Episode 130

Thoughts on Dry January

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Thoughts on Dry January

Episode 130

What’s shakin, cocktail fans?

Happy 2020 and welcome to Episode 130 of The Modern Bar Cart Podcast!

As the title of this episode suggests, Eric has decided to take a dry January – a few weeks away from alcohol – just to give his body a little reset for a month or so. He’s joined in this recording by Modern Bar Cart co-founder Ethan Hall, and together they look at some of the strategies and implications for taking a dry January, as well as a few little projects you can do to make it more interesting for your palate.

Some of the topics they discuss include:

What we’re excited about for 2020, and what Ethan is excited about being based out of DC for the first time in several years
DC bar trends, as well as noteworthy closings and areas of the city we’re excited to explore again
Nerdy cocktail and cooking toys we’ve picked up over the past month and how we’re planning to use them in the new year
Ethan’s Cayenne-Hibiscus Kombucha recipe, which happens to be an excellent, low-sugar alcohol substitute that you can replicate at home
My dry January rules and regimens, as well as my thoughts on the term, “Sober-curious”
Ethan’s answers to our new set of lightning round questions
And much, much more

Featured Mocktail: The Grapefruit Brûlée

This episode’s featured no-abv cocktail is the Grapefruit Brulee. This is an original mocktail designed in collaboration with our friends over at Element [Shrub], and we’re going to be rolling out one of these original drinks each week with our January podcast episodes.

To make this refreshing libation, you’ll need:

¾ oz Element Grapefruit Vanilla Shrub
½ oz of burnt caramel syrup (I’ll explain this in a minute)
½ oz fresh lime juice
1 tsp orange marmalade (or something similar)
Several Dashes of Embitterment Chocolate Bitters

Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice, shake until well chilled, and then double strain into a rocks glass over a large cube and garnish with a grapefruit twist.

This cocktail is a complex fusion of tangy flavors and luscious, silky dessert tones. The grapefruit, vinegar, and lime juice create a spine that accents the caramel, vanilla, and chocolate. And when you take alcohol out of the equation, it’s especially important to consider how each flavor is going to play off the others.

To make that burnt caramel syrup, which adds both richness and bitterness to the drink, all you need to do is add a quarter to a half a cup of granulated sugar to your oddball metal saucepan. Everybody has one. It’s that little pot that’s been with you through 3 moves and doesn’t have any brothers or sisters. You DON’T want to use your favorite saucepan for this.

Add your sugar, heating it on medium-high and stirring until it’s a melted, sticky, dark brown. Then stir in about as much water as the amount of sugar that you put in, adding it gradually and continuing to stir until you have a syrup.

Finally, as a little favor to you, both the Element Grapefruit Vanilla Shrub and our Embitterment Chocolate Bitters will be 10% off for the remainder of the month of January.

Show Notes

In this episode, we discuss a number of motivations and potential heal implications for taking a Dry January. Please note that we are not doctors, everyone’s body and health needs are different, and you should always consult a licensed physician before making any major changes to your lifestyle or diet.

Ethan’s Cayenne Hibiscus Kombucha Recipe

This recipe makes about a gallon of Kombucha. To create the Kombucha base, combine in a half gallon glass jar:

56 oz (7 cups) of room temperature black tea
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon of organic cane sugar
1/4 cup of starter Kombucha from last batch or unflavored store bought Kombucha (unflavored is important)
Your very own SCOBY (Stable Colony of Bacteria and Yeast)

Cover the jar with a breathable layer (like a coffee filter or tea towel) and secure with a rubber band. Allow about a half inch of “burping room” for the SCOBY. Place the jar in a warm, dark place for 4-6 days to ferment.

Separately, make a hibiscus, cayenne tea concentrate:

Add 1/4 cup of dried hibiscus leaves to about 7 cups of boiling water in a separate half gallon mason jar plus 1 tsp of cayenne or 1 tablespoon of red pepper flakes. You can add more later if needed. Steep for 10 minutes and strain.

Once this reaches room temperature, combine in equal parts with the Kombucha base and funnel into swing top bottles, leaving an inch of headroom in the bottle. Keep bottles in a warm dark area for 2-3 days until you see something growing at the surface of the liquid. Move to the refrigerator and consume within 2 weeks

Some of the topics they discuss include:

What we’re excited about for 2020, and what Ethan is excited about being based out of DC for the first time in several years
DC bar trends, as well as noteworthy closings and areas of the city we’re excited to explore again
Nerdy cocktail and cooking toys we’ve picked up over the past month and how we’re planning to use them in the new year
Ethan’s Cayenne-Hibiscus Kombucha recipe, which happens to be an excellent, low-sugar alcohol substitute that you can replicate at home
My dry January rules and regimens, as well as my thoughts on the term, “Sober-curious”
Ethan’s answers to our new set of lightning round questions
And much, much more

Finally, as a little favor to you, both the Element Grapefruit Vanilla Shrub and our Embitterment Chocolate Bitters will be 10% off for the remainder of the month of January.

Thoughts on Dry January

Featured Mocktail: The Grapefruit Brûlée

Show Notes

Ethan’s Cayenne Hibiscus Kombucha Recipe

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