It calls for brighter drinks and lighter bites, and if you can eat that bite with your hands, so much the better.
Deptolla: Sharing some terrific tastes of summer
Summer demands its own kind of food. Goodbye, stews of winter; so long, heavy concoctions to quaff.
It calls for brighter drinks and lighter bites, and if you can eat that bite with your hands, so much the better.
One drink in particular has stuck in my mind this summer. So did two different but equally summery preparations of chicken drumsticks, of all things.
To me, these are just perfect for summer.
The drink of summer: The Panda Express at Easy Tyger
Bar manager Dave Cornils at Easy Tyger on Brady St. created the Panda Express to be an easydrinking cocktail to complement the Asian gastropub’s food.
Orange and ginger would be a good combination, he thought, and, well, sesame goes with those, too.
It’s been on the menu for months, but the Panda Express has the brightness of summer in a glass: vodka infused with orange peel and, briefly, toasted sesame seeds, plus some Domaine de Canton ginger liqueur and Triple Sec, then shaken with orange juice and some fresh ginger for bite.
The result is a smooth drink that’s not too sweet, with a slightly savory thread — kind of a revelation. And the garnish of toasted sesame seeds is key.
That seed flotilla was suggested by the kitchen, said Cornils, dubious at first. But the initial sensation from the crisp little seeds was akin to Pop Rocks candy, he thought. Pretty cool. The drink is $10. Bonus: It does indeed go with almost everything on the Easy Tyger menu. Try it with the steamed bun stuffed with fried chicken, for starters. Easy Tyger, 1230 E. Brady St. (414) 226-6640; easytygermke.net
The dish of summer: Chicken drumsticks at Vermutería 600 and Pabst Milwaukee Brewery
All of a sudden, here were two different preparations of chicken drumsticks popping up in Milwaukee. I’m not calling it a trend until I see three, but I’ll bet another restaurant out there somewhere has put drumsticks on its menu.
And if it hasn’t, it should. Flavorful and more substantial than a chicken wing, they’re great either as a small bite, as at Vermutería at Hotel Madrid in Walker’s Point, or as the centerpiece of an entrée, found at the Pabst Milwaukee Brewery taproom on downtown’s western edge.
Everything about smokey chicken slicked with barbecue sauce says summer, and that’s how chef Hector Miranda makes his pollo asado drumsticks at Hotel Madrid’s Vermutería 600.
Miranda wanted to summon that most summery of feelings — of being outside with family and grilling in the backyard — when he came up with the dish.
The drumsticks are marinated in paprika, rosemary, thyme, Earl Grey tea and olive oil before they’re smoked. They finish roasting in the oven, as asado suggests, and are glazed in barbecue sauce sweetened with root beer.
In the end, the dish does capture a backyard barbecue. “It’s selling like crazy,” Miranda said.
On the side is house buttermilk ranch dressing for dipping, with a little horseradish for a clean finish and a little bit of a kick, Miranda said.
The drumsticks are $12 for three, and half price during happy hour, 5 to 6 p.m. daily and all night Sunday. Have them outside on the patio, if you can, with a crisp beer or one of Vermutería’s cocktail gems. Vermutería 600, the bar at Hotel Madrid, 600 S. 6th St. (414) 488-9146; hotelmadridmke.com/bar
Rebecca Berkshire said she had summertime in mind when she put the fried chicken drumsticks on the menu at the Pabst taproom.
Fried chicken would go well with beers on the brewery’s tap list, especially the effervescent, slightly malty Andeker, she thought.
The pair of drumsticks are braised in Pabst Blue Ribbon ahead of time — “It flavors the meat to the bone,” said Berkshire, whose title is experience manager at the taproom.
Then just before they’re served, the drumsticks are dipped in batter that fries up crisp, flaky and light. The dish is served with french fries, kale slaw and little spheres of hot sauce on the house buttermilk-herb dressing.
The entrée is $14. It can be ordered at the bar on the patio, but for a first visit, at least, have it in the extraordinarily handsome taproom. With a beer. Pabst Milwaukee Brewery taproom, 1037 W. Juneau Ave. (414) 908-0025; pabstmkebrewery.com