Soundbites IV: From the Mind of Cafe Drake

We've introduced - and been introduced to - a few new cocktails in this new year, and our current tops are: 1. (Courtesy of Miki Shimada) soju (or shojuh in its Japanese incarnation) shaken with fresh grapefruit juice and strained Martini-style 2. Gin, creme de cassis and fresh lemon juice, over ice and topped with soda water 3. Equal parts plum and sparkling white wines, garnished with a piece of rock candy 4. Scotch and peach nectar, shaken and strained into cocktail glass, with love.


Favorite Secret Ingredient du Jour: Dried Kumquats, or comkuots, as our $2.95 bottle from Chinatown says its rococco label. Throw a handful into a skillet sizzling with thick-cut pork chops and Madeira wine. Chop finely and toss with cold wheat berries and olive oil for a refreshing grain side dish. Add to a simple salad of greens, avocado and walnuts for a surprising sweet/tart flavor. Or do as Cafe Drake does, and simmer with a cup of raisins, sliced ginger and cider vinegar for a unique chutney. After 15 minutes, cool, add a dash of ground cloves and cayenne pepper, salt to taste, and puree in blender to a chunky consistency.





How much do we love Ryan Adams, especially his latest masterpiece, Jacksonville City Nights? Of course it's hard to go wrong teaming up on vocals with Norah Jones and national treasure Emmylou Harris, but this collection of somebody-done-somebody-wrong songs, steeped in country 70s AM radio, is good enough for us to throw a dinner party around. Cafe Drake is thinking herbed biscuits and port-wine gravy, slow-roasted pork shoulder and braised collards. Keeping with the bottom-shelf bar theme of the CD, another option is a campy revision of the beer and pretzel diet the songs' characters seem to subsit on. Regardless of your menu, this is music to fit any occasion and stir any heart.