In this pisco-based batched cocktail, Max Venning combines a Chilean pisco with a cordial made from rhubarb and citric acid. “Some things are worth waiting for, and the fermented rhubarb cordial in this recipe is definitely one of them,” says Venning. “Once you’ve stabilized the fermented rhubarb with sugar and citric acid, it’ll last for a few months in the fridge. Meaning you can enjoy that flavor for much longer than just the season,” he explains.
Rhubarb & Grape
Adapted from Batched & Bottled: Cocktails to Make Ahead by Max and Noel Venning
Ingredients
Yield: 6 cocktails
- 14 ounces pisco, preferably El Gobernador
- 6 ounces fermented rhubarb cordial (see Editor's Note)
- soda water, to top
Garnish: long peel of rhubarb stalk
Directions
- Combine all ingredients, except the soda water, in a 30-ounce sterilized bottle.
- Store in the refrigerator, where it will keep up to 2 months.
- For an individual drink, pour 3 ounces of bottled pisco-rhubarb cordial into a glass.
- Top up with soda water.
- Garnish with a long peel of rhubarb stalk.
Editor's Note
Fermented Rhubarb Cordial
12 ounces rhubarb stalks
3/4 teaspoon wine yeast
7 1/2 cups water
caster sugar
citric acid powder
Chop the rhubarb pieces in half. Place rhubarb and yeast in a 2-liter Mason jar, then pour in the water and stir. Cover with a cheesecloth and secure with an elastic band then close the lid. Store in a dark place. Leave for 5 to 7 days to ferment, tasting daily after 2 days. (It’s ready when it tastes like complex, acidic rhubarb juice, Venning says.) Strain through a coffee filter into a jug set on a scale (either zero out the scale or note the weight of the jug and subtract it after liquid is in the jar). Add 150 percent of the strained weight in sugar, and 2 1/2 percent of the strained weight in citric acid. Stir until all of the sugar has dissolved; this may take some time.