Get to Know Gazoz
The new book by Benny Briga and Adeena Sussman is the antidote to steaming-hot summer months
Gazoz: The Art of Making Magical, Seasonal Sparkling Drinks just came out on June 1, and it's already a best-seller on Amazon. I'm not surprised. Its author, chef and forager Benny Briga, has cast a spell over Tel Aviv with his Café Levinsky, a modest shop where he serves the most intricate versions of flavored seltzer you can imagine. As his co-author Adeena Sussman describes it, Briga ferments all of his own fruits, spices, and chiles and decorates the drinks with ethereal, aromatic mini-bouquets of herbs and flowers. (Full disclosure: Sussman is a friend.)
It's true; I've been to Café Levinsky, and Briga makes each concoction feel uniquely designed for you. It's as if, after looking into your eyes from his side of the takeout window, he calculates what your spirit needs and, without words, delivers the (delicious) medicine.
The medicine that those of us experiencing a particularly hot few days need right now is cold, fizzy, sweet hydration. Gazoz! Here's a recipe from the book that I'll be making all summer.
PLUM CHERRY
3 to 4 large ice cubes
2 slices fresh or fermented plums and 1 to 2 tablespoons syrup (see below)
1 or 2 pieces fresh or fermented cherries (see below)
12 ounces (355 ml) seltzer
Tarragon sprig or lemon verbena, for garnish
Place the ice in a glass; spoon in the fermented fruit and syrup. Add the fermented fruit and/or fresh fruit. Fill the glass with sparkling water, then garnish the top with the herbs. Insert straw and drink immediately.
SWEET FERMENTED FRUIT IN SYRUP
Makes 3 to 4 cups (about 1 KG) fruit with syrup
Start the fermentation process with clean, unblemished fruit of the highest quality, preferably organic, seasonal, and local. The fruit is the star of the show and should be treated as such, especially because once you’re done drinking your gazoz, you will most likely lift the juicy slices of fruit out of the glass and eat them. The general rule for the fruit-to-sugar ratio is 70 percent sugar in relation to the weight of the fruit. Use that as your guide, unless otherwise indicated.
1 heaping tablespoon (20 g) baking soda
1¾ pounds (800 g) whole thin-skinned fruit*
Lemon juice (optional)
1¼ pounds (560 grams) sugar
1. Wash the fruit: Combine the baking soda with 2 quarts (2 l) cold water in a large bowl; add the fruit, rub it well with a soft cloth to clean it, then transfer it to a separate large bowl filled with ice water; let the fruit stand for 30 minutes to firm up.
2. Prepare the fruit: Slice the fruit into 1-inch (2.5 cm) wedges (remove the cores, stems, and pits); you should end up with about 1½ pounds (700 g) cut fruit. If you’re using fruits that might turn brown (such as apples, pears, quince, etc.), drop them in a bowl filled with a mixture of 90 percent water to 10 percent lemon juice as you slice them.
3. Layer some of the fruit in a roughly 1-quart (1 l) jar with a tight-fitting lid, then sprinkle with sugar. Continue to layer the fruit and sugar until the jar is filled, leaving at least 1½ inches of headroom at the top of the jar.
4. Ferment the fruit: Seal the jar tightly and let it stand on the counter until a syrup has formed and the fruit has softened and slumped slightly, 1 to 3 days, depending on the temperature of your kitchen; the sugar will dissolve more with each passing day. Open the jars daily to release any built-up pressure from fermentation, and also to check the progress of the fruit. This is the critical juncture; once you detect an aroma that is the essence of the fruit with a drop of sourness and acidity sort of like cider—that is the time to decide if you want to let it ferment longer so it becomes more tart, or refrigerate the jar to slow fermentation. You can also dip a spoon in to taste the syrup, which will give you a good indication of what’s going on in the jar.
5. When you are happy with the flavor of the fruit, transfer the jar to the refrigerator. Use the fermented fruit and its syrup within 2 weeks.
* Notes: To make 1¾ pounds (800 g) whole fruit, you’ll need 4 or 5 apples, peaches, or pears, or 8 to 10 plums or apricots. If using fresh berries, omit steps 1 and 2.
Excerpted from Gazoz by Benny Briga and Adeena Sussman (Artisan Books). Copyright © 2021. Photographs by Dan Perez.