPA that features an abundance of citrus aromas and flavors due to the hops. With a generous amount of malted oats, raw wheat and two-row barley malt, the intense hop aromas are balanced by a silky smooth body in this new release.



Smoke Brewing Co. 209 SE Main St. Lee's Summit, MO 816.525.2337 smokebrewingcompany.com

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Winery Restaurant Live Entertainment Bocce Ball

6601 South Highway 94, Augusta, Mo (between Dutzow & Augusta)

balduccivineyards.com 636-482-8466 / may 2 019

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PROMOTION

PICK OF THE POURS: BEER / WINE / SPIRITS

LACHANCE VINEYARDS

EDG- CLI F FA RMS & VI N EYA RD

DORÉ

TWILIGHT

▶

▶

PROVENANCE: De Soto, Missouri PAIRINGS: grilled sea bass • seared duck breast Earning 91 points and the gold medal at Tastings’ 2018 World Wine Championships for its 2015 vintage, LaChance Vineyards’ Doré, made in De Soto, Missouri, presents tropical flavors and pleasant acidity on the palate. Many wine professionals mistakenly identified the new hybrid as a high-end Loire Valley wine from France with a much larger price tag. The dry white wine’s fruity aroma leads to exotic flavors of papaya and melon, as well as zesty lemon and a hint of bark and wintergreen. Its underlying minerality balances the intense fruit flavors without oakiness, and the long, appealing finish rounds out with notes of green apple, kiwi and sweet cream.

The fresh fruit aromas of Edg-Clif Farms & Vineyard’s Twilight complement a beautiful spring day. Made from the vineyard’s Chambourcin grapes harvested even later than its Chambourcin rosé to enhance the berry flavors, Twilight presents notes of savory-sweet strawberry and tropical citrus that are refreshing and lively on the palate.

The winemakers at Edg-Clif created Twilight, dubbed a sweet “white” Chambourcin, for the sweet white-wine lover, and they also use it in the Frozé Rosé wine cocktail served at the winery in Potosi, Missouri. Plus, this pretty pink wine has won gold medals at state competitions and was once named the best rosé in the state.

Edg-Clif Farms & Vineyard 10035 Edg-Clif Drive Potosi, MO 573.438.4741 edg-clif.com

LaChance Vineyards 12237 Peter Moore Lane De Soto, MO 636.586.2777 lachancevineyards.com

CHAUMETTE VINEYARDS & WINERY CHAUME

MONTELLE WINERY

DRY ROSÉ

DRY VIGNOLES

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PROVENANCE: Potosi, Missouri PAIRINGS: salmon • eggs Benedict with asparagus• white chocolate and raspberry cake

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PROVENANCE: Ste. Genevieve, Missouri PAIRINGS: rich, soft cheeses • creamy pasta dishes • seafood

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PROVENANCE: Augusta, Missouri PAIRINGS: spicy Asian cuisine • Mexican dishes like enchiladas

Made from the Chambourcin grape, the dry rosé from Chaumette Vineyards & Winery in Ste. Genevieve, Missouri, was vinified using juice that was briefly in contact with the grapes’ dark skins, then pressed and the skins discarded.

The juice then underwent a cold fermentation, much like any other white wine, and the resulting dry rosé features delicate fruit flavors of cherry, with a hint of herbs lingering on the nose. The palate delivers excellent acidity, with fruit-forward flavors of cherry and strawberry.

Best served chilled, this off-dry wine from Montelle Winery is made from the Vignoles (veen-yole) grape from the winery in Augusta, Missouri. The dry Vignoles wine has intense aromas of fresh pineapple, wild strawberries, lime and melon. The aromas follow through on the palate and are accentuated by the crisp, vibrant acidity, and the refreshing finish has hints of strawberry and lime. The highly rated 2017 vintage of the Vignoles (90 points from the Beverage Testing Institute) won a gold medal at the 2018 Mid-American Wine Competition, and it also won silver at the prestigious Missouri Wine Competition in 2018.

Chaumette Vineyards & Winery 24345 State Route WW Ste. Genevieve, MO 573.747.1000 chaumette.com

Montelle Winery 201 Montelle Drive, P.O. Box 8 Augusta, MO 636.228.4464 montelle.com

PROMOTION

CH A N DLER H I LL VI N EYA RDS

B A LDUCCI VI N EYA RDS

CHAMBOURCIN

VIDAL BLANC

▶

▶

PROVENANCE: Faolán Estate near Augusta, Missouri PAIRINGS: pork steak • chargrilled peaches • smoked sausage

PROVENANCE: Augusta, Missouri PAIRINGS: light seafood • Brie and Camembert cheeses • fruit salads Balducci Vineyards’ Vidal Blanc is crisp with high acidity, which pairs well with light spring dishes. Notes of apple, pear and lemon emerge on the palate while drinking this dry white. It’s fermented in stainless steel at the winery in Augusta, Missouri, to retain the utmost freshness. With an ABV of 12%, try Balducci’s Vidal Blanc chilled on a warm day – it’s a great crowd-pleaser and refreshing to sip with friends and family.

The 2016 Chambourcin from Chandler Hill Vineyards is light and fruity with notes of bright cherry and raspberry and hints of smoky flint and fresh herbs. The refreshing red pairs with backyard cookouts, swimsuits and hikes through the Missouri outdoors.

This Chambourcin is best enjoyed either at ambient temperature or slightly chilled to make it even more thirst-quenching during St. Louis’ infamous heat waves. Completely hand-harvested and made from 100% Chambourcin grapes, this wine won a gold medal at the 2018 MidAmerican Wine Competition – come visit in Defiance, Missouri, and grab a bottle (or case) while there’s still some left in the cellar.

Balducci Vineyards 6601 S. Highway 94 Augusta, MO 636.482.8466 balduccivineyards.com

Chandler Hill Vineyards 596 Defiance Road Defiance, MO 636.798.2675 chandlerhillvineyards.com

◀

NOBOLEIS VINEYARDS

STONE HILL WINERY

DRY ROSÉ

ESTATE-BOTTLED NORTON

PROVENANCE: Augusta, Missouri PAIRINGS: tomato, mozzarella and rosemary flatbread • cheese board with Gouda, Swiss, Brie, prosciutto, dried fruit and asparagus spears

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PROVENANCE: Hermann, Missouri PAIRINGS: braised short ribs • rack of lamb • spicy foods

The dry rosé from Noboleis Vineyards is a smooth, elegant dry wine produced from the vineyards’ estate Chambourcin grapes that were pressed at harvest. Featuring a light body from aging in stainless steel, the 2017 vintage opens with aromas of cherry, strawberry and watermelon that follow with flavors of berry and a hint of white pepper.

The dry rosé is best served chilled to highlight the refreshing and light acidity and velvety, soft finish.

Stone Hill Winery’s 2015 Estate-Bottled Norton has ripe, supple tannins; intense blackberry flavors; and overtones of violet and spicy oak. The robust dry wine pours a deep red color out of the bottle. At the 2017 Missouri Wine Competition, this 2015 Norton triumphed with the highest honors as Missouri’s best wine of the year when it took home The Governor’s Cup. Family-owned for more than 50 years in Hermann, Missouri, the historic Stone Hill Winery continues the tradition of crafting award-winning wines from locally grown grapes since it was first established by its founders in 1847.

Noboleis Vineyards 100 Hemsath Road Augusta, MO 636.482.4500 noboleisvineyards.com

Stone Hill Winery 1110 Stone Hill Highway Hermann, MO 573.486.2221 stonehillwinery.com

Inspired Local Food Culture

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PROMOTION

PICK OF THE POURS: BEER / WINE / SPIRITS

FernweH disTiLLing co.

ZaMbU

YoUng boUrbon wHisK KeY

▶

▶

PROVENANCE: Louisville, Kentucky PAIRINGS: on the rocks with an orange slice • in a Jell-O shot • in a cocktail with orange juice and sparkling wine

A taste of Fernweh Distilling Co.’s Young Bourbon Whiskey is like dipping the siphon into a bourbon barrel and enjoying an insider point of view into the process of making and aging Missouri bourbon whiskey. Young Bourbon is a precursor to Fernweh’s brand-new flagship, Missouri Straight Bourbon, a two-year-aged bourbon set to release in October. Made with corn, rye and malted barley, Young Bourbon was aged 10 months in medium-charred Missouri white oak barrels right by the Missouri River. Although each bottle varies batch to batch depending on aging seasons, Young Bourbon features notes of sweet corn, cinnamon and toasted brown sugar, with a long spicy finish. Enjoy it neat or in a cocktail as a companion to your campfire or cookout.

The inspiration for vodka-based Zambu came from founder Jared McClain’s 2011 experience with the Brazilian Buzz ant. t.

Button flower in a Denver sushi restauran The flower’s signature is the release of a tangible tingle when infused in food and drink – and Zambu delivers several seconds of the sensation, similar to Pop Rocks, as well as notes of red and pink grapefruit. The brand was introduced at the Lake of the Ozarks in May 2017, and after rebranding, Zambu is now making its official St. Louis debut under a small, local company, with planned distribution tile liqueur throughout the state. The versatile can be enjoyed chilled by itself – for a straight-up tingle – or as the base of a cocktail like the refreshing Zummer Zinger with lemonade and mint.

Fernweh Distilling Co. 4 Schiller St. Hermann, MO 573.486.2970 fernwehdistilling.com

Zambu zambuliquors.com

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PROVENANCE: Hermann, Missouri PAIRINGS: bananas Foster • in a Mint Julep • with iced tea

sTiLL 630

coPPer rUn disTiLLerY

bee’s Knees

MaLL-baTcH wHisKeY sM s

PROVENANCE: St. Louis PAIRINGS: barbecue • blue cheese • Camembert • smoked salmon • fresh fruit • oysters

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PROVENANCE: Walnut Shade, Missouri PAIRINGS: dark chocolate • fruity cheese • grilled steak

Big news for StilL 630: The St. Louis distillery just released its very first canned cocktail. As the name implies, Bee’s Knees is not too sweet but rather crisp and refreshing. It uses StilL 630’s internationally award-winning Volstead’s Folly American Gin, plus ginger, honey and lemon, to create a delicious 8% ABV cocktail in the convenience of a can. Try it straight from the can or poured over ice at backyard cookouts, book clubs, campouts or any gathering this summer – it’ll be available at retailers this month.

Made from a blend of 75% corn and 25% barley, the small-batch whiskey from Copper Run Distillery was aged for a least one year in a Missouri white oak barrel from Lebanon, Missouri – just a short drive from the Ozarks distillery in Walnut Shade, Missouri.

Try it neat or on the rocks to really highlight the notes of vanilla, caramel and burnt marshmallow – which resulted from the process of barrel charring that also gave the whiskey its deep amber color. These flavors are balanced with undertones of lightly toasted oak and sweet corn, as well as a finish of ripe banana.

StilL 630 1000 S. Fourth St. St. Louis, MO 314.513.2275 still630.com

Copper Run Distillery 1901 Day Road Walnut Shade, MO 417.587.3336 copperrundistillery.com

Pick up your free booklet and visit the best purveyors of handcrafted beverages in the Ozarks.

Sponsored By These Fine Establishments: Great Escape Beer Works 4 by 4 Brewing Company Show-Me Brewing Tie & Timber Beer Company Missouri Spirits Springfield Brewing Company Mother’s Brewing Company Lost Signal Brewing Company Hold Fast Brewery 7C’s Winery and Meadery

Leaky Roof Meadery Boat Town Brewing Back Home Brewing Company Bear Creek Winery Copper Run Distillery Crown Valley Distillery Curling Vine Winery St. James Winery Lindwedel Winery Missouri Ridge Distillery

Find out more at

SpringfieldMo.org/TapandPour Please dr ink responsibly. Never dr ink and dr ive! / may 2 019

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Features 69 78 89

all aboard the coolship The centuries-old brewing tool is wildly unpredictable, yet can produce unique, terroir-driven beer. Meet the local breweries riding the coolship wave.

the grape whisperer With Midwest Vineyard Consulting, Nick Pehle is helping grape growers raise better fruit to, ultimately, yield even better wine.

gin comes of age These local distilleries are dipping into 2019’s must-sip spirit, barrel-aged gin.

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The centuries-old brewing tool is wildly unpredictable, yet can produce unique, terroir -driven beer. Meet the local breweries riding the coolship wave.

All Aboard the Written by Heather Riske

On a night next winter when the temperature dips below 30°F, you might spot Jeff Hardesty driving down U.S. 67 in St. Louis with a miniature house in tow. Peek inside one of the windows, though, and you’ll spot an unlikely inhabitant: a 6-by-12-foot stainless steel coolship – which essentially resembles a giant brownie pan – plus a stainless steel IBC tote tank full of wort (the sugary liquid that ferments into beer). That night, Hardesty – who owns acclaimed Narrow Gauge Brewing Co. in Florissant, Missouri – will be on his way to Sioux Passage Park near the Missouri River, where he’ll park the trailer, load the coolship with wort and wait for the magical process known as spontaneous fermentation to happen overnight.

Newly opened City Barrel Brewing Co. in Kansas City recently installed a 15-barrel coolship. The giant stainless steel coolship is about 6 feet wide by 14 feet long.

So why is a brewery with a national reputation for juicy New England-style IPAs investing in an ancient tool famous for producing Belgian lambic beers? Because coolships are currently the, well, coolest tool in craft brewing. / may 2 019

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Calling coolships trendy might be a little disingenuous – use of the traditional vessel dates back centuries. The tool takes its name from the Flemish koelschip; in medieval times, brewers cooled down boiled wort in a hollowed-out tree trunk resembling a boat (today, most coolships are made of stainless steel or copper). Before modern refrigeration, the shallow, open-top rectangular vessel was used to cool hot wort naturally prior to fermentation, as the large surface area allows the liquid to cool quickly. And because coolships are uncovered, they also pick up airborne yeast and microflora, which inoculates the wort. This process, known as spontaneous fermentation, produces funky, sour beers with a distinct sense of terroir that simply can’t be replicated by using commercial yeast strains developed in a lab.

As alternative – and more reliable – methods for cooling wort arrived starting around the mid-1850s, coolships became less popular, though not entirely extinct. Arguably the most famous Belgian lambic producer, Cantillon Brewery in Brussels, has continued to use coolships over the past century to produce its acclaimed spontaneously fermented sour ales.

Inspired by these European lambic producers, American craft breweries including Allagash Brewing Co. in Portland, Maine; Jester King Brewery in Austin, Texas; and De Garde Brewing in Tillamook, Oregon; have ushered in a new era of the coolship over the past decade.

In the St. Louis area, Foeder Crafters of America, which has become the country’s leading producer of traditional foeders (massive oak fermentation tanks), began producing coolships about four years ago. Co-owner Matt Walters jokes that he was simply trying to come up with a way to make the company “cooler,” but demand has quickly skyrocketed.

Foeder Crafters sold just three coolships in its first year producing them, and now produces about 30 per year for breweries across the country.

The size of the vessel itself depends on the size of each brewery’s own brewing system, ranging from a tiny 2-barrel coolship (like the one at White Rooster Farmhouse Brewery in Sparta, Illinois) up to a 30-barrel coolship comprised of three 10-barrel coolships stacked on top of each other. (Wisconsin’s New Glarus Brewing Co. is said to own the country’s largest coolship – the 25-by-160-foot coolship can hold 100 barrels of wort.)

“With coolships, you’re waiting for some magic to happen – for some [wild yeast] to land in your coolship,” Walters says. “And some wild yeast just tastes terrible. But every once in a while, you’ll find one that’s just mind-blowingly good. Once you’ve caught this wild, beautiful animal, you want to put it in your zoo. And that’s what the foeder is; the foeder is the zoo that will hold that bacteria or wild yeast strain and let it work.”

Among the first breweries in the country to use a coolship was the acclaimed Side Project Brewing in Maplewood, Missouri, which started working with one in 2013. The brewery specializes in old world-style, Belgian-inspired beers, so head brewer Cory King, who owns the brewery with his wife, Karen, says using a coolship was a no-brainer.

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Side Project has predominantly used its 10-barrel coolship, which is stored outside and brought into the brewery when in use, to produce components of its blended beers. Because of the nature of spontaneously fermented beers, which are produced using wild, airborne yeast, no two beers will ever be exactly alike.

“If you rely too heavily on [the coolship], the things that come out of it are just all over the place,” King says. “People expect Side Project to taste like Side Project – that’s the importance of the blending that goes with it.”

The recent Pulling Nails Blend #8, for instance, featured beer that was cooled in the coolship overnight before being aged in French oak puncheons (larger wine barrels) for three years. It was then blended back with a 1-year-old Missouri saison and refermented on raspberries and cherries before being bottle-conditioned.

And now, after several years of navigating the wild nature of working with coolships, Side Project is gearing up to release its first line of 100-percent coolship-produced beers – in other words, coolship beers that haven’t been blended. The first was put into Side Project’s coolship in early winter of 2016, then moved to a horny tank (a mixing tank) and blended before being racked (or transferred) to Danish cherry wine barrels and fermented for two years. It was then finished with fresh cherries and bottle-conditioned. The beer, which King says is the most traditional lambic-inspired beer Side Project has produced yet, is scheduled for release sometime this year.

On the flip side, the brewery also collaborated with Jester King on an entirely nontraditional coolship beer.

Typically, most breweries use coolships for either wheat malt, blonde beers or Pilsners; Side Project and Jester King, meanwhile, put a brown beer through the coolship and then fermented it on cherries and blackberries. The as-yet-unnamed beer is also slated for release this year.

While brewing another recent collaboration with friends from a few sour-focused breweries in Ohio, California and Pennsylvania, King says the group soon came to the same realization: “We were like, ‘Did you notice that everybody and their brother has a coolship now?’ he says with a laugh. “The consumer gets excited about everything from coolships to – I don’t know – Oreo cookies in their beer. People are always trying to do something different.”

Coolships are indeed popping up at breweries across the country, including City Barrel Brewing Co. in Kansas City, as well as Narrow Gauge Brewing Co., Perennial Artisan Ales and Wellspent Brewing Co. in the St. Louis area.

Wellspent’s coolship is far from traditional: owner Kyle Kohlmorgen says the small brewery didn’t have a coolship in the budget, so he built an alternative.

Kohlmorgen bought two oak barrels, and on each, removed the head off one side. The barrels sit side by side on concrete blocks outside the brewery and are filled to the very top with wort when used for cooling.

â–¼ wellspent brewing Co. in St. Louis

built its coolship using oak barrels.

PHOTO BY JUDD DEMALINE

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▼ jeff hardesty of Narrow Gauge Brewing Co. in the St. Louis area built his coolship inside a trailer.

PHOTOS BY JUDD DEMALINE

Similar to the desire for terroir in wine, coolships allow breweries to produce beer with a distinct sense of place and time. Mobile coolships, like the trailer Hardesty built for Narrow Gauge, take this idea to the next level. Although Narrow Gauge is best known for New England-style IPAs, Hardesty says his favorite beers to brew during his homebrewing days were sour and mixed-fermentation styles. As the brewery has scaled up production, Narrow Gauge has started diving into other styles, including a few quick-soured beers like sour IPAs, Goses and Berliner weisses. Next, Hardesty plans to use the brewery’s new mobile coolship to produce some traditional Belgian-style beers, such as lambic-inspired beers, saisons and a Belgian gueuze, which blends 1-year-old, 2-year-old and 3-year-old coolship beers.

“It being mobile will essentially give us the availability to coolship the wort anywhere,” Hardesty says. “We could coolship at the brewery, at my house or drive it down to the river. We should be able to pick up different microbes wherever we do it, so as we use it more, we’ll build up a library of different beers that will be better for blending, so we may be able to capture more complexity in that style of beer. It will also give us the opportunity to do some collaborations with breweries that don’t have a coolship.”

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In Kansas City, City Barrel Brewing Co. employs a similar technique. The brewery, which opened in the Crossroads Arts District in late February, specializes in wild, sour and hoppy beers, and works with a 15-barrel coolship that’s about 6 feet wide by 14 feet long. True to its name, City Barrel is committed to keeping things as local as possible – the tanks in the brewery are all named after neighborhoods in Kansas City – and that’s precisely the idea behind the brewery’s series of coolship beers.

City Barrel’s Neighborhood Spontan series features beers inspired by the different microflora of Kansas City’s neighborhoods. Just like Narrow Gauge, the brewery pumps wort out of a kettle and into a stainless steel tote tank, then loads the tote full of wort, along with the coolship, onto a trailer. Stutsman and the rest of the City Barrel team will then drive the coolship to different neighborhoods in Kansas City, unload the coolship, pump the wort back in and, in Stutsman’s words, “let the natural microflora do its thing overnight.” The next morning, the wort is pumped back into the tote, taken back to the brewery and racked to barrels, where the beer is aged.

Fittingly, City Barrel kicked off its Neighborhood Spontan series with a Crossroads-inspired beer. In mid-March, the team unloaded its coolship in the brewery’s front dining room, opened up the garage doors and invited the public in for a party as the fermentation process got underway. After its turn in the coolship, the resulting beer, a golden sour made in the traditional lambic style, will be ready for release sometime next year. Next up in the series, City Barrel aims to produce a beer inspired by the wild yeast captured in the Brookside neighborhood.

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How MusHrooMs work THeir Magic wiTH Dr. aDeTunji Toriola

Washington University assistant professor of surgery at Siteman Cancer Center Though mushrooms are usually grouped under vegetables in pizza places and supermarkets, they aren’t vegetables. Nor are they fruit.

And — biologically speaking, anyway — they aren’t really even plants. Mushrooms are fungi, a kingdom so vast it encompasses more than 2 million species. These prolific growers flourish in unlikely places all over the world. They push out of the soft earth in densely forested areas, wriggle out of sand dunes, grow on decaying wood, in open meadows or on horse (or elk, or deer or moose) dung. These curious organisms hold surprises at just about every turn: Some have more potassium than bananas. Some glow in the dark. They’re great sources of naturally occurring vitamin D. Some are infamously poisonous. Many are loaded with essential vitamins, such as riboflavin and niacin, which are crucial for good health.

“Essential vitamins are vitamins that your body

really needs for regular cell function,” says Dr. Adetunji Toriola, a Washington University assistant professor of surgery at Siteman Cancer Center. “Your body can produce nonessential vitamins, so if you don’t get them from food sources, you’ll be OK. But essential vitamins, you need to get from food.”

Mushrooms are densely packed with many other vitamins and nutrients, including zinc, folate, copper and magnesium. And for vegans, they are a particularly important source of fiber and protein — all while remaining very low in calories, sodium, fat and cholesterol.

Mushrooms also contain antioxidants — biochemical compounds such as proteins, vitamins or minerals that are found in food and dietary supplements. “Antioxidants prevent or delay cellular damage, and they help the body recover,” Dr. Toriola says. “During the aging process, there’s a lot of breakdown in the

body. Tissues wear out, and the rate of cellular turnover is higher. Antioxidants mop up free radicals — which cause damage to cells — and keep us in good health.” Mushrooms are also high in selenium, an antioxidant that may strengthen the immune system.

The more vibrant a fruit or vegetable is, the healthier it tends to be. That isn’t the case with mushrooms, which are often bland in color.

Still, they brim with nutrients. And because they can be eaten raw, grilled, microwaved, baked or fried, there are plenty of ways to incorporate them into your diet. But remember that not all mushrooms are edible. “Some can be poisonous, so be wary about eating any you find in the wild,” Dr. Toriola says. Consider checking out local farmers’ markets to find unusual, off-the-beaten path mushrooms rather than trekking through the woods in search of your own.

Grilled MushrooM BurGers | preparation | Heat grill to medium high.

Combine mushroom marinade ingredients in a pie dish (or other container that will allow for full coverage of marinade) and let sit for 15 to 30 minutes. dice tomatoes and cucumbers and set aside. Combine ingredients for garlic aioli. stir aioli ingredients until well mixed and refrigerate until ready to use. remove mushrooms from marinade and place directly on grill, cap-side down, for 5 minutes. Flip and brush mushrooms with marinade and cook for another 5 minutes. remove mushroom caps from direct to indirect heat, cap-side up, and brush with marinade again.

Place onions on grill over indirect heat. Cook onions for 7 minutes on each side, then remove from grill. lightly brush buns with remaining canola oil. Place buns facedown on grill until toasted (about 5 minutes). spread aioli on buns.

Assemble mushroom burger with cucumbertomato topping, onion and lettuce. enjoy!

Yields | 4 burgers Mushroom marinade: 4 portobello mushroom caps 2 sprigs thyme 2 Tbsp canola oil 2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar ½ tsp onion powder 3 cloves garlic, minced 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce ¼ tsp salt ½ tsp ground black pepper Cucumber-tomato topping: 1 small tomato, diced ¼ cucumber, diced Garlic aioli: ¼ cup light mayonnaise ½ lemon, juiced 1 clove garlic ¼ tsp ground black pepper Other: ½ Tbsp canola oil 4 onion buns 4 slices provolone cheese Red onion, sliced about 1” thick Lettuce, for topping

Nutrition Information (1 burger): 382 calories, 23g fat, 36g carbohydrate, 840mg sodium, 15g protein

They aren’t frilly or exotic or expensive or hard to pronounce, but that’s part of the charm of button (or white) mushrooms. For starters, they’re incredibly versatile and last much longer in the fridge than other varieties — up to a week in their original packaging. Buttons are high in protein and potassium, can help fight inflammation and they’re good for the immune system — doubly so when cooked in red wine. Slide them onto kebobs, toss them onto pizzas or simply sauté them in oil to add a mild, earthy counterpoint to any meal.

cHanTerelle When they come into season in September, golden-hued chanterelles announce the arrival of fall like a trumpet blast. They’re shaped like the instrument, too. Full of vitamins B and D, chanterelles’ tart and woody flavor sings in simple dishes like frittatas and salads. Though they flourish in forests all over the state, it’s probably best to leave the finding to the pros: A lookalike species known as the false chanterelle also grows in the wild, and it can be poisonous.

enoki Most mushrooms are known for their caps, gills or frills, but enokis bring something entirely different. White, long and slender, they artfully punctuate ramen and beckon from bibimbap. They are delicate — in looks and in taste — and lend a slightly fruity flavor to stir-frys and salads alike.

Use enokis to complement noodles in miso soup, or replace the noodles with them altogether if you’re feeling particularly adventurous. Though enokis’ effectiveness in fighting cancer is under debate, their high antioxidant levels are without question.

Hen of THe wooDs This bewitchingly named mushroom with feather-like ruffles grows at the base of trees, often in large clusters.

They can reach up to 50 pounds, which also explains their “king of mushrooms” nickname. In Eastern cultures they’re revered for their medicinal qualities — thought to improve fertility, kidney and liver function — and they’re quickly gaining popularity in Western cooking, too. Chefs prize them for their strong, funky taste.

PorToBello Young portobellos (commonly known as crimini mushrooms) have a nutty flavor, but as they grow the flavor mellows, making them perfect for entrees — and if ever a mushroom could be described as meaty, it’s this one. Low-calorie portobellos are high in potassium and excellent swaps for ground-beef burgers. They’re especially delicious when grilled; see left for a terrific recipe. Portobellos’ healthy doses of potassium and niacin hold even more good news for the body.

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“The cool thing about coolship beer is that it’s the most local beer you can possibly make,” Stutsman says.

“It’s just one place in time that created that mixed culture.”

The greatest advantage of a coolship, though, may also be its greatest disadvantage. Since the vessel is open (though some breweries will use a screen similar to a fish net), the beer is exposed to any number of airborne yeast and microflora. This process can produce wonderfully unique wild beers, but it also opens brewers up to a great deal of risk – wild yeast is, after all, wild, and can act in unpredictable ways that lead to off flavors.

Missouri’s climate also makes the process extremely tricky – most of the time, it’s either too hot or too cold, so the window to use a coolship is narrow. Most breweries in the area use their coolship in the winter months, as the ideal temperature range is about 20°F to 40°F. If it’s too hot outside, the wrong type of yeast and microflora can inoculate the wort. During Missouri’s famously warm summers, for instance, more acid-producing yeast can find their way into the beer, producing sour or acetic flavors that make the beer taste more like vinegar.

▲ city barrel brewing Co. in Kansas City, invited the public to

contribute to the open fermentation of its first coolship beer.

PHOTOS BY zach bauman

Yet if the weather is too cold, the coolship won’t catch enough wild yeast and bacteria for the beer to ferment properly. Over the years, King says Side Project has had to dump entire batches of beer when there’s not enough yeast, as the yeast that is captured gets stressed out and overworked, leading to undesirable flavors.

“It’s a tough tool to use,” King says. “There’s a reason why people stopped using them when we started getting refrigeration and other ways to chill beer. With coolship beer and the spontaneity, you throw a lot of what you’ve learned out the window. You’re letting nature take more hold of the beer than we do. With that comes a lot more risk and a lot more loss. But when everything comes together, they produce some beautiful, unique beers – that’s for sure.”

City Barrel Brewing Co., 1740 Holmes Road, Kansas City, Missouri, facebook.com/citybarrel Foeder Crafters of America, foedercrafters.com Narrow Gauge Brewing Co., 1595 N. U.S. Highway 67, Florissant, Missouri, narrowgaugestl.com Side Project Brewing, 7458 Manchester Road, Maplewood, Missouri, sideprojectbrewing.com Wellspent Brewing Co., 2917 Olive St., St. Louis, Missouri, wellspentbeer.com

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Photography by keith borgmeyer

Written by Liz Miller

With Midwest Vineyard Consulting, Nick Pehle is helping grape growers raise better fruit to, ultimately, yield even better wine.

ine is an easy thing to romanticize and glamorize: lush vineyards, ripe fruit and, of course, the way a glass or two makes you feel. Every time you open a bottle of wine, though, you’re uncorking three or more years of hard work – including the skilled, labor-intensive agricultural work of grape growers.

“After the vineyards are established, we only get one chance a year – the grapes only come once a year,” says Jacob Holman, winemaker and new co-owner of Les Bourgeois Vineyards in Rocheport, Missouri. “It’s not like with brewing or distilling, where you can produce year-round; we have from August to October to get the grapes processed properly and make wine.

And if we do something wrong, we wait until next year.”

Long before grapes are crushed and their juice is fermented and bottled, it takes diligent care and attention to grow great wine grapes – and that’s with established grapevines. If the vineyard is new, it will take three years before the first grape harvest.

At every stage of growth, year after year, vines require constant maintenance, from pruning and leaf thinning to irrigation and protection from pests and disease. Grape growers don’t simply want to yield fruit: They need fruit with a specific sugar content, also known as a Brix measurement, balanced with acid, to produce quality wine.

That’s where Nick Pehle comes in. After earning a Bachelor of Science degree in agricultural systems management and agricultural economics from the University of Missouri in 2000, Pehle spent 18 years managing vineyards for two of the biggest wineries in Missouri. His first gig out of school was as vineyard manager at Les Bourgeois, where he worked for almost seven years before moving on to the same position at Stone Hill Winery in Hermann for nearly 11 years. For the past two years, Pehle has been working for himself, consulting with grape growers across Missouri, Kansas and Iowa through his company, Midwest Vineyard Consulting.

Pehle was already regularly fielding calls and questions from grape growers across the state when he left Stone Hill. What started as friendly advice with maybe a six-pack of beer for his efforts has turned into a full-fledged business, servicing 32 local wineries and managing more than 160 acres of wine grapes collectively. His clients are scattered all across the region, from Adam Puchta Winery in Hermann to Aubrey Vineyards in Overland Park, Kansas.

Some of his clients, like Les Bourgeois, are large enough that his work for them is fairly straightforward – schedules and programs for spraying, plans for fertilizing fields and routine pruning, leaf and shoot thinning and shoot positioning. Other clients, however, are new to the grape-growing business altogether and require assistance getting their vineyards established. Pehle enjoys all of the work, but he especially appreciates the opportunity to set new operations up for success.

“It’s super rewarding to me when I can go in, and sometimes in as little as an hour, totally change the vineyard around in a way where they were losing money before and now they’ll be making money,” Pehle says. “It can be just one or two little things that

turns their crop around year after year – it’s just that nobody has told them and there’s nowhere to go to learn.”

Like any consultant worth his salt, Pehle brings not just years of professional experience to his clients, but also a personal passion for the work. He’s grown his own Chambourcin and Vignoles – two wine grape varietals that grow exceptionally well in Missouri – on his family farm for 20 years.

Located between New Haven and Hermann in one of the state’s richest wine regions, Pehle and his wife and children live just down the road from his parents and the nearby sheds and hog houses his grandfather used to tend. Inside one of those sheds is where Pehle keeps a crucial component of his consulting business: a blue and white VMECH – which stands for vineyard mechanization – a mechanical grape pruner, leaf thinner, shoot positioner and shoot thinner.

Mechanical vineyard maintenance and grape harvesting have been common practice for decades, yet the sophisticated equipment required is still extremely expensive, making it cost prohibitive for many smaller vineyards. Even larger wineries like Les Bourgeois are just now transitioning their vineyards for mechanical pruning, thanks to Pehle’s mobile services.

“Vineyard mechanization really saves on labor, and when you get the tasks done efficiently, wine quality goes way up,” Pehle says. “What I’ve been focusing on are the four different processes in the vineyard that require the most labor: pruning, leaf thinning, shoot thinning and shoot positioning.”

Not only does Pehle’s business make these essential vineyard maintenance services available to a broader audience, but his machine is rare. Typically, VMECHs must be operated by three people, with one person pulling the VMECH on a tractor and two others running the machine’s arms through the vineyard. Having worked with several VMECH models over his years in the industry, Pehle gained access to a prototype for a new pruning, shoot thinning and leaf-thinning machine that was designed to be operated by one person.

“Mine’s unique because I can drive the tractor and operate the machine all by myself, so it’s a one-man operation,” Pehle says. “I can easily haul it around to vineyards, especially small vineyards, and use it. The machine that [VMECH] commercially sells requires three people, it’s like twice as long and it’s not very easily portable.”

Ultimately, the prototype wasn’t refined and taken to market, but Pehle saw the potential, and asked to buy it from VMECH. He has since been able to retrofit his machine with an arm that fits his tractor for shoot positioning in addition to the shoot-thinning, pruning and leaf-thinning arms, building a grape maintenance machine unlike any other out there. “No one sells that,” he says with a smile.

With so many clients spread out across the region and limited time in the growing season to address each cycle of maintenance in the vineyard, Pehle spends a lot of time on the road. During pruning season, from late winter to early spring, he sometimes works 12 hours a day, seven days a week for almost a month straight. If he’s working a job somewhat close to his home, he’ll drive back at night. If not, he’ll sleep in his truck, spending the hours before bed answering consulting questions over email. Pehle works with two full-time employees and a

few part-timers to help him plant and install vineyards, build trellises, install irrigation, help with harvest, mow grass, work on equipment, remove diseased vineyards and touch up pruning.

But when it comes to his VMECH, given the cost and value of the unique piece of machinery, he wants to be the one driving it.

Vineyard mechanization and the ability to customize it to different client needs makes up the majority of Pehle’s consulting business; his other big focus in the spring is installing and planting new vineyards. Sometimes this is the result of Pehle putting together a prospectus on the cost and labor associated with opening a new vineyard. In those cases, he arranges a site visit for the land intended for the vineyard and estimates what it will cost to get off the ground.

“Most people pay me my [initial] fee and are like, ‘See you later!’” he says with a laugh. “But it’s much cheaper to pay me a couple thousand dollars up front than to invest $80,000 and realize that it’s a nightmare. Always get your consulting before you start, because once the vines are planted, it’s too late. If it’s a bad site or if your soil needs a lot of fertilizer, it’s too late, because all the posts are in and you can’t incorporate organic matter. It’s hard to adjust your pH. For a lot of people, it’s their retirement, but [grape growing is] a terrible retirement plan. They’ll say, ‘We had no idea it was so much labor.’”

“Vineyard mechanization is to really save on labor,” Pehle says. “What I’ve been focusing on are the four different processes in the vineyard that require the most labor: pruning, leaf thinning, shoot thinning and shoot positioning.”

Pehle emphasizes that he doesn’t want to scare people away from growing grapes, but rather, make sure they have no illusions about the cost, labor and time investment needed to maintain a successful vineyard.

“A lot of people get into the winery or vineyard business because they think it’s something that it’s not,” Pehle says. “No one would retire from a factory and say, ‘I’m going to be a row-crop farmer,’ because there’s a ton more information about being a row-crop farmer out there than there is for being a grape farmer. Most row croppers, their dad was a row cropper; [growing grapes] isn’t a skill that’s been passed on from their dad, granddad. And growing grapes is 10 times harder and 10 times more labor intensive.”

If clients aren’t scared away by the work and expense, Pehle says that installing a vineyard is fairly straightforward: site selection, pre-planting ground work, soil amendments, trellis installation, planting, ground cover and installing drip irrigation. He also works hard to connect new growers with wineries to buy their fruit, as Pehle’s reputation and recommendation goes a long way in the local industry. / may 2 019

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“I’ll call around to the wineries and say, ‘Hey, do you need any Norton? Because this guy I’m working with has 10 extra tons. It’s someone I worked with all year and a vineyard I’ve been in four or five times and the fruit looks great,’” Pehle says. “I’ve been telling all of these smaller grape growers, ‘You need to grow the best grapes you can, and then after harvest, follow up with a winemaker and ask them how your grapes were and what can I do differently?’ I’m trying to build relationships between the wineries and the vineyards, and that’s how everybody gets the best of what they want.”

For established vineyards like Les Bourgeois, Pehle’s work is often focused on vineyard renewal, which typically means working on soil health and applying fertilizer, in addition to retraining trunks, cordons and trellis work. In winter, old existing trunks and cordons are cut down and replaced with new ones saved from the previous summer. These shoots, called suckers, were purposely placed near the ground to avoid trunk diseases and help rejuvenate old, crooked vines. At Les Bourgeois, Holman has been working on and off with Pehle for more than a decade. When Pehle began consulting full time, Holman was one of his first calls.

“Our vineyards are aging, and it was time to do a bunch of renewing,” Holman says. “And I know that Nick is not only talented at viticulture, he’s also talented at logistics and how to get things done in a timely manner, so I knew he’d be a perfect fit for what we

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were trying to do. Now he comes every Tuesday and basically sets the workload for the week, checks on progress from the previous week, and then the bigger picture stuff, as far as looking at our soil samples and providing schedules, and then it’s up to the vineyard staff to carry that through. We meet and go over the plan, where he’d like to be, and if we don’t get there, we reconfigure.”

Another challenge for established vineyards is transitioning from manual labor to mechanical. Pehle and the team at Les Bourgeois spent this past winter preparing the vineyards for just that, and will continue throughout this year so that come next summer, the vineyards will be fully transitioned. Pehle has also updated and refined the spray and fertilizer schedules for Les Bourgeois, which Holman says should also help yield healthier vines and soil.

“If the vines aren’t getting the proper nutrients, then no matter what you do, training-wise, they’re not going to be as fruitful,” Holman says. “I think Nick’s knowledge in that is going to be the most beneficial to us, and we can already see that it’s helping.”

W

Driving up to Pehle’s property, the first thing you’ll notice is one of his Chambourcin blocks. Unfortunately, the vines in one block will soon be uprooted after two decades, as they’re infected with red-blotch virus.

Grapevines are vulnerable to more than 20 untreatable viruses, and if they catch one, the best solution is to pull them up.

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Four Seasons in the Vineyard Even in the depths of winter, Nick Pehle is helping his clients in the vineyard.

Here, he walks us through his work throughout the year.

LATE WINTER “Pruning happens in late winter and early spring,” Pehle says. “I clear out about 30 to 35 different vineyards, and I basically prune the vines into a box, which goes around each individual cordon, and I can adjust the box size to basically leave a certain number of buds. Some [grape varietals need] a bigger box size, some get less, some require touchup [after mechanical pruning], some don’t.”

SPRING “Shoot thinning time,” Pehle says. “That used to be a really time-consuming task – up into 30 hours per acre [with a hand crew] – and now [mechanical] shoot thinning is quite fast. It runs maybe 10 acres in eight hours.” Spring is also when Pehle plants and installs new vineyards for clients.

SUMMER

By July or early August, Pehle is focused on shoot positioning and leaf thinning. Shoot positioning essentially curtains a grapevine’s leaves over the fruit, shading it from the summer sun. “In the Midwest, we grow most of our grapes on the high cordon [wire], and there are certain [grape] varieties that need to be shoot positioned,” Pehle says. “In the industry, it’s often called combing, and it’s just like combing long hair down.” For leaf thinning, Pehle uses a big fan to suck leaves inside a machine, where a blade shreds them. By this point in the season, the weight of the grapes protects them from the suction. “Mechanical leaf thinning probably saves 95 percent of the labor of hand [thinning] – it’s unreal.”

autumn From late August through early October, vineyards are in harvest season. “Mechanical harvesting is commercially accepted everywhere, and the labor savings [are significant],” Pehle says. In November, Pehle is usually diagnosing viruses and removing vines or entire vineyards for clients.

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“Red-blotch disease results in delayed berry ripening, altered berry color and a smaller berry size,” Pehle says. “It adversely affects pH, anthocyanin levels, tannin levels and other factors that reduce the quality and market value of grapes. Sugar accumulation may be significantly reduced, typically dropping by three degrees Brix and dropping by as much as six degrees Brix in some varieties.”

characteristics similar to Muscat. This is another facet of his consulting business: Researching new and native grapes to recommend to clients. For decades, grape varietals like Chambourcin, Chardonel and Vignoles have dominated the Missouri wine industry, as they grow well in our climate. Most of them, like Aromella, are hybrid grapes: crosses between more sensitive European varieties and hardier American native grapes.

Most grape experts believe that, in general, the majority of grapevines infected with viruses were likely sold and planted this way. Growers aren't always aware of the diseases, though, as it can sometimes take years for symptoms to present themselves, and even then, tissue samples must be sent away for testing.

Virus diagnosis occurs in the summer, and removal is performed in the winter. Before more was known about viruses, grape growers would commonly attribute these symptoms to other causes, becoming increasingly frustrated when no solution led to improvement.

Native vines like Vitis labrusca and Vitis riparia are naturally resistant to harsh temperatures, rain and other weather conditions and pests. Grapes with these vine parentages like Wetumpka, with a grapey aroma and high acidity, and Cloeta, jet-black in color with soft tannins, are rarely grown in the U.S. today. Vox Vineyards in the Kansas City area has pioneered reviving these grapes for winemaking in Missouri, and soon, Bourgmont Winery in Bucyrus, Kansas, will be doing the same. Pehle has been researching native varieties as well as rarer varietals from around the world for Bourgmont, which had been growing grapes for almost a decade before halting operations to Turn to p. 32 shift to this new focus. to lea

Diagnosing viruses and removing vines is a small part of Pehle's work for growers through Midwest Vineyard Consulting; it’s usually how he spends the month of November, his one “slow” time of year. The ability to diagnose these diseases is valuable to growers and winemakers, even if the solution – uprooting the vines – is not ideal.

“I like the diagnostic part because it’s a challenge,” Pehle says.

“People call me like, ‘Hey Nick, so-and-so has looked at it and we don’t know what it is.’ And I go out there and kind of play detective; I look at the leaves, the ground. Sometimes I still have to Google stuff. Other times, I just know that it’s downy mildew, and tell them, ‘You need to spray this.’ I love going around and helping people.”

Although there’s no cure for vines infected with viruses, researchers in the National Clean Plant Network are currently working on a solution: certified virus-free grapevines. These vines are currently being presold to growers and will be available in 2020; Pehle has already steered several clients in that direction.

Pehle will soon replace his infected Chambourcin block with Aromella, a varietal developed at Cornell – a likely but not yet certified virus-free vine – with floral aromas and flavor

rn mor e about Vox Vineya rds.

“[Planting unusual and native grapes is] something these small wineries can do and adapt a lot faster than large wineries,” Pehle says.

“I’m excited that some of these smaller guys are going to get a little more of an edge and can maybe be a little more competitive.”

And Pehle knows what it takes to be competitive. During his time at Stone Hill, the winery won numerous Governor’s Cups for wines made with grapes grown by Pehle and his team. With his consulting work, he wants to improve the quality of fruit for all of his clients, and in turn, for the local wine industry in general.

Awards aren’t why Pehle loves the work, though. At heart, he’s a farmer, and his passion is growing exceptional wine grapes, no matter the vineyard.

“He took a leap of faith – it’s not the same kind of work as just taking a paycheck at an established winery,” Holman says. “He has to put a lot of hard work in and a lot of long days, but he’s been able to do that, and I think he’s making a big difference in the industry.” midwestvineyard.com

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of Meet the local distilleries dipping into 2019’s must-sip spirit, barrel-aged gin.

Written by Natalie Gallagher photography by jonathan gayman

B

arrel-aged gin may be met with some raised eyebrows. What are the benefits of taking a perfectly delicious gin and altering its color, flavor, body and profile by hiding it away in a wood barrel for months or years?

What do you even do with a spirit that tastes like a blend of botanical gin and nutty bourbon?

The same way that white whiskey – also known as moonshine – is barrel aged to produce complex flavors, gin also transforms after spending time in oak. When unaged whiskey is put into an oak barrel, the characteristics in the wood – vanillin and tannins, specifically – seep into the spirit, altering its color, body and flavor.

Barrel aging smooths and mellows out spirits, whether whiskey, rum or gin.

Gin, of course, enters the barrel with a juniper-forward botanical flavor profile. All gins must feature juniper – although there’s no set amount or ratio required – and are usually distilled with other botanicals, including angelica, coriander and orris root. And just like whiskey, when gin is put into a barrel, it does its own thing. That’s the appeal, says Natasha Bahrami, owner and self-proclaimed “gin ambassador” at The Gin Room in St. Louis: Barrel-aged gin offers a new frontier for anyone interested in spirits, from distillers and bartenders to cocktail enthusiasts.

At The Gin Room, tawny-colored barrel-aged gin finds its way into riffs on classic cocktails as well as original recipes. The Barreled Rebellion, for

example, combines barrel-aged Knickerbocker Gin with Cynar, Clockwork Orange spiced liqueur and Dolin Rouge Vermouth de Chambéry. Often – and especially for the uninitiated – Bahrami pours tastings of barrel-aged gins for her guests to sip neat or on the rocks.

“Barrel-aged gins are really cool because the botanical profile is enhanced within a spirit that has the aging and malting profile of a whiskey,” Bahrami says, “but it still has this beautiful, light body. An aged whiskey will never get the botanical qualities that a gin starts with.

Barrel-aged gin elevates the spirit, turns it into something really special. It allows the distiller – and, in turn, the bartender – to take that expression from the botanicals and make this

palette you can play with and paint with.”

As a bartender, Bahrami says barrel-aged gins give her something new to explore. “The whole reason we make cocktails with a spirit instead of just drinking it straight is to experiment with varying the base spirit,” she says. “If someone uses vodka in a cocktail, it's just something to mix with, but a properly barrel-aged gin will allow each of the botanicals in the gin to shine individually, and you’ll still get a little extra body from the aging of the gin that adds complexity to your cocktail.”

Bahrami thinks of barrel-aged gins as a class of spirits without limitations. “Right now, it’s a perfect creative outlet for distillers,” she says.

In the following pages, we check in with four local distillers about their takes on barrel-aged gin, from botanical forward to citrus heavy, and they share cocktails recipes that highlight the unique character of their barrel-aged gins.

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Roasted Duck

S.D. Strong Distilling Co.

To make S.D. Strong Distilling Co.’s Barrel-Aged Pillar 136 Gin, founder Steve Strong started with his signature gin recipe – the award-winning Pillar 136 Gin, which features juniper, angelica root, cassia, orris root, ginger, licorice root, zested lemon and lime and orange peel.

what to expect,” Strong says. “I kept tasting it until I thought it tasted like something I really enjoyed straight, over rocks or mixed in a cocktail.”

It took Strong nine months to get the recipe for Pillar 136 just right.

“It changes the character of what you expect from a gin,” he says. “With our gin, it’s more on the tart side, because it has citrus and juniper and this refreshing component. When you age it in a barrel, you're adding in some other complex flavors and you get a little more roundness. It softens the edge and tartness of the gin.”

“I knew I wanted to do a citrus-forward gin,” Strong says. “I made it to my tastes and hoped other people would like it. Two years in a row, we won the Washington Cup Spirits Competition and [received] a bronze medal in the San Francisco Spirits Competition [in 2016], and when we did that, I decided to try doing a barrel-aged gin. It wasn't super calculated. I just thought we should try it and see how this citrusy style of gin held up.”

Strong aged his gin in spent American white oak whiskey barrels (which previously stored his S.D. Strong Straight Rye Whiskey), tasting it as it matured over several months.

“The first time I [tasted] it [in 2016], I didn't know

Barrel-Aged Gin Old Fashioned

Serves 1

1 3 2

sugar cube or ½ tsp simple syrup dashes Angostura bitters oz S.D. Strong Barrel-Aged Pillar 136 Gin orange peel (for garnish)

/ preparation / If using a sugar cube, add it and bitters

to an Old Fashioned glass and muddle until sugar cube has dissolved, adding a dash of water as needed to help sugar dissolve. Fill Old Fashioned glass with ice, add gin and stir.

Garnish with orange peel and serve. If using simple syrup, add all ingredients except garnish and stir to combine.

Garnish with orange peel and serve.

Finally, after a year of aging, Strong was truly happy with the result.

Strong emphasizes the difference between what he started with and what he ended up with after barrel aging. He says his barrel-aged gin works best as a substitute for whiskey in classic cocktails. An Old Fashioned made with S.D. Strong Barrel-Aged Pillar 136 Gin in place of bourbon, for example, gives the drink flavors of citrus and whiffs of botanicals that whiskey just can’t offer.

8500 NW River Park Dr., #136A, Parkville, Missouri, sdstrongdistilling.com

“With our gin, it’s more on the tart side, because it has citrus and juniper and this refreshing component. When you age it in a barrel, you're adding in some other complex flavors and you get a little more roundness. It softens the edge and tartness of the gin.”

-Steve Strong / f e br/umay a ry 2 019

xx 67 91

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Pinckney Bend Distillery launched in 2010 with its namesake American Gin. Nearly a decade later, its offerings have grown to include an array of whiskey, vodka and a custom tonic syrup to pair with the gin. Even with a wide-ranging portfolio, it’s the gin that really gets attention – in particular, its Cask-Finished Gin, launched in 2015.

Pinckney Bend Distillery

“Here, we’re all about the historical side of things,” says Tom Anderson, one of Pinckney Bend’s cofounders. “Back in the day – from the 1600s to the early 1800s – a wooden barrel was the only vessel practical [for storing] goods, including spirits, and shipping long distances. Over time, everyone realized that the barrel provides its own flavors: The wood sugars and all the compounds made from charring the barrel come together and influence the product.”

Pinckney Bend was keen to help bring barrel-aged gin into the modern era. “It started with experimentation,” Anderson says. “We just wanted to see what gin does in a barrel, and then it moved into being aware of how those botanicals change and manipulating that.”

Pinckney Bend adds flavor by utilizing used barrels, rather than new, Anderson explains, adding that spent whiskey barrels bring more fruity and floral notes to the gin. To make its Cask-Finished Gin, Pinckney Bend ages its American Gin for a year in 15-gallon Missouri white oak barrels that have previously contained Pinckney Bend’s Rested American Whiskey.

“The gin starts taking on hints of nutmeg and vanilla,” Anderson says. “Some of the botanicals in the American Gin – the juniper and the floral ones especially – will fade to the background, and you get more notes of cardamom, cinnamon and baking spices. When you taste it, you don't say, ‘Gee, this is gin.’ It tastes completely different.”

Tara Steffens, Pinckney Bend’s operations manager, says the gin's unique profile makes it uniquely malleable in cocktails. “There’s a beautiful ambiguity,” she says. “If you want to make a Manhattan, it acts like a whiskey. In a Tom Collins, it works like a gin. That's the appeal – it simultaneously appeals to both gin-lovers and whiskey-lovers; those people love bold flavors.

This sits between the two.”

One of the best cocktails to show off the nuances of Pinckney Bend’s Cask-Finished Gin, Steffens says, is a Martini. “If you want to highlight the edge of this spirit and give it a savory spin, a dirty Martini is perfect.”

1101 Miller St., New Haven, Missouri, pinckneybend.com

“The gin starts taking on hints of nutmeg and vanilla. Some of the botanicals in the American Gin – the juniper and the floral ones especially – will fade to the background, and you get more notes of cardamom, cinnamon and baking spices."

-Tom Anderson

Cask-Finished Gin Dirty Martini

Serves 1

2½ ¼ ¼ 3

If desired, you can do a vermouth ice-rinse here, too: First, add vermouth and ice into a Martini glass, and then swirl and strain out the vermouth. Add gin and olive juice, then follow instructions below.

oz Pinckney Bend Distillery’s Cask-Finished Gin oz extra dry vermouth oz olive juice pimento-stuffed green olives (for garnish)

/ preparation / Fill a shaker tin with ice. Pour all ingredients into shaker; stir or shake according to your preference until well chilled and combined. Strain mixture into a Martini glass and garnish with olives. Serve.

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Tom’s Town Distilling Co. released its Barreled Gin in spring 2018 as part of its The Pendergast Machine Series – a limited edition line of one-off spirits featuring a new, experimental release several times a year. The Barreled Gin was Machine No. 1, and while the distillery had only planned to make it a limited edition run, the enthusiastic response it received from customers encouraged the distillers to offer a full release last fall.

The Barreled Gin is made with a well-known base: Tom’s Town flagship Botanical Gin, a flavorful spirit with 14 botanicals, including bay leaf, clove, allspice and star anise. The Botanical Gin also features three peppers – long pepper, cubeb pepper and grains of paradise – which help give the gin a floral nose. To make the Barreled Gin, the Botanical Gin is aged for about six months in Missouri white oak barrels that previously aged Tom’s Town’s Pendergast’s Royal Gold Bourbon.

Tom’s Town Distilling Co.

“We didn’t know what to expect when we put it in the barrel – we just wanted to experiment,” says Steve Revare, co-founder of Tom’s Town. “We found the gin took on interesting characteristics of the barrel – vanilla, caramel notes – and it rounded out the spirit. It influenced the floral aspects of the gin, which I didn’t expect to happen, and that turned out great. It mellows out the botanicals and the spice notes a little bit. I think the barrel imbues those peppers with more floral notes, and the star anise combines well with the caramel and vanilla and makes it slightly sweeter.”

Not every gin benefits from barrel-aging, Revare adds, but when it works, it creates a unique product. “It’s not like our other gin,” he says. “I usually drink our regular botanical gin with soda, and I started drinking the Barreled Gin with soda and it gives it a rich, winter feel – it takes it from a spring and summer spirit and makes it a year-round spirit.”

Revare correlates the rise in popularity of barrel-aged gin with the craft cocktail movement in America.

“Bartenders get excited about using this product because it gives them a chance to be creative,” he says. “We’ve seen bartenders put it in a traditional whiskey cocktail or put it in with Bloody Mary mix. Bartenders see the potential for it, and the coolest thing for us is seeing them take our spirit and run with it.”

1701 Main St., Crossroads Arts District, Kansas City, Missouri, toms-town.com

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“We found the gin took on interesting characteristics of the barrel – vanilla, caramel notes – and it rounded out the spirit. It influenced the floral aspects of the gin, which I didn’t expect to happen, and that turned out great. It mellows out the botanicals and the spice notes a little bit."

-Steve Revare The Corpse Reviver #2

Serves 1

¾ ¾ ¾ ¾

absinthe (to rinse glass) oz Tom’s Town Barreled Gin oz Mathilde XO orange liqueur oz Cocchi Aperitivo Americano oz fresh lemon juice Amarena cherry or orange twist (for garnish)

/ preparation / Add a few drops of absinthe in a coupe glass, swirl and then discard.

In a cocktail shaker, combine all remaining ingredients except garnish over ice and shake well. Strain into absinthe-rinsed coupe glass.

Garnish with cherry or orange twist and serve.

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1220 artisan Spirits The Barrel Reserve Gin from 1220 Artisan Spirits is one of the newest entries into the local barrel-aged gin category. Rob Vossmeyer, 1220’s head distiller (and former head distiller at Tom’s Town in Kansas City), says that the idea for the barrel-aged gin was inspired in part by his friendship with Bill and Kathy Foster, co-founders of Big O Ginger Liqueur.

“They do this product once a year with Big O Reserve, where they’ll finish their spirit in barrels from other distilleries,” Vossmeyer says. “They had done an experiment with brand-new oak barrels, and the experiment hadn’t yielded the extractives from the barrel in the way they had hoped, so they transferred the product to a different set of used barrels. I told them when the first set of barrels were emptied, I would gladly use them. I created a custom gin recipe and aged that for three months in the barrels before filtering and bottling it.”

Vossmeyer used just three botanicals in the recipe for Barrel Reserve Gin: juniper, coriander and angelica root. “I purposely made a very simple gin,” he says. “I think if you try to create a complex gin only to barrel-age it, the more subtle components will likely be lost after resting it in a barrel. Furthermore, a complex gin makes it more difficult to showcase the elements that the barrel brings to the finished spirit.”

Vossmeyer chose bold flavors that could stand up to whatever character the barrel imparted.

“Angelica has a pungent, earthy, perfumelike quality about it, and building a gin that will stand up to a barrel is important,” Vossmeyer says. “Otherwise, you get something that tastes more like a barrel than the original spirit.”

The barrels from Big O impart flavors of vanilla, caramel and coconut, but its primary flavor is ginger. “Enough of the Big O spirit soaked into the wood that you get a significant bite from the Barrel Reserve Gin,” Vossmeyer says.

He sees barrel-aging gin as a way to introduce non-gin drinkers to flavors that only gin can offer, yet with the color and character of whiskey.

“I have yet to hear anyone say, ‘This is awful,’” Vossmeyer says with a laugh.

“There are some fantastic flavors in oak. Certain compounds that are pulled from the wood change chemically during aging and oxidation, and the resulting flavors and aromas are complementary to a lot of spirits – and there’s no reason that couldn’t work with gin, too,” he continues. “I think there’s a lot of potential in the world of barrel-finishing gin.”

1220 S. Eighth St., LaSalle Park, St. Louis, Missouri, facebook.com/1220spirits

"There are some fantastic flavors in oak. Certain compounds that are pulled from the wood change chemically during aging and oxidation, and the resulting flavors and aromas are complementary to a lot of spirits – and there’s no reason that couldn’t work with gin, too"

-Rob Vossmeyer 96

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Into the Wild

Serves 1

1½ ¾ ½ 2

oz 1220 Artisan Spirits Barrel Reserve Gin oz Big O Ginger Liqueur oz fresh lemon juice dashes Scrappy’s cardamom bitters lemon twist (for garnish)

/ preparation / Combine all ingredients except garnish in a cocktail shaker over ice. Shake, strain and pour into a coupe glass. Garnish with a lemon twist and serve.

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Back Burner the

this month, we asked industry pros:

What’s your favorite drink, and where are you ordering it?

Sidney Fish

chef-owner Beauty of the Bistro Kansas City

“Anything with J. Rieger & Co. whiskey is my favorite, but it's amazing in a classic Horsefeather cocktail."

Harrison Massie general manager

David Friesen co-owner

Lee Eckel roastmaster

David Greteman bar director

Lisa Cothran chef and co-owner

small change

Betty Rae’s Ice Cream

Lakota Coffee Co.

elmwood

Star Cakes Bakery

st. louis

Kansas City

Columbia, Missouri

Maplewood, Missouri

Springfield, Missouri

“Tim Wiggins has ruined my life with his Golden State cocktail at Retreat Gastropub. Nothing will ever be as good ever again.

Here’s hoping it never gets taken off the menu!"

“I love going to places like The Rieger or The Ship, or visiting some of our Waldo neighbors: KC Bier Co., The District and Louie’s Wine Dive are great places to have a beer or three."

“I’m a beer guy, so I’d have to say I’m biased toward a beer by Bur Oak Brewing Co. called Dark Star made with Lakota Coffee Co.'s Ethiopian coffee. It’s a clean, crisp German Kölsch with a smooth coffee finish."

“If I was just going to get beers and shots, I’d go to [The] Famous Bar, because I love playing pool. It’s way quieter than you’d think it would be.

I love that place.”

“I don’t drink liquor, so my favorite drink is the oldfashioned raspberry soda at Andy’s Frozen Custard."

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*Schnucks Delivers now includes wine, beer and spirits delivery in Missouri and Illinois (where permissible by law). Visit schnucksdelivers.com for more details.

100 feastmagazine.com / m ay 2 0 1 9 Š2019 Schnucks