Fourth of July cocktail and ribs recipes

Fourth of July is just days away and many of us are beginning America’s holiday celebration early. There truly is no better way to celebrate then with family, friends and delicious fare. Most especially when the fare is created with America’s official native sprit … bourbon.

                       

Chefs Lee Anne Wong and Joey Campanaro have fashioned recipes specifically for this very special occasion of our country’s Independence Day celebration, using an American great … Maker’s Mark and are sharing their delicious recipes with The Women's Network readers. Fun Fact about Maker’s Mark: Their 50-year-old scenic distillery in Loretto, Ky., is considered a National Historic Landmark.

Commemorate our country’s independence with some unique Maker’s Mark recipes. Try the Maker’s Mark Bourbon BBQ Ribs and the Red, White & Blueberry cocktail. The bold and exotic flavors of the ribs with the cool and refreshing fruits and mint of the cocktail make them the perfect pairing to toast our country in an all-American fashion!

Red, White & Blueberry - By Chef Lee Anne Wong

Serves 2

Ingredients:

• 4 parts Maker’s Mark Bourbon
• ¼ cup freshly squeezed and strained lime juice
• ¼ cup freshly squeezed and strained lemon juice
• ½ cup freshly squeezed and strained orange juice
• 1 part simple syrup
• 4 mint leaves, plus more for garnish
• Assorted berries: raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, and strawberries
• Splash club soda

Directions:

Combine the juices, Maker’s Mark Bourbon, simple syrup, and mint leaves in a large shaker. Add ice and shake vigorously. Strain into 2 tall glasses over ice and add a splash of soda. Cut berries and mint leaves as garnish. Serve immediately.

Maker’s Mark Bourbon BBQ Ribs - By Chef Joey Campanaro Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

• 2 cups Makers Mark Bourbon
• 1 bunch cilantro – cleaned and roughly chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
• ¼ cup fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
• 1 tablespoon coriander seeds
• 1 tablespoon mustard seeds
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon cayenne
• 1 teaspoon curry powder
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• ¼ cup dark brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons kosher salt
• 1 rack of peeled pork spare ribs
• 3 tablespoons butter
• ½ white onion, peeled and diced ½”
• 1 cup pineapple juice
• 1 cup tomato juice
• 1 cup ketchup
• 1 cup water
• Fresh cilantro leaves, for garnish
• Fresh red radish, for garnish

Directions:

In a large bowl, mix the Maker’s Mark Bourbon, cilantro, garlic, ginger, garlic, cumin, cayenne, curry, mustard seeds, Dijon and brown sugar and salt until well combined. Pour into a shallow baking dish. Submerge the full rack of ribs in the marinade and refrigerate over night.

Preheat the oven to 400°F. After 24 hours, remove the ribs, brushing off any excess marinade and spices (reserve the marinade for the barbecue sauce), and place on baking sheet and roast in the oven for 45 minutes. Remove the rack from the oven; wrap the ribs tightly in foil and cool in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours.

Heat the butter in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the diced onion and cook for 10 minutes, stirring often. Add the marinade liquid and all of its components, the pineapple and tomato juice, ketchup, and water. Cook this mixture for 45 minutes on a medium simmer, stirring occasionally.

When the ribs have cooled down, slice them in between each bone to separate them from the rack and place in a large mixing bowl. Strain the barbecue sauce through a fine mesh sieve and pour over the ribs, tossing to thoroughly coat them.

Place the individual ribs in a single layer in an ample-sized baking dish, pouring the excess barbecue sauce over the ribs, and return to the oven. Lower the heat on the oven to 350°F and bake for an additional hour, turning the ribs occasionally to insure sauce coverage.

The ribs will be tender and the sauce should glaze the ribs during the baking process. Serve hot with picked cilantro leaves, thinly sliced radishes, and Maker’s Mark Bourbon “chilled neat.”

Now, if you’re feeling a little adventurous and want to depart from a traditional drink, the mixologists at Portón pisco have offered two cocktail recipes to PCTE readers. What is pisco? It is a native Peruvian spirit made from grapes.

Portón Blueberry Cooler

Ingredients:

• 1 ½ part Portón
• ½ part St. Germain
• ½ Fresh Lemon Juice
• Muddles Fresh Blueberries

Directions:

Build over ice in a rock glass; garnish with mint leaves

Freedom Lemonade

Ingredients:

• 1 part Portón
• 1 part Fresh squeezed lime juice
• 1 part Simple syrup
• Splash club soda

Directions: 

Muddle limes in the bottom of a tall rocks glass. Combine Portón, lime juice and simple syrup in a shaker with ice; shake and strain into glass over ice and garnish with lime wedge.

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