Farm Fresh Cocktails at Death’s Door

"Who here likes carrots?"

The question floated out from Underground Food Collective's Hastings Cameron, the evening's bartender at the Farm Fresh Mixology Series at Death's Door Spirits in Middleton. "I rip things off you could get at the co-op juice bar," Hastings said as he lingered behind his bar, waiting for the final guests to arrive.

The event, also known SIP (Seasonally Inspired Potations), is a partnership between FairShare CSA Coalition and Death's Door, the largest craft distillery in the state. A popular series offered on the second Thursday of each warm month (the last one for the 2013 season was in October). The event I attended in mid-September paired Cameron, who bartends at Forequarter in Madison, with produce from Small Family Farm in La Farge.

Budding home bartenders (up to 20 per class) flocked to these events at Death's Door because they were opportunities to think seasonally when it came to cocktails and a chance to rethink their CSA box (or farmer's market haul). Those veggies aren't just for dinner anymore - they can be muddled, mashed and stirred into delicious happy hour libations.

While my professional bartending experience was limited to pouring beer and twisting the cap off a bottle of ginger ale to top off whiskey and ice, these events were more involved. We were mixing jalapeño oleo saccharum with carrot juice and muddling bell peppers with the wrong end of our wooden muddlers (or maybe that was just me).

But fear not, there was be a cadre of workers and volunteers ready to jump in when we ran out of portioned cups of gin, needed assistance un-vacuum sealing our pint glasses from the metal shaker, or turning your muddler right-side-up (thanks, Hastings). Amid the fun controlled-chaos, Cameron threw out plenty of helpful cocktail-making tips, including a rubric on stirring versus shaking (straight booze--stir, if it involves citrus--shake) and the fact that adding salt to any drink will "mitigate alcohol burn."

The first drink that we made was a "Sconnie Michelada," michelada being a title for the hot-right-now beer cocktail. A combination of Death's Door gin, carrot juice, sugar-preserved jalapeños, beer, lime juice and a pinch of salt, this was a drink that I would have downed all summer had I known it existed. A spicy and refreshing bright concoction when served, it is perfection in a wine glass.

The second drink was "more likely to alienate everyone," said Cameron. Named Tom's Kebab, it combined smoked black tea in gin, tomato pulp, pulverized bell peppers and salt. I liked it, but I couldn't stop sipping on my carrot michelada.

As guests snapped photos and mingled over brown paper bags of popcorn and un-finished cocktails, I slipped out the door to greet the September crickets, a sign that our harvesting times were still upon us - good news for our drinks.

The 2013 season is now closed, but keep an eye on the Death's Door events page for the 2014 schedule.