Lately, I do not feel like a mixologist. My degree claims that I am a musician, but looking back in time I often feel unfamiliar with the person that I was in my memories. I’m not dissatisfied with who I am today, but there is no denying that with each passing month I make fewer craft cocktails and sing a little less. My cocktail books have been read, some of them twice, but none very recently. My guitar hasn’t been tuned in over a year.
In some ways, I feel guilt for what I’ve let go, like a sense of mourning for what once was. But time has ushered in new life and skills for me. It has done wonders for my patience; I likely have fatherhood to thank for that too. I’ve been reading more books than I ever have before. My skills as a barista have grown tenfold. I’m learning how to cultivate and educate a small child into a human being with kindness and love. I’m even advancing my career, not in the direction of restaurants or music like I once had thought, but in technology serving millions to improve their experience in a growing virtual world.
Change is a welcome patron in our life. Angie and I are adventurous. We like to explore the unknown and conquer what our hearts desire. We hold what matters close to our hearts and keep moving forward with no destination in sight. And, despite change, we still enjoy a nice cocktail and a song from time to time. Feeling inspired by time and by change, our hearts were set on the next cocktail in our series. Enter: Blueberry Porthole.
Nearly a year ago we were gifted a porthole infuser and knew this would make it into our drink adventure, although we didn’t expect it to take so long. The porthole series is one of infusion as a medium for serving multiple different drinks. The concept is to steep ingredients in a cocktail, but drink the cocktail at intervals during the steeping process to allow the passage of time to change and influence the flavor over the course of the experience as a whole.
Gathering the ingredients was, for probably the first time ever, a simple endeavor. Michter’s US*1 Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey was surprisingly available locally for us, and the rest was cocktail standards found anywhere. Carpano Antica Formula Sweet Vermouth was already in my fridge, Angostura Orange Bitters, simple syrup, and Fusion Verjus Blanc (you can order online, it is non-alcoholic).
The craft adventure is also quite easy. Mix all ingredients and some water in a glass bottle and reserve in the fridge to chill (standard batched cocktail). Arrange mint, lemon peel, freeze-dried pomegranate arils, blueberries, Rare Tea Cellar Berry Meritage tea, strawberries, grapefruit peel, and a tonka bean into the porthole infuser. Pour in the batched cocktail, pour a drink every ten to fifteen minutes, and enjoy.
Using the porthole infuser is a bit of a challenge. The way that it is sealed is by tightening a central bolt with an allen wrench. The problem is that if any of the ingredients you’ve laid into the porthole get caught between the seals, you have a leaky mess. This happened to us twice as we grew accustomed to the unit. Third try was the charm.
We allowed the drink to steep for about an hour, sampling every 15 minutes and pouring off a portion for the final picture. Each one tasted unique. Different flavors would rise to focus among the complexity of the palette at different points in the infusion.
The first iteration had that slightly rough, robust rye flavor with some of the tang from the Fusion Verjus Blanc. It had hints of strawberry, strong lemon, and a general berry finish. The second drink, fifteen minutes later was much more strawberry and slightly bitter, with a gentle and bright mint aroma. The third was my favorite. This was when the tonka bean started to peak and there was a rich, balanced earthy tone to the drink. The fourth and final portion was rich but almost over-saturated. The berry flavors were immense enough that they didn’t dazzle, and had less of an impact on my memory.
Finishing this blog post I’ve realized something. This blog is like a porthole infusion revealing Angie and me over the passage of time. Each post I read back through captures us in a different state of mind, at a different phase, and under a different light. Each version of us builds onto the next, influenced by new and different things.
Angie and I love this craft. We didn’t foresee slowing down as much as we have as other priorities grew into our lives, but I’ve also come to recognize that it is changing. It is growing and fluctuating. Our perspectives and motivations are shifting and the project will too. Looking forward to the New Year I’ve realized that I can’t just uninfuse my life and experiences and leave myself stuck in the past, unchanged. I am forever different, but I am excited and eager in knowing that my infusion has only just begun. I wonder what our next sample will hold and how it will differ from the last. Happy New Year!
