15 Feb Election Mocktail: The On Lime Voter

Posted at 18:54h in Blog, Cocktail Recipes, Cocktail Recipes: R&J Original by Roberts & June

Election Mocktail: The On Lime Voter

During graduate school, one of Steph’s projects was a study on making the voting process more efficient and modern. What if voting didn’t involve long, slow lines and great, big voter registration rolls and arcane, hard to read ballots? In a whirl of optimism, naivete, and forward-looking, she went into the project asking, ‘If texts and online voting work for American Idol, why not for American President?’ She came out convinced it’ll be a long time, if ever, before we see that happen. Sadly, there are just way too many complex problems between us and a fair, legal, tamper-proof, trusted online vote. We may need those voting booths for a while still.

Since online voting isn’t in use for our government elections, we figured we could use it as the basis for a drink name instead–in this case, for a mocktail.

We mentioned last week that some fellow Union Kitchen members (among others) have been reviving a colonial era product called the shrub. The shrub was a method of fruit preservation using vinegar and sugar. While the refrigerator has done away with the shrub’s primary reason for being, it’s making a comeback because the potent, unexpected flavor combinations offer a refreshing alternative to overly simple, overly sweet juices.

When we tasted Element Shrub’s Honeydew Jalapeno, we immediately thought it would serve as a great replacement for rum in a tiki mocktail. With a peppery, but not hot spiciness and a hint of sour, the shrub gives the tropical fruit flavors of a tiki drink just that bit of an edge that they need.

Mix yourself a glass, and toast to that future day when elections fully make their way into the internet era.