in good spirits
How to throw a
vodka-latke party
Hanukkah tradition pairs potato pancakes with popular spirits
WRITTEN BY ESTHER DAVIDOWITZ AND LIZ JOHNSON
PHOTOGRAPHY BY TANIA SAVAYAN
L
atke-vodka parties, thrown around and during the eight-day
Hanukkah holiday, are all the rage in North Jersey. The Jewish
Federation of Northern Jersey and the Jewish Federation of Greater
MetroWest NJ have thrown their share of latke-vodka parties.
In case you haven’t been invited to one yet: The name says it all.
Not only does it rhyme — “It’s cute, kitch-y,” says Jodi Heimler,
managing director of development for the Jewish Federation of Northern Jersey
— but it’s a wonderful pairing of drink and food.
Want to throw a latke-vodka party yourself? Here are recipes for both drinks
and latkes that pair beautifully together — and will have your guests hoping
that this is a first of a many-year holiday tradition.
VODKA AND LATKE BUFFET PARTY
Apple Latkes with Apple Martinis
Rosemary Latkes and Potato Vodka
Garnished with Rosemary
Caviar Latkes and Vesper Martinis
Sweet Potato Lakes with
Vodka-Ginger Cocktails
Zucchini Latkes and Lemon Drops
PAIRING: APPLE LATKES WITH APPLE MARTINIS
Apple Latkes Apple Martinis
FROM SMITTENKITCHEN.COM
MAKES 12 This recipe comes from master mixologist
George Delgado. It is much more complex
than most apple martini recipes you’ll find,
and, we think, well worth the effort. Feel free
to increase the recipe even 12-fold to make it
in big batches, and have pitchers available for
pouring into shakers for this party.
Blog author Deb Perelman suggests you keep the latkes in a warm oven, which keeps them crisp.
She recommends you use a well-seasoned, cast-iron skillet for frying, and cheesecloth to wring out
moisture from the latke ingredients.
INGREDIENTS DIRECTIONS 1 pound tart, firm apples such
as Granny Smiths (2 large or
3 medium) • Preheat oven to 200 degrees and place a baking sheet inside.
Peel and core apples and then grate them, either on the large
holes of a box grater or in a food processor on the shredding
blade. (If you use the food processor, lay the apple chunks
the long way if you want longer strands.) Transfer to a clean
dishtowel or cheesecloth and wring out as much juice as you
can into a small bowl. Set aside the juice if you wish to make a
dessert sauce with it later. INGREDIENTS
• Transfer grated apple to a medium bowl and toss with lemon
juice. In a small dish, whisk flour, sugar, cinnamon and baking
powder and add to the apples, tossing to coat them evenly.
Lightly beat eggs and stir into the apple-lemon-flour mixture. DIRECTIONS
1 tablespoon lemon juice
6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 large eggs
About 2 tablespoons butter
Rich plain yogurt, sour cream or
crème fraîche for serving
26
• Heat 1 tablespoon of butter in a large cast-iron skillet to
medium hot. Once the butter has coated the pan, drop in
tablespoons of apple batter, gently pressing the latkes a bit
flatter with a spatula. Fry until they are nicely brown, about 3
to 5 minutes, then flip and continue to cook until crisp. Drain
briefly on paper towels and transfer to preheated oven to keep
warm. Add a pat of the remaining butter for each new batch in
the pan and repeat with remaining batter.
HOLIDAY 2018 MILLBURN & SHORT HILLS MAGAZINE
1 Granny Smith apple
¾ ounce vodka
¼ ounce Calvados
1 ounce Berentzen’s Apfel Schnapps
1 ounce DeKuyper’s Sour Apple Pucker
For one cocktail: Cut the apple into quarters
and the quarters into thirds. Place two of the
thirds in the bottom of a cocktail shaker and
muddle. Reserve the other third for a garnish.
(For a pitcher of drinks, simply save apple slices
to use as garnishes later.) Add vodka, Calvados,
schnapps and Sour Apple Pucker to the shaker
and fill with ice. Shake at least 20 times to
infuse apple flavor. Strain into a cocktail glass
and garnish with the leftover apple third.