How to Make Pok Pok's Rhubarb Blush Cocktail

[Photographs: Allan Zepeda]

"People tend to be very specific about what they will and won't drink, but often people who never drink gin enjoy this," says Alex Mirkin of Pok Pok Ny's Rhubarb Blush. "The gin here is something that you don't notice, but you would miss if it wasn't there."

Mirkin uses a London dry gin; it balances out the sweetness of rhubarb bitters and Aperol. "Campari would be too headstrong here. The Aperol and lime play well into this bright sweetness." A muted, orangey pink, the Rhubarb Blush is like a lovely liquid SweeTart.

Mirkin notes that Fee Brothers rhubarb bitters, which contain sugar, are more of a "flavoring," than a straight bitter. Though he often favors the rhubarb bitters from Brooklyn Hemispherical, he prefers Fee Brothers here, in tandem with the Campari and lime.

He takes a few extra seconds to make his orange twist into a springy curlicue. "This doesn't need orange zest, but I like the giant curl of orange because when it's just cut, it gives the drink a great citrus aroma."

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About the author: Jaclyn Einis is a Boston-bred, Brooklyn-based writer. No matter where she wanders, it always comes back to food and drink. It's been that way since the day she was born (some got pilgrim hats; she was a turkey baby). You can find her cleaning plates here.