Just in time for Happy Hour: 3 new nature-inspired cocktails inspired by Emerald Peat, and Humboldt Distillery's Humboldt's Finest.
A few weekends ago I had the opportunity to experience the Barrel Room in San Francisco all to myself. Usually closed on Sundays, the Barrel Room was open for a fun and unique tasting experience, where I was invited to try 3 newly crafted Emerald Peat inspired Cocktails. The Barrel Room has a long, interesting history that dates all the way back to the Prohibition days. We're talking underground tunnels, hidden hallways, and a haunted speakeasy downstairs. I don't know if it was the hyper-excitement that I had knowing that there may have been an extra "entity" during my tour, but I'm pretty sure the ghost, and Robert and I all had a moment. We decided to keep the tour above ground after that.
Emerald Peat is a fine grind redwood bark product, and is naturally sustainable. It is a lumber byproduct used in custom soil blends, and is used for moisture retention within the soil. Redwoods are a big deal here. This area is known by many nicknames (one of them being the Redwood Empire), due to the the large redwood forests. The Emerald Peat product comes from sustainably-managed, and privately owned timberlands, in Mendocino County.
So why Emerald Peat-inspired cocktails? Why not! When presented with the opportunity to test out 3 redwood-cannabis inspired cocktails, I welcomed the uniqueness of the experience. For the drinks, all recipes were made with Humboldt Distillery's Humboldt's Finest Cannabis Vodka.
Yeah that's right, cannabis.
Free of the tch compound, the vodka does not contain any psychotropic effects. Locally grown cannabis sativa is infused into the vodka, giving it a unique flavor and herbal aroma that makes Humboldt's Finest a popular and unique spirit. It is legal in all 50 states. Made in Humboldt County, the distillery uses waters sourced from a redwood forest watershed. And while you certainly won't get high from these cocktails, the 40% alcohol content will be sure to give you one hell of a buzz!
Sonoma County, Mendocino County, and Humboldt County are known around the world for their world-class cannabis producing market. The area within the Mendocino, Humboldt, and Trinity Counties is referred to as the Emerald Triangle, due to it being the largest marijuana producing region in the nation. Much like the local wine industry here, the cannabis market thrives on it's ability to stand out among local competitors via custom soil blends, bio-dynamic farming practices, and organic farm culture. Cannabis has been a hushed industry for many years, but with Prop 64 going into effect January 1, 2018, the stigma is beginning to fade. Whatever your stance on the product, one cannot deny that there is a huge market for it.
To really bring the redwoods and cannabis together, one of the recipes has unique twist on the Humboldt's Finest vodka; it was flash infused with local redwood needles, making the flavors all unique to Northern California. Read on below to learn about the inspiration process from Barrel Room bartender, Sam Elder, and to find the recipes so you may make a few inspired cocktails yourself!
Photography: Sosatography
Redwood needle flash-infused Humboldt's Finest vodka
The "Emerald Peat" Cocktail
Sam Elder making the "Italian Lost in the Redwoods" Cocktail
The "Lady Emerald" Cocktail
Can you describe your process of creating a new recipe? How do you find inspiration?
Cocktails are influenced by seasonality, food, inspiration from colleagues and classic cocktail books. The Flowing Bowl by William Schmidt is always my go to.
How did you create the recipe for the Emerald Peat? What was your creative process and why did you choose the specific ingredients that you did?
I wanted the essence of Humboldt County to be experienced in the cocktail. The redwood needle flash infusion was something I hadn’t tried before and it was successful. I tried to sous-vide the pine needles and flavor was too strong. The Humboldt’s Finest vodka has a really interesting dried herbaceous flavor that was fun to work with.
Out of the drinks you’ve created, which one or two are your favorite? Why do you think they are your favorite?
The Emerald Peat is definitely my favorite because of the complex earthy flavors that I’m drawn to but I could drink a pitcher of the Lady Emerald French 75 inspired cocktail. It’s a great Sunday brunch drink.
What makes the Emerald Peat unique from other drinks that you’ve made?
I’ve never worked with vodka that was made with cannabis sativa before. I’m not typically drawn to vodka based cocktails but this was inspiring and fun to work with.
What made you choose the Humboldt Distillery’s Humboldt’s Finest vodka for your drinks? What makes this vodka unique to you?
The subtle and unique flavors that the distillers pulled from the cannabis seeds are indeed unique. I plan to work with more of their spirits.
Recipes*
Emerald Peat: made with Humboldt’s Finest vodka infused with cannabis sativa. The vodka was flashed infused with redwood needles, then was mixed with lemon bitters, St. George Bruto Americano, Cynar and sake.Italian Lost in the Redwoods (Collins style cocktail): made with Humboldt’s finest vodka, Strega Italian liquor, lemon juice, simple syrup and topped with soda.
Lady Emerald (French 75 inspired cocktail): made with Humboldt’s finest vodka, Giffard apricot liqueur; St George spiced pear liquor, lemon juice, a touch of simple syrup, topped with sparkling wine and orange zest.
*exact measurements coming soon!
Enjoy!
