Refreshing Beverage of the Week
I love the cubes, I'm all about the cubes, and of course Bloody Mary type drinks are basically health food.
Ingredients
2 pounds celery, trimmed, leaves and inner stocks reserved for garnish
1 head fennel, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces, leaves and stalks reserved for garnish
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Coarse salt
3 cans (28 ounces each) whole peeled tomatoes with juice
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
8 ounces aquavit or vodka
Tabasco
white horseradish
Kosher salt
Freshly ground pepper
Lime wedges, for serving
Procedure
Make the celery ice: Pass celery and fennel through an electric juicer (you should have about 3 cups). Stir in lemon juice; season with salt. Pour into ice-cube trays, and freeze (up to 2 weeks).
Pass tomatoes and juice through the medium disk of a food mill or coarse sieve into a large bowl; discard solids. Stir in the Worcestershire sauce. Transfer to a pitcher, and refrigerate at least 1 hour (up to overnight). To assemble each cocktail, combine 3 celery ice cubes, 6 ounces tomato mixture, 1 ounce aquavit or vodka, 3 dashes hot sauce, 1/2 teaspoon horseradish, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and a pinch of pepper in a 12-ounce glass. Serve each drink with a lime wedge and celery or fennel leaves and stalks.....or do the math and make it by the pitcher.
