Please note, I make no claims as to being able to construct complete sentences, spell, apply punctuation or construct paragraphs. So I ask that you holster your red markers and refrain from drawing circles, check marks or x’s. Thanks
Liming is a term that can be found all around the Caribbean It means to really relax and take it easy. Liming is even better when you can do it with your own limes.
Anne and I have been in the greenhouse business for a number of years. We like to challenge ourselves by growing new and unique varieties of plants. One of the challenges I undertook was growing dwarf citrus trees here in Kentucky. I have a handful of trees I’ve been growing for five years now. We’ve run into a few other folks around that have these mini trees and have seen them loaded with fruit. One thing that perplexed us was a few of these people have otherwise “brown” thumbs. So the pursuit of Kentucky citrus had become my “white whale”.
Well, this year it happened, a few fruits appeared on my lime tree. Anne and waited for a few months trying to determine when the best time to harvest would be. I stumbled across a citrus growers forum(yes, there seems to be a forum for everything) that helped me determine when to pick. I learned that limes are always picked unripe. If you let them go all the way ripe(turns yellow) they get very bitter. .The first fruit we picked was very full and juicy with a pleasant sweetness. We probably should have waited a bit longer as some of the others we picked were still pretty tart. Overall though, they tasted great. I have never eaten a lime off the tree before and experienced that burst of tropical goodness exploding in my mouth.
Now the question was what to do with all these limes. The answer came to us fairly quickly, Stephen D. at Z’s Fusion. I imagine we looked to be a sight coming thru the door at Z’s wearing work shirts, my ball cap and a paper brown sack full of limes. We might have looked out of place but it was an off hour, so we had the bar and Stephen to ourselves.
First on the list was a Margarita. Knowing that Stephen makes some of the most creative drinks in the region I was a bit surprised to see him make this as the opener drink. It turned out being a great “taking off’ point. The tequila was an excellent one( a vintage tequila Ocho as I recall) very smooth with a hint of smoky wood. This was the perfect match to the limes that he charred with a butane torch. One unique aspect of this drink appeared when it was poured out of the shaker, little black jewels floating on the surface. I think Stephen used this drink to gauge the flavor of these limes and see how best to progress.
Up next was another classic lime cocktail the Mojito. After a brief drink history do’s and don’ts of Mojitos and a lecture on proper glass bar wear, we were served an outstanding version of this Cuban classic. This is not a drink I normally order as its often prepared too sweet for my liking. Stephen used the more tart limes in this one, creating a great balance in the drink.
I would have added a pic of this drink, but I think the limit here is three pics.
At this point my mental note taking became a bit less organized. While Stephen would sip and take notes Anne would also be taking petite tastes, leaving me with job of finishing these libations. This system worked out well for me. The third drink was a beautiful ruby red concoction which featured a dried star fruit which, when viewed from the proper angle it appeared to be floating in mid air. No this was not the alcohol, I remember Stephen saying something about being inspired by David Blaine, no Im not making that up. The drink had a frozen segment at the bottom with a wooden skewer that had been frozen in place. When partially thawed, this frozen disk would rise to the top of the glass carrying the star fruit laden skewer high into the air. While this drink was awesome, I couldn’t help but think about the potential for injury. Imagine sitting in the hospital waiting room with a skewer with a dried star fruit on it and a frozen chunk of cocktail sticking out of your forehead. Stephen you’ll have help me out with the details on this one. I think I remember, but I don’t want to get it wrong.
For our last drink Stephen suggested a Pimms Cup. Not being familiar, we asked him about it. Stephen said something to the extent “it’s the classic drink at Wimbledon”. I thought to myself, does this guy really think I know anything about Wimbledon? The tea colored Pimms has gin like quality with a bit of fruity spice going on as well. I recall Stephen adding a shot of gin as well to this. Combined with a bit of soda, a dash of bitters and a spray of Stephens tobacco infused cherry vapor this ended being up the perfect ending to an afternoon of liming. Now if only my lemons would get their act together……..
Sorry I missed you at BSB last week, David had nice things to say about you.
