Living in a country with 4 seasons : winter, winter, winter and fall (kidding we have no fall in Quebec haha!) we wait eagerly for our favorite ephemeral fruits and veggies from season to season.

One of our favorites are the blue grapes, also called Ontario grapes. These little wonders, covered by a slightly bitter skin and packed with fruity sourness, make their way from the farm to your bar at the end of the summer and last only for a few weeks.

As a bartender, when sour and bitter describe the same ingredient, I go crazy!!! I have to make a drink out of it and raise my glass to the grapes' god. In this recipe paying tribute to this short-lived pleasure, I'm using Pisco and sherry to elevate the fruit to the fullest. I'm using Manzanilla sherry because to me it's the one who shares the most of the fresh grapes flavour profile. Adding a little bit of mezcal and rosemary to the concoction add some depth and character and for the best finish, to link all these flavours together to make just one complexe charm for you palate, I add Plum and Rootbeer bitters!

If you are like me and only get the best of your food and beverage experiments, use fresh and seasonal ingredients. They will reward you a hundredfold, I swear!

WHEN THE BLUE BLOOM

1 oz Pisco Kappa

1/2 oz Mezcal Union

1/2 oz Lustau Mazanilla sherry

1/2 oz Fresh lemon juice

1/4 oz Simple syrup

8 Blue grapes

2,5 ml Bittered Sling Plum and Rootbeer bitters

- In a shaker pint, muddle the grapes with pisco

- Add all other ingredient and fill shaker with ice

- Shake vigorously

- Fine strain in a chilled cocktail coupe

- Garnish with a fresh rosemary sprig