April is festival month in Philly, so much so that you want to scream (if all that event-going has left you with functioning vocal chords) at riches so abundant, you can only attend 1/15th of the events you’d like to attend. We are currently in the midst of PIFA, Philly Tech Week, the Philadelphia Science Festival and the Free Library’s Book Festival just ended. Since all of these festivals surround particular areas of interest to me, I tend to get overwhelmed this time of year. Add to that my ridiculously busy work period and a large number of (lovely, wonderful, beloved) houseguests and you have brain mayhem. So what I’m saying is, I’m really sorry I didn’t post last week. I was just barely keeping my nostrils and eyeballs above the ever-rising water level. But I’m back!
Last Thursday night was the kickoff of the Philadelphia Science Festival. It was a pretty incredible night. It took place at the giant, maker, coworking space called NextFab, and it was loaded with awesome. I didn’t have a whole lot of time to wander since I was frantically pouring and gabbing, but my initial glance around revealed Little Baby’s slingin’ cream, a table where one could give herself dragon smoke breath (better than the kind I wake up with), 3D printers galore, virtual reality simulators, an insane honey tasting, machines that used high pressure water to cut steel (I think), lots and lots of food and drink and SO many more things. It was aptly named a carnival for adults.
My voice was gone the whole weekend, a result of me yelling about lactic acid bacteria over speakers playing the awesome jams of Chipocrite. I poured two cocktails, my Bloody Carrie and a new addition, the Bloody Kim (recipe follows). Turns out booze is a draw for Philadelphians. Who knew? I had long lines at my table all night, and if it hadn’t been for the help of my husband and a dear, old friend who was visiting, I would have seen the oft-discussed forest of weeds shoot up around me almost immediately. So thanks to those folks, because it was pretty kickass to talk ferments in such a bustling environment to such an enthusiastic (see also: buzzed) crowd of young people.
Both of the cocktails I poured are intended to mimic the Bloody Mary, in the sense that they are pickled liquids added to booze. The Bloody Kim was far more popular than the Bloody Carrie. This was slightly depressing, since it took me basically a whole day to juice the 7 gallons of carrot juice I fermented for this event. Nonetheless, it was a great time with great people!
If you missed the Carnival After Dark, there are still plenty of food and fermentation events you can attend at the Science Festival. Among those events is Kimcheese, in which the illustrious author, writer and cheese expert, Madame Fromage, and I pair some of our favorite ferments for your tasting delight. These cheeses are knockouts, and I promise you a unique and delicious flavor experience and a mini kimchi-making demo! The event will take place at DiBruno Bros. Rittenhouse location and it starts at 6pm. Tickets are available through the Kimcheese link above.
The Bloody Kim Cocktail
Completely scalable to your number of guests, I just made it for 500
You can use leftover juice from store bought kimchi, if that’s your bag, but I find that homemade kimchi produces a lot more juice than you ever get at the store.
Ingredients:
- 1 part kimchi liquid
- 1 part vodka, chilled
- 5 parts tomato juice
Optional Garnish:
- A scallion, skewered vertically and a clove of lactofermented garlic on top
How to:
- Thoroughly mix together all ingredients
- Add garnish
- Drink up
Eileen says
Kimchi cocktails?? YES PLEASE. This sounds like the best possible twist on a bloody mary!
Amanda says
Awww, thanks! Yeah, I think it is pretty tasty. I also love that it’s basically made from a by-product, so no special prep required!
Cindy @ Elgin Harvest says
I’m a newbie to ferments but love what you are doing! What did you use the carrot juice for?
Amanda says
Hi Cindy,
Thank you! I made a cocktail I call the Bloody Carrie. It’s another spinoff on the Bloody Mary that I came up with a few weeks back.
I’ll be back to more how-tos next week (I hope). This month has been crazy!
Thanks for reading!
Amanda