spruce rhubarb cooler

The new growth on the spruce trees is worlds apart from the mature needles that I worked with last winter. These are so tender and brightly flavored that they might as well have come from a different plant. As with the peach leaves, this serves as a reminder to taste and enjoy plants at different stages of growth.

Now that the peach leaf beer is nearly gone, I thought I would give spruce beer a try.

Spruce beer is nothing new–it's an old-timey beverage enjoyed by past generations in the northern US and Canada. The recipes that I found called for adding spruce to malted barley and hops or for sweetening with molasses, which I was sure would distract from the fresh flavor that I was trying to preserve, so I stuck with the sugar, citrus, yeast and infused water method. Again, the results were more like a dry soda than a malty beer and strangely reminiscent of gin and tonic. Actually, not so strange–juniper and spruce share piney terpenes. 

Revisiting spruce in the spring calls for an entirely new palette–one that's as fresh and crisp as the feathery young tips. Rhubarb rose to the occasion.

The first spring after we moved onto our property, I was delighted to find a patch of rhubarb growing in the deep shade under a Catalpa tree. I held out for a big harvest, imagining a procession of pies, crisps, and cobblers, but the stalks never reached more than a foot in height or grew any thicker than a pencil. I knew that they were stunted by lack of light and thought about transplanting them, but I've come to love the unique tender snap of these slender whips that are not too puckery–even when raw. 

I've always thought that the secret to a good cocktail is balance. That's not to say that I haven't had my share of cloy drinks– I have. They served their purpose but when I want something more than an alcohol buzz, I turn to luminous flavors.

Rhubarb, with its citrus-like tartness, cooked with a judicious amount of sugar, makes a balanced syrup that when combined with gin and spruce beer produces an agreeable and refreshing cocktail. The colors may look like they belong to a winter holiday, but it tastes like the threshold of summer.

Notes:

When harvesting spruce tips, keep in mind that essentially you are pruning the plant and encouraging branching. Prune evenly, around all sides of the plant, to maintain symmetry.

Rhubarb leaves contain toxins and should not be consumed.