HYH Oi Muchim Martini

I got to share this cocktail at a super rad pop-up celebrating AAPI month with all Asian bartenders and all Asian cocktails! So rad! 🙆‍♀️😄🥂 (Hi, my name is Karen and I take mediocre cocktail pics lol)

Okay so I know this cocktail is coming in hot on the tail end of AAPI month, but I got to share this cocktail at an actual pop-up and it was so much fun! I adore a good pop-up. There’s nothing quite like sharing something you love and are passionate about with people who care and want to support the work you’re doing. It’s so special to me that I got to celebrate my Korean heritage while also keeping in mind the “Heal Your Headache” diet. This is important because I remember starting out the elimination process part of the diet just 3 years ago and reading things like “Chinese Food” in lieu of actually being informative and listing all the forms of MSG. The diet industry as a whole can be pretty racist and lists for medically necessary diets are no different. I’m happy to see a shift in this in the last 3 years. I’ve had some uncomfortable conversations about this in some of my online support groups, but every change we make is a chance to get it right.

This is also important because serving this cocktail and simultaneously answering questions about what makes it easier for folks with migraine and inflammatory disorders to handle, is so much easier than overwhelming people with too much information at once. I have to remember that I started doing this about 3 years ago and that is a lot of time for trial and error, failing gloriously and doing research out of spite during an attack. I’m so glad that I pre-diluted and pre-batched my cocktail so I could have time to talk to everyone that came. (I also did this for a round of boomerangs for the medical staff running the clinical trial I’m in!) I picked San Francisco for its sense of community and I definitely felt it that day. I’m so happy I got to be included with some truly amazing new colleagues and friends.

How do you beat something you fight every day? Live defiantly well. This cocktail feels like a celebration of that and I hope you’ll enjoy it in that spirit. Be bold. Be you. Feel out and fill the spaces of your intersectionality and all the things that make up who you are. As usual, be so good to yourselves.

Cheers!

Karen

P.S. This would pair nicely with my Japchae recipe!

Sesame Oil Washed Gin

-4 oz Sesame Oil

-1 750 mL gin

1) Measure out the oil and gin into freezer safe containers and seal tightly.

2) Gently wash the gin until the oil is incorporated and let rest for 30 minutes, allowing the oil to rise to the top. No fooling, Kelis’s smash hit, “Milkshake” provides the perfect tempo. I love fat washing so much that it holds a permanent spot on my “Batch Queen” playlist.

3) Repeat this process 3 more times. Dancing it out is optional, but highly encouraged.

4) After the 4th period of rest, seal the containers and place in the freezer for several hours or until the layer of sesame oil on top is solid.

5) Place a damp cheesecloth over a wire mesh strainer to ensure all the oil makes it out of the gin.

6) Poke 2 holes on opposite sides of the sesame oil layer to allow air flow as you pour out and strain your gorgeously silky finished gin back into its original bottle which you will store in the fridge.

Cucumber infused Dry Vermouth

-4 Kirby or Persian Cucumbers

-1 750 mL Dry Vermouth*

1) Wash cucumbers thoroughly and dice without peeling.

2) Place diced cucumbers in a sealable container, add dry vermouth and cover.

3) Let rest in the fridge overnight before straining and rebottling for refrigerated storage.

*If you are a wine wander, wand this first! Vermouth isn’t technically migraine-friendly, but it’s the only exception to the rule here and it’s a lesser amount in the finished cocktail. I toyed around with the idea of making a dry vermouth sub, but it wouldn’t have allowed me to infuse the cucumber in this way. I suppose if you really wanted to, you could juice a cucumber as an interesting replacement to this component.

What makes this migraine-friendly?

This brine is special because of the substitutions and methodology behind its build. Shallots replace onions. Coconut aminos replace soy sauce. White vinegar replaces rice vinegar. Quick-pickling is a simple way to create flavors similar to those in fermented foods without unnecessarily adding to your migraine threshold.

Quick-pickled Oi Muchim

-3 Kirby or Persian Cucumbers

-1 small Shallot bulb

-1 clove of Garlic

-1 tsp Korean Red Pepper Flakes

-1 tsp Sesame Seeds

-1 1/2 tsp Coconut Aminos

-1 cup White Distilled Vinegar

-1/2 cup H2O

-1/4 cup sugar

-3-4 TBSP salt

1) Measure sesame seeds into a medium sized pot on your stove over medium high heat, stirring constantly to avoid burning.

2) Carefully add H2O, vinegar, coconut aminos, sugar, salt and red pepper flakes.

3) Turn up the heat and stir until salt and sugar are dissolved.

4) Bring to a light boil, turn off the heat and let cool.

5) While your brining liquid is cooling, slice cucumbers into oblong 1/4 inch slices and place in a mason jar.

6) Smash and peel the garlic clove and place in the jar whole.

7) Thinly slice the shallot bulb and add to the mason jar.

8) When the liquid is cool enough to handle, pour over the vegetables in the mason jar and let rest until at room temp.

9) Seal the jar and store in the fridge until ready to use.

Oi Muchim Martini

-3/4 oz Cucumber infused Dry Vermouth

-3/4 oz Quick-pickled Oi Muchim Brine

-1 1/2 oz Sesame washed Gin

1) Add all ingredients into a shaker tin over ice.

2) Shake and double strain into a small chilled coupe.

3) Garnish with a slice of pickled cucumber on a cocktail pick sprinkled with toasted sesame seeds.

HYH JAPCHAE- AAPI 2022