Rhuby Barby Cocktail

My housemate Rachel is quite the amateur mixologist. A couple weeks ago, some friends held a song-themed cocktail contest. Basically, this is a group of people who like to get together to sing old songs and drink. So try not to be too weirded out when I say that this drink is inspired by an old English hymn called Barby. Rachel created this delicious rhubarb cocktail. It is pink (like Barbie), a little sour, and oh so refreshingly delicious. We’ve made this drink a couple times since the contest and agree that it is a perfect spring drink. It looks girly but is much less saccharine than most mixes.

This recipe calls for rhubarb spirit and rhubarb juice- two unusual ingredients. Fear not, they are easier come by than you would think! The rhubarb spirit comes from a local craft distillery called Art In The Age Of Mechanical Reproduction. If you are a Philly local, you can pick it up there. If not, vanilla infused vodka or another neutral spirit will work fine (just add more rhubarb juice). To make the rhubarb juice, you can either run rhubarb stalks through a juicer or make juice by boiling the rhubarb. I found a great recipe from Serious Eats that involves cutting the rhubarb stalks into cubes and then boiling and straining the cubes. We made a lot of juice ahead of time and have kept it in the fridge. It lasts a couple weeks in the fridge, or you can freeze it in ice cube trays for later use.

Rhuby Barby Cocktail

Ingredients:

rhubarb spirit
rhubarb juice
honey or simple syrup
chopped mint plus more for garnish
ice

Mix together equal parts rhubarb spirit and rhubarb juice- one shot-glass-full of each works nicely. Stir in the honey till it dissolves. Add the chopped mint and ice and shake (in a cocktail shaker if you have it- we used a glass jar). Fill your cup with more ice. Pour the cocktail into your cup through a strainer. Garnish with more mint. Enjoy!