Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/306378
6 / the tasting panel / may 2014 UP Unless you live in Florida or California, you'll have likely suffered a long and difficult winter. For chefs and mixologists, the produce that comes when the mercury drops in October shrivels up like the last leaves on a maple tree. We have to get creative with our pears and our apples, our pumpkins and our squashes. You'll probably find a Hot Toddy thrown in the mix some- where. For many of us, spring cannot come soon enough and the excitement that builds with the season's bounty is palpable for anyone that uses fresh fruit, herbs and vegetables on a daily basis. Farmers' markets become as lively as their produce is colorful. Bright herbs exude an intoxi- cating aroma. Cherries are a deep crimson or a brilliant yellow. You might even see sugar snap peas turn up in a cocktail. And ramps. Yes, ramps. So it goes with the current state of mixology— perhaps inspired by a modern health-conscious sensibility—that more bartenders are using fresh fruit and vegetables in their cocktails. Drinking never felt so good. In California, where the list of seasonal ingredients is an embarrassment of riches and runs deeper than any other part of the country, drinks get even more obscure and culinary. Brian Means, who runs the bar program at Dirty Habit in San Francisco, gets rather giddy at the prospect of what's available right now. On his shopping list are spring peas, gwen avocados, stinging nettles, parsnips, spring Up Front with Spring! by Naren Young / photos by Doug Young Mixologist Naren Young. Pickled rhubarb. TP0514_001-33.indd 6 4/24/14 10:43 PM