“How much honey?” Angel said.

“It’s 1:1,” I said.

“How much salt?” Angel said.

“Just a pinch,” I said.

That’s about it. This works with several different fruits, not just persimmon. Plums come to mind which is where the idea originated. I haven’t tried it with anything else that I can remember off the top of my head. I think whatever you choose has to make some salt sense. Think about the classics. Once you’ve got it all inside your jug, let it sit for a couple of days to allow everything to incorporate, then puree it with your trusty stick blender and let it sit another day. On day four, strain it all but don’t throw away the scraps. Take the waste and throw it all in a jar with neutral spirit. Let that sit another couple of days, strain, add simple syrup (or your salted persimmon honey), and voila, you now have persimmon liqueur.

This year we did another little persimmon cocktail known as Simmons and Cash. Bad name, decent cocktail. Just a couple of years ago, it was actually Brit up in Ojai that got us all aboard the persimmon cocktail train in the first place when she first came down and came up with the Rookie of the Year. Props. Let’s see…

Rookie of the Year (2021)

1.5 oz. Oaxaca Rum

.75 oz. Fresh Lemon Juice

.5 oz. Fuyu Persimmon Syrup

.25 oz. Fresh Ginger Juice

.25 oz. Ancho Infused Rum

2 Dashes Sage Bitters

Yeah, this was a banger. Yeah, rum and lemon. No shit. Sometimes the rules can be broken.

Simmons and Cash (2023)

1 oz. White Rum

.5 oz. Cashew Amazake Orgeat

.5 oz. Persimmon Liqueur (96 proof!)

.5 oz. Spiced Rum

.5 oz. Manzanilla Sherry

.5 oz. Fresh Lime Juice

.5 oz. Lime Sherbet

1 Dash Shio Koji

Historically, we’ve shied away from the persimmon, but in recent years we’ve embraced it. This one from last year hit the apex, in my opinion, of what we can do with our lack of technology, limited space, and some evil minds focused on thoughtful usage of ingredients.

I Lost on Jeopardy! (2022)

1 oz. R&R Punch

.5 oz. Japanese Whisky

.5 oz. Bonded Rye

.5 oz. Whey Syrup

..25 oz. Salted Persimmon Honey

.25 oz. Lemon Sherbet

.25 oz. Fresh Lemon Juice

1 Dash Sage Bitters

This was one of our most popular quaffers of all time. We try not to repeat from year to year unless it’s an exceptional one, The I Lost on Jeopardy! counts I guess but I’m now thinking there can be some sort of improvement by using the cashew orgeat which adds another layer of flavor in the form of umami. Somebody at the bar mentioned a savory quality last night while drinking the Simmons and Cash, So maybe next week we can turn this all around and use the homemade spiced rum, the cashew orgeat and the salted persimmon honey to form something even better. It’s like how cars and iphones always improve year to year despite the previous models always being the best. I had actually forgotten about the sage element, and we do have some leftover punch from last week. Yeah, after looking back, the wheels are turning now…Maybe inspiration can also come from your past self, the memories and work you’ve left behind…Scars remind us the past is real…And so it seems with our old instagram posts…I would love to call it Dick Simmons after the late great Richard Simmons…Oh wait, he’s still alive. Maybe I can name it after Sweatin’ to the Oldies or some shit?

No?

What rhymes with sweat? Corvette? Creme Yvette? Jet? Shit, there’s a lot. Tibet. Clarinet. Forget. Debt. My personal fave, regret. What about oldies? Goldie? Moldy? That’s about it. I’ll figure it out…Anything rhyme with Richard? No, not really. Ah, but dick, there’s a lot of words that rhyme with dick. Schick. Prick. Slick. Frick. Thick. Quick. Quick Simmons has a ok ring to it. Or maybe just short shorts? I mean in the above picture the color of his shirt does resemble a human hachiya at peak ripeness…The patented wrinkles complete the look…