■MIXING IT UP Classic Pogrebinsky This is the only cocktail in New York – or the United States for that matter – that uses birch sap. The birch tree is a true everlasting element of the Russian and Ukrainian landscape. Birch forests abound in millions of SASHA POGREBINSKY acres, and the birch tree and its sap has been a healing element of our culture and cuisine. Growing up as a kid in Kiev, Natasha and I used to run through birch forests and play games. We used to drink fresh birch sap – which tastes like lightly sweet water, freshly tapped. We would chew on the inside of the birch tree, which was sweet and edible. This cocktail is classic, it is refined and I named it after my family name, because it is unique. At my restaurant, Bear, I pair this drink with caviar and blini. Sasha Pogrebinsky Mixologist/Restaurateur Bear 12-14 31st Avenue, LIC www.BearNYC.com Sasha is the owner of Bear Restaurant in Long Island City and in March started 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. Photo by Marielle Solan Photography Classic POGREBINSKY Recipe Ingredients: 3 oz organic sugar-free birch sap 2 oz Russian wheat vodka (chilled in freezer for over 2 hours) 1 fresh Meyer lemon 1 oz St. Germaine liquor White granulated sugar cube Tools: Boston Shaker Strainer Ice Martini glass (chilled) Knife and cutting board Microplane Lemon squeezer Directions: 1. Zest the whole lemon onto a cutting board or plate. 2. Mix the zest with a ground sugar cube, making it white and yellow. 3. Cut the lemon in half (save one half for your squeezer). 4. Gently slide the open half of the lemon against the rim of the chilled glass. 5. Smoothly rim the glass with the zest and the sugar – set glass aside. 6. Pour the sap (3 oz) and the vodka (2 oz) into shaker, followed by half of a squeezed Meyer lemon, and 1 oz of St. Germaine liquor. 7. Fill the shaker with ice, and shake thoroughly for 20 or more seconds to get the desired foam. 8. Slowly strain into a chilled glass, leaving gentle foam on top, and serve!
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