It was probably in a pie, although my mother didn’t bake. Maybe it was prepared by a relative or a friend\u2014badly, apparently.<\/p>\n
Whatever the circumstance, it left a scar. All my life, for the better part of half a century, I have known for a fact that I hate rhubarb. Despise it. To the point where, any time it was offered to me, I always took a polite pass. And disparaged it as some kind of grotesque mutant celery. (Rhubarb is not related to celery.<\/a>)<\/p>\n It was Chef Sin who pointed out recently that my bias against rhubarb was not only irrational but ill-informed. After all, I love tartness. I love citrus. And the malic acid<\/a> that makes rhubarb so sour is also present in lemons and limes as well as apples and berries. By all rights, I ought to love rhubarb, too.<\/p>\n “When was the last time you tasted rhubarb?”<\/p>\n “Um, not that long ago. Probably during the Nixon administration.”<\/p>\n “Ah.”<\/p>\n Chef Sin resolved to prove my anti-rhubarb feelings unfounded. She started with a classic gateway drug, strawberry-rhubarb pie, which disguised the forbidden fruit (rhubarb is a vegetable<\/a>) with a familiar one. Of course, I loved it: a little sweet, a little sour, neither cloying nor pucker-inducing. Superb.<\/p>\n She moved then to the hard stuff: a full-on, undiluted rhubarb pie. Again, it was just the sort of thing I crave in a dessert, a touch of sugar balanced with a ton of acid. <\/p>\n Chef Sin’s final challenge to me? Find a rhubarb cocktail that I loved just as much as the pie. As it turned out, that was the easiest part of my entire rhubarb rebirth.<\/p>\n My source is Jay and Leah Hall<\/a>, another husband-wife food-blogging team from Nebraska who write as Gastronom<\/a>. Their Rubasil Cocktail<\/a> is tart and refreshing, and the addition of basil gives the drink a deliciously fragrant counterpoint.<\/p>\n The cocktail calls for rhubarb syrup<\/a>, which is just simple syrup with some chopped rhubarb added to simmer for 20 minutes. Bonus: The strained solids can be mashed with a fork and used as jam for toast.<\/p>\n That’s it: I’ve gone from die-hard rhubarb resister to full-on rhubarb rooter.<\/p>\n Now if I can just conquer my aversion to tequila.*<\/p>\n Adapted from Gastronom<\/a><\/p>\n 2 ounces vodka Add the vodka and basil leaves to a glass. Gently muddle the leaves.<\/p>\n Fill the glass with ice and top with the rhubarb syrup and bubbles. Garnish with a basil leaf if desired.<\/p>\n Note:<\/em> Rhubarb syrup is even more dense than simple syrup and will tend to sink to the bottom of the glass, leaving a layer of vodka on the top and a sickly sweet mess at the bottom. Always serve the Rhubasil Cocktail with a swizzle stick or straw, and encourage the imbiber to stir before every sip.<\/p>\n * Coming soon to the Sunday Special<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/cuisinestupide.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/rubasil-1-300x237.jpg\")
<\/a><\/h3>\nRhubasil Cocktail<\/h3>\n
\n1 ounce rhubarb syrup
\n2 to 3 basil leaves, plus more for garnish
\nsparkling water or club soda<\/p>\n