This is a column focused on good things: things that taste great, things that come from brilliant places and people, and things that try to do good. The latter is one of the fundamental pillars of the Lyan company – exploring sustainability has been central to our work since 2011. Looking at ways to highlight the flavour, versatility and goodness left in ingredients once you have used the “primary” part (we were taught not to label things as “byproducts” by Douglas McMaster, zero-waste pioneer, founder of east London’s Silo and our long-term collaborator) was key to our early work in the area – we were even credited with coining the term “closed loop cocktails”.
But while the below cocktail uses herb stems, it’s not so much because of sustainability. Instead, it’s great practice and a wonderful creative spur to look more closely at ingredients to work out how to use them better. It’s about finding new facets to ingredients that suit your palette, and figuring out how to use them in a less rigid manner. And along the way, you might reduce the amount going into your food waste bin, and you’ll eke out more from the food you buy.
This technique works great with a load of different ingredients – I would avoid anything too woodsy like thicker rosemary stems, or anything sulphureous (think brassicas like leek trim, or onion family herbs like chives). You could even use citrus leaves and offcuts or bruised berries. But the beauty of this cocktail is that you can adapt it to use whatever you have to hand. Once you get used to the flavours it pulls out, you can tweak ratios to suit the ingredients you buy in the future.
This is all about realising that herb stems pack a lot of flavour, but also that they require a different approach to how you’d usually use the leaves and flowers. Just like when you’re making stock, keep leftover stems in a ziplock bag in the freezer until you need to use them.
Silver Stem Fizz
Makes one cocktail
###Ingredients 50ml blanco tequila (100% agave)
25ml freshly squeezed lemon juice
20ml sugar syrup (or agave syrup cut with some water)
1 egg white
5 mint stems
2 parsley stems
2 tarragon or basil stems
2 dashes orange bitters (optional)
1 pinch salt
4 ice cubes
30ml soda water, chilled
Edible flower, to garnish
Method
Add all ingredients (apart from the soda water and flower) to a blender or a Nutribullet, and blend well until all the ice is gone. Pour through a sieve or tea strainer into a chilled lowball or fizz glass, then crown with chilled soda water. Garnish with an edible flower.
The Pantry with Ryan Chetiyawardana is a monthly column in which the award-winning bartender and bar owner shares how to use unexpected ingredients in easy-to-make home cocktails.
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