CultureMap Video
A grass cocktail defies drink norms at hotspot: The perfect Houston Restaurant Weeks companion?
Change can be a good thing, especially when it means new savory provisions for fall.
Come this October at dining hotspot Eleven XI, chef Kevin Bryant's Southern coastal menu, which features 20 to 25 daily items including 11 entrees, will see a nearly 25 percent changeover to make room for more autumn-driven choices.
The menu will add seasonal wild game dishes like elk and kangaroo, as well as house-made pastas, alongside fall and winter fruits and vegetables.
The thin skin of the English cucumber renders a cleaner, sweeter flavor that's easy on the palate.
Always in season at Eleven XI, however, are the praiseworthy cocktails. The delectable Grass is Always Greener is named for its two main ingredients: English cucumber and avocado.
Why English cucumbers? The thin skin of this variety renders a cleaner, sweeter flavor that's easy on the palate.
The drink is light, tasty and simple to make. Follow along with the video above as Eleven XI managing partner Joe Welborn shows us how to make the refreshing potation that finishes with a squirt that bubbles with happiness.
Grass is Always Greener
- Half of a fresh, ripe soft avocado (if overly ripe, though, a dark spot will greatly change the color of this cocktail)
- 2 tablespoons diced English cucumbers
- 1/2 ounce freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1/2 ounce freshly squeezed lime juice
- A pinch of fine grain Himalayan sea salt (any fine grain salt will work)
- 1 1/2 ounce Square One Botanical Vodka
- Squirt soda
Place all ingredients in your shaker and muddle slightly. Shake vigorously with ice and pour directly into a glass without straining. Fill the glass with ice and top with Squirt soda. Last, garnish with a slice of English cucumber chilled and lightly dressed with fresh lemon and lime juice — and a pinch of salt.
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Eleven XI is taking part in Houston Restaurant Weeks, a month-long campaign that benefits the Houston Food Bank with dining deals.