It’s the BBQ trifecta and no summer grill is complete without the trio of ketchup, mustard, and relish. It takes that piece of perfectly grilled meat to a salty sweet level that is unmatched by any fancy, gourmet, artisanal condiment made by elves. Unless you are allergic to ketchup or mustard, you know that momentary panicked feeling of hearing the bottle fart as you hope to shake out one last dollop of goodness.
So let’s bring the condiment classics to the College Street Bar and see what they can cook up…without cooking. Known to many as an experienced “baristaologist,” Ryan Desjardins teaches a popular coffee program and is a mixology instructor with BartenderOne. He teaches aspiring bartenders about balancing flavours with their creations and here he was about to mix a drink with non-bar staples.
Feeling kind, I tell him he can choose one of the three condiments as I thought combining all three into a cocktail might be too much to ask (as well as gag-inducing). But to Ryan, the three needed to be put together to truly represent a summer BBQ. Equal parts of ketchup, mustard, and relish were added to a cocktail shaker with some simple syrup, tequila, lemon and lime juice, and an egg white. Once shaken, the egg white gives the cocktail a night frothy layer. Some sugar is sprinkled on top and caramelized with a torch to give the drink a nice bit of sweetness that helps to balance the sour elements. I did not have high hopes for this condiment cocktail, but it was actually not bad. You wouldn’t know it had hot dog toppings in it. Ryan justified it by saying the ketchup isn’t too far off from Clamato with its tomato base (please don’t try and make a ketchup Caesar), and tequila naturally calls for lemon and lime. Condiments aren’t just for solid food; they can really enhance a liquid diet.
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