Challenged by Sean Still of Double A with coriander, North Pond bartender Justin Fox really had to get down to basics: he’d never tried it before. So he bought a jar of the spice in seed form and “just kept eating it,” using its taste as a guide.
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This led him straight to gin—coriander seed, along with juniper berries and citrus peel, is one of the botanicals used in most varieties of the spirit. In keeping with North Pond’s philosophy (chef Bruce Sherman was one of the first in town to focus on seasonal, regionally sourced ingredients), Fox settled on Death’s Door gin, from Wisconsin.
Cilantro, the stems and leaves of the coriander plant, is a polarizing, love-it-or-hate-it herb—as a matter of fact, food scientist Harold McGee reported a few years back that there’s a genetic basis for the “primal revulsion” its taste inspires in some. Fox happens to love it, and besides, how could you have a “complete coriander experience” without it? So he decided to use the herb in its fresh form both at the start and the finish, muddling it along with a few slices of fresh cucumber and topping the drink off with a sprig or two.
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