The Brunch Line

Breakfast in a glass…basically

Forget extreme obstacle courses, Brunch is the truest test of your grit and endurance. When you take your place in the brunch line, you're hungry, tired, possibly hungover, and if you're in the Pacific Northwest, you're also cold and wet 9 out of 12 months. Ahead of you is a queue of fellow poor souls each facing a grueling, seemingly infinite, 90 minute wait. The kicker? You get to stare into a warm DRY dining room filled with smiling four-tops sipping their Bloody Marys and casually nibbling their benedicts. Wear comfortable shoes and remember not to lock your knees, you’re in for the marathon because avocado toast IS superior to regular toast.

We have a love/hate relationship with this weekend ritual. The dedication so many people have to late breakfast inspired us to create a cocktail that pays homage to their tenacity–The Brunch Line. This drink brings together some classic brunch ingredients into one glass. The foundation of this cocktail comes from our Hue-Hue Coffee Rum. A blend of cold brewed single origin coffee, premium silver rum, and a small amount of demerara sugar, it's a no BS avenue to a clean bold coffee flavor without excess sugar or artificial flavors/syrups. And don’t call it a liqueur, cold brewed Hue-Hue is about the coffee, not about dessert.

Coffee base secured, we then incorporate a small amount of Grade A maple syrup, a whole egg white, and Averna–a bittersweet amaro that adds herbal notes and highlights the chocolatey qualities of Hue-Hue. The drink is topped off with bubbly water resulting in a delicious creamy coffee cocktail that's virtually breakfast in a glass. Avoid the lines, dust off your toaster and make this brunch-in-a-glass at home.

Here's how to make The Brunch Line cocktail.

Ingredients:

2 oz Hue-Hue Coffee Rum
.75 oz Averna
.5 oz maple syrup
1 egg white
3-4 oz sparkling water
lemon twist

Combine Hue-Hue, Averna, maple syrup, and egg white in an empty shaker. Shake hard without ice for 25-30 seconds to really froth up the egg white (this is called a dry shake). Then toss in a few ice cubes and shake again for 10-15 seconds to chill the mix. Strain into a chilled Collins glass filled with ice, and top with sparkling water. If you're fancy you can even sub Prosecco in for the sparkling water. Garnish with a lemon twist, and enjoy!

The Bloody Mary

Hardy, Layered, Filling

On any Sunday here in the Pacific Northwest, hoards of bleary-eyed brunch goers reach for one of the most popular "hangover cures"; the Bloody Mary. This drink breaks pretty much every cocktail convention we know. To start, it's unapologetically savory, typically spicy, and is often accompanied wish a garnish that would make a salad bar blush. But it's all these unusual qualities that make the Bloody Mary justly distinguished, and a staple on brunch menus across the US.

For home bartenders, the Bloody Mary can be an intimidating cocktail at first. Recipes for the perfect Bloody mix are shrouded in mystery, with many bars keeping it a tightly guarded secret. Pre-made mixes are readily available at most grocery stores but they’re never as satisfying as the freshly made real deal. While these mixes truly simplify the process of making a Bloody Mary–just add vodka–they limit your ability to make a drink that fits your unique tastes and cravings.

The history of the Blood Mary dates back to prohibition times...go figure, like almost every other classic cocktail. While Americans were coping with forced sobriety, fun loving Parisians and their expat companions were blending cultures and copious amounts of spirits to push the cocktail world forward. The Bloody brought together Russian vodka, a new spirit on the scene after the Russian Revolution, and canned tomato juice "cocktail" from America. It didn't take long for this combo to gain popularity for its hair-of-the-dog qualities; staying on the cusp of inebriation while consuming your vegetables and vitamins. In the hands of American bartenders nearly a decade after its inception, the Bloody Mary was refined with the addition of fresh citrus, savory Worcestershire sauce, and a heavy dose of spices. Not much has changed since.

Bringing it back home, the basic Bloody Mary recipe is easy to whip up with minimal prep. We recommend making a large batch of the mix to keep in your fridge. The building blocks for a great mix are basic; good tomato juice, fresh lime and lemon juice, hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce, and a simple spice mix.

Here's how to make the perfect Bloody Mary.

Ingredients:

Portland Potato Vodka
32 oz Organic Tomato Juice
2 oz fresh lime juice
2 oz fresh lemon juice
2 oz Worcestershire sauce
2 tsp hot sauce (we like local Secret Aardvark, but Tabasco brings a nice vinegar quality)
Spices
- 1 Tbsp celery salt
- 1 Tbsp black pepper
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp cayenne
Celery stalk for garnish

To make the mix, add tomato juice, citrus juices, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, and spice mix to a large pitcher. For best results, make the mix the night before and let the flavors combine in the fridge overnight. When you're ready to make a Bloody Mary, pour 2 oz of Portland Potato Vodka into a chilled collins glass filled with ice. Top with your mix, and give it a couple stirs. Garnish with a celery stalk and enjoy!

Once you've mastered this basic Bloody Mary recipe, the real fun comes in developing your own unique mix that's perfect for your taste and occasion! Want something a little more complex and savory? Try adding in a large scoop of pickled horseradish and an ounce or two of your favorite pickle juice. Sweet and smoked paprika are also great additions to your spice mix, and can really help round out the acidity from the citrus.

Another fun variation to play around with is infusing your own vodka. A couple tablespoons of whole black peppercorns added to your bottle of Portland Potato Vodka will create a delicious peppery vodka after infusing for two to three days. Same goes for garlic cloves, habanero or jalapeno peppers, fresh dill, grated ginger, etc. Better yet, save yourself the infusion time and pick up a bottle of our Hot Potato Vodka. Don't be afraid to get creative, experiment, and develop your own secret Bloody Mary recipe!