■MIXING IT UP Since opening Bear in Long Island City with my sister Natasha, I’ve become the restaurant’s mixologist. Almost all of my cocktails are made with vodka from Russia and Ukraine. Quick fact: the word “vodka” comes from the Russian word “voda,” which means “water.” So yes, vodka is like water to us. Fresh dill is such an important ingredient in Russian cuisine and I wanted to St. Dill Martini The Beatrice put it on stage. I believe that because vodka is naturally open to magnifying other flavors, it is the best liquor to work with when creating cocktails. Lately my favorite vodka has been Beluga Noble Russian Vodka – when chilled it is one of the smoothest I have ever tried (and let me tell you, I have tried many!). One of the most popular cocktails on our menu is what I’ve named the St. Dill Martini. For this ingredient I infuse Beluga with organic dill for about two months – but if you don’t have that time, here’s a quick recipe to mix one up! Sasha Pogrebinsky Mixologist/Restaurateur Bear 12-14 31st Avenue, LIC ww w.BearNYC.com Sasha is the owner of Bear Restaurant in Long Island City and will be writing a monthly column for the LIC Courier and bringing one-of-a-kind cocktail recipes right to your fingertips. Sasha’s first book “Rarely Known” was published in 2014 by Element Press and is available on Amazon. SASHA POGREBINSKY Ingredients: 3 oz chilled Beluga Russian Vodka (keep it in the freezer) 1/4 oz Dolan’s Dry Vermouth 1 teaspoon of organic mustard seeds 1 large sprig of fresh dill 1 oz of organic crunchy pickle brine 1 cornichon Prep: 1. Throw a teaspoon of mustard seeds at the bottom of the cocktail glass 2. Put a cornichon on a skewer into the glass 3. Place 3 oz of vodka, 1/4 oz of dry vermouth, and 1 oz of pickle brine into shaker 4. Shake firmly on ice for about 15 seconds (so that it becomes foamy) 5. Strain the shaker into the glass 6. Place the fresh large sprig on top of the foam Photos by Angy Altamirano The Name: I named this after Beatrice Portinari, the inspiration for Dante’s works and one of his guides into the underworld. If you make this cocktail the proper way, the Beatrice will guide you as well. Ingredients: Organic beet juice (either boil organic beets in a pot of water for at least 40 minutes, or strain from a can) Sweet Vermouth 1 Lime Raw ginger Fresh dill or rosemary Sesame wasabi seeds Honey Ginger candy (optional, can buy in store) Vodka Martini Glass Prep: 1. Cut a long thin piece of fresh ginger and rub it along the inside of the martini glass so that the ginger juice sets thoroughly. Sniff the glass to make sure it has the essence of ginger 2. Put a very small amount of honey on the rim of the glass 3. Coat the rim with a sprinkle of sesame wasabi seeds 4. Toss a cube of ginger candy covered in brown sugar to the bottom Directions: 1. Pour 1.5 oz of beet juice, 2 oz of vodka, and 1.5 oz of sweet vermouth into shaker 2. Squeeze about 1 oz of lime juice into shaker 3. Throw in a cut-up cube of fresh ginger into shaker (even though you are not straining the ginger, it will infuse with the cocktail during the shaking process) 4. Shake thoroughly on ice until foam develops 5. Strain into martini glass, and garnish with a fresh sprig of dill (or rosemarry) Voila! Enjoy! FLAVORS of Spring
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