Happy Hour [2/4/21]

I need a drink

Remember when cucumber cocktails were all the rage? Now it’s celery’s turn. And why not? Celery bitters and sodas have been around for years, originally sold as health tonics, though their popularity waned after the 1930s. But you know what they say, everything old is new again, and celery juice is having a moment. It’s been touted as an anti-inflammatory and a digestive aid in addition to other claims. I’m told the cocktails are bright and herbaceous, which sounds perfect for spring sipping.

Johnny Utah Cocktail

Fresh celery juice, tequila, seltzer, lime, and a dash of Absinthe are happy partners in this frothy, invigorating cocktail by San Diego bar maestro Erick Castro. 

Ingredients

  • 2 ounces blanco tequila
  • 1 ½ ounces fresh celery juice
  • ¾ ounce fresh lime juice
  • ¾ ounce simple syrup
  • Dash of Absinthe
  • Seltzer
  • Lime wheel for garnish

Combine the tequila, celery juice, lime juice, simple syrup, and dash of Absinthe in a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake to combine and pour into a Collins glass filled with ice. Top with the seltzer and garnish with the lime wheel.

Would you drink this, or any other celery cocktail?

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20 Comments

  1. Pretty!
    But celery is a garnish in a Bloody Mary.
    I have been meaning to pick up some Green Chartreuse though, I remember some cocktail with pineapple, green chartreuse, lime? Called Swampwater? Ah, misspent youth…

    • My daughter keeps asking for Green Chartreuse, but it’s so damn expensive! If a little goes a long way I supposed one bottle would last a while though.

    • I’m not a big fan of absinthe but a dash or two does wake up a cocktail. I love the whole process of making an absinthe though, the spoon, water, and sugar cube. I bought my daughter a tasting box from Europe for her 21st birthday. It was fun picking out the different types from different countries. The shipping was $40! But you only turn 21 once. 

    • After absinthe became somewhat legal in NYC a while ago I was at a very trendy bar. I  was part of a workplace reunion and as a marginally employed freelancer agreed to get there early to secure space for us. I got there very early and downed one of their “signature” cocktails. I ordered a second one, it was so delicious. Finally, my former workmates showed up, including my previous boss, the boss before that, and the boss before that, and two people who used to work for me. 
       
      “You should order one of these!”
       
      When the server came over one of the attendees asked, “What is in it?” 
       
      “It’s an absinthe-based cocktail with–”
       
      Oh God, I’m going to hallucinate in front of these people. But no, like everything in NYC it’s highly regulated and it’s not like something you’d be served in a louche boîte Paris circa 1900. I was fine but my companions stuck with more familiar libations. 

      • Most of the stuff sold in the US back then wasn’t very good absinthe. Or so I was told by a friend who split his time between the states and France. Supposedly you can get decent absinthe here now. But it never really caused hallucinations. Sadly, lol. 

        • This was circa 2013. My former company had a habit of hiring well-bred American women who were French majors. The ability to “speak” French was not part of the job but gave you extra points when your uncle mentioned you to his golfing buddy, who happened to be one of the corporate execs, and no, this was not Condé Nast. For them, the word absinthe sent off “triggers” even though they had never touched the stuff. 

  2. A drink named after a Keanu Reeves character is worth investigating, I suppose. 
     
    Can’t wait for the avocado’s turn as the now-fruit for cocktails.

  3. still alcohol free here
    i need to get a blender
    im going to invent a magic mushroom smoothie
    this will be trixier than it sounds…as those shrooms are amongst the nastiest flavoured things on earth….but sugar counter acts the effects
    (farscy has just enough brains to be a truly dangerous specimen to himself)

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