In our latest issue, we share the story behind Marie Viljoen‘s new book, 66 Square Feet: A Delicious Life. More than just a recipe book, 66 Square Feet brings the reader into the life of forager, gardener, chef and blogger Viljoen who has gained recognition for producing elegant meals in a small urban setting.
Viljoen was kind enough to share her recipe for sumac in vodka for you infused spirits lovers. Check it out below and don’t miss the full story with in our travel issue.
Sumac in Vodka
A beautiful, peppery-sour mix for cocktails.
For a virgin version, cover the sumac with plain water and strain it through muslin the next day. Sweeten to taste and drink as you would lemonade. This can also be reduced (without sugar) to use in cooking as you might tamarind syrup or lemon juice. Store in the fridge.
Serves Two
Ingredients:
2 heads of fresh staghorn sumac
1/3 cup (65 g) sugar
1 bottle good vodka (I use Stolichnaya)
Preparation:
1. Break the sumac into florets and cut off as much of the green stems as you can reach. Do not rinse the sumac or you will lose the sour coating this is its charm.
2. Place the sticky sumac in a large jar, add the sugar, and pour the vodka in to cover. Seal. Swirl and tilt the jar to dissolve the sugar. The intensely sour sumac will flavor the vodka within days, but I strain mine off after 2 weeks, pouring the alcohol through 2 layers of muslin to strain out any fine hairs from the sumac.
3. Store in a decanter where you can enjoy the gorgeous glowing amber color of the alcohol.
