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Drink: Rhubarb cocktail at Vernick

Most cooks in spring think "pie" when they see rhubarb. At Vernick Food & Drink, the pink-stemmed beauty has instead inspired a frothy cocktail ode to spring. Beverage director JB Bernstein clearly takes his local produce cycles as seriously as

Rhubarb cocktail from Vernick.
Rhubarb cocktail from Vernick.Read moreALEJANDRO A. ALVAREZ / Staff Photographer

Most cooks in spring think "pie" when they see rhubarb.

At Vernick Food & Drink, the pink-stemmed beauty has instead inspired a frothy cocktail ode to spring. Beverage director JB Bernstein clearly takes his local produce cycles as seriously as the kitchen, with a regular "in season" section on Vernick's drink menu.

So he does his best to extract the essence of his star ingredient, macerating the stalks (not cooking them) for two days with sugar, lime and vanilla.

A vivid dose of that strained sweet-tart syrup is then blended with dry gin, herbal Contratto aperitif, more lime, and then an egg white, which turns the whole thing into a foamy pink cloud when vigorously shaken.

Double-strained into a frosted coupe, then elegantly traced across the top with little dots of Peychaud's bitters, the drink is at once creamy and bracing, its vegetal pucker rounded with just enough sweetness and vanilla comfort.

But, ultimately, once that refreshing smack fades from your lips, it is the distinctive savor of the rhubarb itself that magically lingers like a dreamy hum of spring.

- Craig LaBan

Rhubarb cocktail, $14, Vernick Food & Drink, 2031 Walnut St., 267-639-6644; vernickphilly.com