Ponche a Crème by Zak Ové

This is how you can mix drinks like an artist

World-renowned artists offer up a bar load of tasty cocktail recipes in our new book The Kitchen Studio

Anyone interested in adding a little contemporary creativity to their culinary routine should get The Kitchen Studio. In this new book, we’ve collected together 100 recipes from world famous artists, including El Anatsui, Jimmie Durham, Ragnar Kjartansson and Olafur Eliasson.

In each case, the artist has not only shared the details of their dish, but also provided a fun, engaging illustration of the recipe too. There’s plenty of variation, from simple snacks and treats through to more lavish meals.

Of course, lots of artists like to party, and so drinks feature pretty prominently in the book.
Some are almost minimalist; some are performative; at least one of them is both! Take LA artist’s David Horvitz’s drink, The Water Cycle: “Fill glass with water from the closest ocean and place it on a sunny windowsill. Let the water evaporate completely. Leave the salt in the glass. Pour in tequila and drink.”

Others, however, are a bit more involved. The artist Zak Ové celebrates his Trinidadian heritage with the Caribbean cocktail Ponche a Crème. “My father, filmmaker and photographer Horace Ové, always enthused over the art of cooking and fusing cuisines together,” explains Zak in the new book.

“He learned to cook like many, through the osmosis of being in the family kitchen, picking up styles and techniques that suited his repertoire. Interestingly, all the men I know from Trinidad can cook; it’s just something everyone does with pride. I learned to cook with my father, side by side in our kitchen in West Hampstead, London in the mid-1970s, talking about everything and anything, with the conversation usually turning to discussions about Horace’s youth growing up in Trinidad. He enjoyed recounting special occasions and remembering who cooked what, how they had cooked it and what was good about it.”

This particular cocktail is usually served around Christmas, “but quite honestly it is delicious at any time,” the artist admits. To make six servings, you need six eggs, the grated zest of one lime;  three 14-oz cans  of condensed milk; three quarters of a 14-oz can of evaporated milk; 1 ¼ cups of dark rum; as well as some Angostura bitters, and some freshly grated nutmeg, both to taste.

To make it, beat the eggs and lime zest in a large bowl until they become light and fluffy.  Gradually pour in the condensed milk while continuing to mix, then add the evaporated milk. Lastly add the rum and  a dash or two of Angostura bitters to taste. Pour it into a bottle and chill in the fridge. Serve over crushed ice with a sprinkling of freshly grated nutmeg. And, as Ové advises, “be sure to make enough as everyone loves to have at least two glasses!”

The Kitchen Studio
The Kitchen Studio

 

For more culinary tips from artists, order a copy of The Kitchen Studio here.