El Corazón. Oil on panel, 8" x 8".
Mixology With a Twist debuts Friday with a party at Mizuna, so it's time to celebrate with El Corazón, by Mizuna bartender Sherrece Scott.
This painting nearly kicked my ass. Let's just say it was NOT a "one and you're done." Having a history with the brick walls at Mizuna (the site of one of my earliest art shows), I really wanted that background, but getting contrast with the brilliant opaque red of the drink was tough. I had better luck with one aspect, at least. The week before starting this painting, Willi Sheller taught me how to make a heart-shaped garnish. Perfect timing!
The story behind this drink involves a bit of coincidence as well. Here's an excerpt from the book:
Sherrece Scott, bartender at Spokane’s Mizuna, promised to share her new drink, Satan’s Sap, long before work began on Mixology With a Twist. At Mizuna many months later, I pored over a lengthy new bar menu, finally ordering El Corazón. As it happened, El Corazón was Sherrece’s newly-renamed Satan’s Sap. Rich, fruity-but-not-sweet, and spicy, El Corazón had me at the first sip. This drink’s balance is crucial. Sherrece, ever the perfectionist, tastes both lime juice and cayenne each time she makes it, adjusting to be sure it is sufficiently spicy and not overly tart.
What I didn't have room to mention is that Sherrece bent over backward to make this recipe accessible for home bartenders. One ingredient, a frozen blood orange purée, is easily available to restaurants, but not so much to retail shoppers. Sherrece spent weeks trying every grocery-store fruit concentrate she could get her hands on until she found one that perfectly mimicked the flavor AND color of the original purée in the drink.
Sherrece will be on hand to make El Corazon—plus many more scrumptious concoctions—Friday night. Come on down and have one!
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