Cocktail, Mocktail, Shocktail

For those seeking to reduce or eliminate their intake of alcohol, the mocktail is a recent trend in the beverage world.  But if you want to go one step further, take it slightly more to the extreme, how about a Shocktail?  I give you a drink from the 19th century, sometimes referred to as Haymaker’s Punch, 19th Century Gatorade, but I like to use its other name, Switchel.  

Switchel is the Travelling Wilburys of the beverage world.  A collection of all star ingredients that collectively are even greater than the proverbial sum of their parts.  Ginger, apple cider vinegar, lemon juice, maple syrup (or honey if you like), and water.  Simple but more than effective.  Drink this stuff and you’ll be leaping tall buildings and stopping bullets with your teeth . . . or not.  At least it’s supposed to be good for your gut.  (Bad for your teeth if you drink too much of it, however.)  But if you’re just looking for a kick, well, take a sip from a glass of switchel, and you’ll be plunged into a moment of Zen when your taste buds become your world.

There are variations on the basic recipe.  Some people add rum, which, I think, should be given the slightly altered and slurred name of, “Schwitchelll.”  I have added crushed blueberries (not a huge fan), and lime is a nice alternative to the lemon.  Do whatever you like.  It’s not like this recipe was found on some stone tablet on a mountain top.  If you want to know the history, check out Max Miller’s “Tasting History” episode.  But if you want to give your taste buds a blast, try making some Switchel.

Switchel Concentrate— A Basic Recipe

What you need:

1/4 cup grated ginger (I freeze the ginger, making it much easier to grate.  Some use powdered ginger, but I like the fresh stuff.)
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup or less of maple syrup or honey
3 cups of hot water from the tap

What you do:

1.  Mix all ingredients together in a jar with a lid.  (I’ve got a canning jar that works just fine.)  

2.  Give it a shake, then leave it on the counter with the lid off for 12 hours or so.  (Wild yeasts will land and enhance the drink, or so the theory goes.)

3.  Refrigerate.  

4.  When ready to drink, have this concentrate half and half with carbonated water.  Pour the concentrate through a strainer if you don’t want the little chunks of ginger (although, it does give the drink some texture.)  

5.  Brace yourself, then enjoy.  If you don’t like it at first, give it time and let it grow on you.  Following consumption, seek out a tall building to leap.

Shortbrownie Squares: Best of Both or Worst of Both Worlds?

Are you a brownie person or a shortbread person?  Yes, there are people that love one and not the other.  I’ve met them.  They exist.

 But can you be both?  Of course you can, although you probably have a preference.  For me, it’s definitely the brownie that I’d choose, but I wouldn’t run off in the opposite direction if a plate of shortbread was coming my way.

So, what would happen if you put the two together, one on top of the other?  Would the brownie lover and shortbread lover both be satisfied?  Or would you get the exact opposite result where no-one was happy?  Or, a third option, both together make a combination that rises above each individually (i.e. the sum is greater than the parts)?

My suggestion is that you make the following recipe, take it to the streets and use it as a sociological experiment.  Reveal a whole new aspect of human nature you never knew existed.  Are opposites really attracted to one another, does the presence of one ruin the experience of the other, or is it a case of the sum being greater than the parts?  (Or is it just a matter of people liking to eat free food?)

Shortbrownie Squares

Adapted partially with reckless alterations from a recipe by Melissa Clark.

I make this in an 8 x 8 pan, but you can double it if you need to feed large numbers or feed a large appetite.  I’m also averse to very sweet desserts, so I cut back on the sugar.  You can add extra here if you like to the brownie part, but it’s probably best not to mess with the shortbread measurements.  The brownie part is a bit fudgier than another version of this recipe I’ve tried.  It makes then a bit trickier to spread on the shortbread, but totally worth it.

What you need:

170 grams or 3/4 cup of butter
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
75 grams (or .372 cups!) of granulated sugar
3/4 teaspoon of salt

10 tablespoons (145 g) butter (.6 cup)
3/4 cups granulated sugar
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons (65 g) unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 rounded teaspoon Kosher salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs, cold
1/2 cup (70 g) all-purpose flour
2/3 cup (75 g) chopped walnuts

What you do:

1.  First make your shortbread.  Combine:
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour, 
75 grams (or .372 cups!) of granulated sugar, and 
3/4 teaspoon of salt in a bowl.

2.  Add the 170 grams or 3/4 cup of butter and mix (You can use a standing mix with a paddle if you have one) and mix until you get a chunky dough.  I had trouble with the dough coming together, so I added extra butter.  Seemed to work okay.

3.  Preheat oven to 350 F.

4.  Take your 8×8 pan, grease it up and line with parchment.

5.  Press the dough into the pan and prick with a fork.

6.  Bake for about 30 minutes until it’s looking semi-golden brown.  I took mine out maybe a tad early as I didn’t want it to dry out too much.  When you take them out, turn your oven down to 325 F.

7.  Make the brownie part.  Place a large bowl over a pot of hot water kept warm on the stove and add: 
10 tablespoons (145 g) butter (.6 cup)
3/4 cups granulated sugar
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons (65 g) unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 rounded teaspoon Kosher salt
Stir until it’s all melted together into one gooey mass of deliciousness.  Do not eat any!

8.  Take the bowl off the heat, let cool for 5 minutes, then stir in:
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs one at a time
1/2 cup (70 g) all-purpose flour
2/3 cup (75 g) chopped walnuts
Give the batter a good 50 hard stirs which will give it a nice silky look.

9.  Pour the batter on the shortbread and smooth out evenly. The dough’s a bit thickish, but it’s worth the struggle to get it smoothed out so you can enjoy its wonderful fudginess.

10.  Bake in the oven, now at 325F.  Important!  You do not want the brownies to dry out!  Keep an eye on them!  Bake for 15 minutes then check.  As soon as the top looks like it’s just developing a skin of solidity (that’s the only way I can think of describing it) take it out.  Basically, these brownies can’t be underdone, but they definitely can be overdone.  Err on the side of under doneness!

11.  Let cool, then chomp away.