Southside Sips: Nature, Nurture

Moms. They’re not perfect, but boy do the best ones have that nurturing thing down.

Several years ago, I wrote a book called Prosecco Made Me Do It, and one of the drinks I created for it was a bubbly ode to moms (and, really, my mom, Virginia Zavatto, who I’d put up against any sainted mother any day): the Nature, Nurture.

As it happens, I was asked to participate this weekend in a really cool event for Mom’s Day called “In the Kitchen with Mothers and Others” at Shelter Island’s Ram’s Head Inn, Saturday, May 11 from 5 to 7 p.m.. (nab your ticket here!). You don’t have to be a mom to come (hence the others), but you do have to like to eat and drink delicious things.

It’s a special gathering tomorrow night because it not only salutes moms, but benefits the scholarship fund of Les Dames d’Escoffier, the wonderful female-powered organization of women in the hospitality, culinary, fine wine and spirits worlds. I’m a dame myself, and loaned this particular recipe to support LDNY’s very cool new book, Stirring the Pot, the proceeds of which go to benefit the organization’s educational scholarship programming.

Tomorrow night, I and a few of my Les Dames d’Escoffier counterparts — specifically, food scholar and Shelter Island resident Meryl Rosofsky, one of my favorite local winemakers Robin Epperson McCarthy of Saltbird Cellars and the inimitable kitchen wiz and “Chopped” champ, chef Silvia Baldini — are going to be mixing and shaking up a bevy of bites and sips from the book (which Silvia and fellow dame Sharon Franke created, with forewords by none other than Dames Carla Hall and Lidia Bastianich — we’re not messing around here, people!).

Here’s a little preview of the cocktail I contributed to this keeper of a book, which you can get at Finley’s Fiction ahead of our event (thanks, Finley!) or purchase Saturday night at Ram’s Head. If you come on down, I’ll shake up one of these for you myself. Cheers, Moms — you’re the best!