Rhubarb Highball

I received an unexpected windfall of rhubarb recently.

It was the end of rhubarb season and a friend was touring me around her restored home, carriage house, and raised bed garden. And there stood a glut of variegated stalks of ruby and green. And so her bounty became a gift to my kitchen. How could I say no?

Thanks, dearest VB.

I'd intended to make some strawberry rhubarb preserves. Maybe I was just a bit tired of canning. Maybe I just needed an excuse to make a new cocktail...

So I did.

There was also one solitary bottle of ginger beer that I'd been hoarding for just the right cocktail. (Had it really been hiding in our fridge since May? Yes, I think so.) Well, LP, you should know that the remainder of your contribution to my man's birthday cookout finally went to good use!

How can rhubarb, lemon, ginger, elderflower, and whisky not be worthy of raising a glass? We thoroughly enjoyed this last taste of summer.

BTW, the rhubarb syrup below can be made in a much larger quantity and used, not only for this cocktail, but also for rhubarb strawberry lemonade, or rhubarb ginger ale... which is exactly what I did. All were exquisitely refreshing!

Rhubarb Highball

serves 4

6 oz whisky

3 oz rhubarb simple syrup

2 oz St Germain (elderflower) liquor

2 oz fresh-squeezed lemon juice

1 bottle ginger beer

4 rhubarb sticks for garnish

4 twists of lemon for garnish

To make rhubarb simple syrup: chop 1 rhubarb stalk coarsely. Mix 1/4 c sugar with 1/4 water in a smal saucepan and add rhubarb. Bring to a boil, stir to dissolve sugar, then let sit for at least 1 hour to allow flavors to infuse. Strain through fine mesh to remove solids, pressing on rhubarb to extract flavor & color.

Mix whisky, rhubarb syrup, St Germain, and lemon juice in a shaker over ice. Shake until frosted over.

Pour rhubarb whisky mixture evenly over ice in 4 highball glasses. Top each off with ginger beer. Garnish with rhubarb sticks and lemon twists.

Cheers!