It’s no secret that colonial Americans were true imbibers, though back then it was more of a need than an indulgence. Water wasn’t necessarily safe to drink, so alcohol was the next best option. Our colonial forefathers downed an average of six gallons of pure alcohol per year compared to the current American’s consumption of about two gallons. In the spirit of America’s independence and freedom to imbibe, we’re throwing it back with a colonial era punch. Rum was spirit of American choice long before whiskey, we’re mixing it into a classic Philadelphia Fish House Punch. The recipe was developed by a pre-Revolution social club in Pennsylvania called the Schuylkill Fishing Company of Pennsylvania, also known as the State in Schuylkill. Made up of politicians, fishermen, and common Philadelphians, the club actually declared the assemblage a sovereign state, and called themselves “citizens.”

We’re throwing in a nod to the pre-Prohibition era as well with the much more recent culture of cocktail bitters. Bittercube’s cherry bark bitters add both a level of bitter complexity and a nod to George Washington’s little foray with a cherry tree. Rebel against the tradition of icy beer with us, and pour yourself a glass of punch. If punches like these were good enough for George Washington and the like, they’re certainly good enough for me.

Philadelphia Fish House Punch (A Half Batch)
Servings: 10

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 lemons, peeled and peels reserved
• 2 cups black tea
• 1/2 cup lemon juice
• 2 cups rum, Jamaican
• 1 cups cognac
• 8 dashes Bittercube Cherry Bark Vanilla Bitters

Garnish: lemon wheels and freshly grated nutmeg
In a large bowl, add sugar and lemon peels, and rub together to release the citrus oils into the sugar. (This is called oleo-saccharum.) Allow oleo-saccharum to infuse for at least 30 minutes.
Dissolve sugar with warm tea. Add rum, cognac, lemon juice and bitters. Stir to mix. Add a block of ice to chill, and continue to add smaller pieces of ice for desired dilution. Garnish with lemon wheels and freshly grated nutmeg. Ladle into individual glasses.

USA’s 242nd birthday falls right in the middle of the week. Some of you will have a few days off, some will have just the holiday. Either way, you should be spending time enjoying your company, not sweating in the kitchen or over your grill for hours on end. We’ve created an easy, 4th worthy menu that’s perfect for carrying from your kitchen to your outdoor table or packing along with you to your favorite firework viewing spot. Make your salad and condiment options a few days in advance for the smoothest, most delicious 4th yet. This year, we’re outsourcing for dessert. We have plenty of ideas to help create a tasty treat of your own, but we have the ice cream queen herself right here in SLC. If you don’t know Alexa Norlin and Normal Ice Cream, get thee to their truck asap, it’s parked right inside Trolley Square on the east side (or you can buy here treats at our Downtown and 15th locations, too!).

Fourth of July Menu

• Grilled Olympia Provisions sausages and sauerkraut with caramelized onions
• Pok Pok and pancetta potato salad
• Watermelon and Feta salad with mint and Viola olive oil
• Normal Ice Cream’s choco-tacos

Pok Pok & Pancetta Potato Salad
Serves 6 as a side dish

• 2 pounds red potatoes, diced
• 1/2 pound pancetta, diced
• 1 yellow onion, diced
• ¼ cup Pok Pok honey vinegar
• ¼ cup olive oil
• 1 tablespoon whole grain mustard
• salt & pepper, to taste
• chives, chopped, for garnish

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add in diced potatoes and boil until tender, about 10 to 12 minutes. Drain potatoes and place in a large mixing bowl.
While the potatoes are boiling, add pancetta to a cold large skillet. Heat over medium heat and cook until crisp, about 6-8 minutes. Remove pancetta with a slotted spoon, leaving the fat behind.

Add onion to same skillet and cook 5 minutes until onions are soft. Whisk in Pok Pok vinegar, olive oil, mustard, salt, and pepper until heated through, 1 to 2 minutes.
Pour sauce over cooked potatoes. Stir in pancetta and chives. Serve hot immediately, or chill overnight to serve cold. Make up to 3 days in advance.

Watermelon and Feta salad
Serves 8 as a side

• one medium watermelon
• 1/2 pound feta, crumbled
• 1 handful mint, leaves picked
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• condiment grade olive oil (we love Viola, always)

Trim the rind from the watermelon and cut into bite size cubes and chill (can be done up to 5 days in advance). When ready to serve, coarsely chop mint and toss with melon, feta, and salt. Drizzle with olive oil and serve chilled.

Caramelized Onions

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 large sweet yellow onions, thinly sliced
• kosher salt

Heat one or two handfuls of your sliced onions and olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. As onions begin to soften, add another handful and stir. Repeat until all your onion is added. Continue to cook over medium heat until the onions reach a soft yellow gold. Reduce heat to medium low and cook for another 20-25 minutes until dark in color. If onions begin to stick or the bottom of your pan starts to burn, add a tablespoon or two of water. This will absorb the color and flavor and cook back into your onions. Once the onions have reached your desired color and flavor, stir in a pinch of salt. Use immediately or store for up to two weeks.

When it comes to eating seasonally here are ingredients, smells, and combinations of flavors the represent the very best of each season. Spring happens to be my favorite. The green re-awakening and promise of sunny days ahead as expressed by the first harvests are unlike anything else. My favorite? Peas, mint, and ricotta minlged together for a naturally sweet, aromatic, and creamy combination that leads you gently into the bounty of summer.

Bon Appetit did the world a favor with this recipe. I will keep it brothy when I want something comforting for rainy evenings or remove the broth for another use and chill the fregola and friends into a cold salad as a side for evenings on the patio. I’ll be serving the chilled version along side all the grilled things for Father’s Day this year. It’s filling, yet fresh, and Dad deserves nothing less.

Since this recipe relies on very few ingredients, use the very best and freshest goodies you can gather. Creminelli’s pancetta crisps perfectly for a tiny bit of crunch and a healthy drizzle of Viola makes this feel extra bright and luxurious.

Bon Appetit‘s Fregola with Green Peas, Mint, and Ricotta
Serves 4 as a main dish or 6-8 as a side

• 1¼ cups fregola sarda (substitute couscous if unavailable)
• Kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for serving
• 2 ounces pancetta, chopped
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 2½ cups low-sodium vegetable broth
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup shelled fresh peas (from about 1 pound pods) or frozen peas, thawed
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint, plus leaves for serving
• 4 ounces ricotta

Cook fregola in a large pot of boiling salted water until very al dente, 6–8 minutes. Drain pasta (do not rinse), reserving 1 cup pasta cooking liquid.

Heat 2 Tbsp. oil in a large skillet over medium and cook bacon, stirring often, until bacon is brown around the edges, about 5 minutes. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until bacon is crisp and onion is translucent, about 5 minutes.

Add wine, bring to a simmer, and cook until skillet is almost dry, about 5 minutes. Add broth and bring to a simmer. Add fregola and cook, stirring often, until pasta is just al dente and broth is thickened, about 5 minutes. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Add peas and chopped mint and cook, stirring, until peas are warmed through, about 2 minutes. Add pasta cooking liquid as needed to adjust consistency.

Serve topped with ricotta, mint, and cracked pepper and drizzled with condiment olive oil.