Our annual visit to Chicago this year was... interesting. Last year was the first year that we had a Charlie with us for our trip to Macy's, the Kris Kringle Market, and the Millennium Park tree. We thought that trip was challenging (and we did have to bring a lot of supplies for our 9 month old), but it turns out that traveling with a almost two year old is a *little* more difficult. Especially when the aforementioned two year old misses his nap and is teething. We were hoping to take our family Christmas picture at the tree, but the picture here is the best we could do.
Despite the challenges of the Chicago cold with a grumpy little person, we did have one highlight (during Charlie's nap). We visited Eataly, a restaurant that has been on Ann's list for a few years now. While Charlie slept in the stroller, we enjoyed gnocchi, oxtail ragout, and raclette. I also enjoyed an "Apline Spritz" cocktail with brandy, a "cranberry pine shurb," Luxardo Triplum, and lemon. It was good enough for me to recreate at home, with my own shrub recipe featuring charred rosemary (Ann gave me crap for "burning Christmas trees" again), black pepper, and cinnamon.
For the shrub, pour 1.5 cups of apple cider vinegar into a saucepan. Add 1 cup of sugar, and stir to combine. Bring to a boil, and add 12 oz of cranberries, 8 whole peppercorns, and 1 stick of cinnamon. Char the needles of three sprigs of rosemary, and add the needles only to the mixture. Boil for 5 minutes, until the cranberries begin to "pop." Take the mixture off of the heat, and allow to cool. Strain into a nonreactive jar, pressing the cranberries to extract the maximum amount of juice. Store for up to 4 weeks.
Ingredients: 1.5 oz brandy, 0.75 oz cranberry-rosemary shrub, 0.75 oz orange curacao, 0.75 oz lemon juice.
Preparation: Combine the ingredients in a Boston shaker. Shake over ice, strain into a chilled coupe glass. Garnish with a rosemary sprig.
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