over due entry: Iron Chef Drink On

Is there anything better than early summer in Portland? The clouds are gone; the sun is here until nearly 10:30 at night; and the strawberries, salmon berries, and cherries are sweet and ripe. Why not celebrate with a garden cocktail party? Invite your friends over and create your own Iron Chef contest using Portland's characteristic herbs and fruits, your favorite types of liquor, a mortar and pestle, a blender, and a few typical mixers, such as lemon and lime juice and club soda. If your garden is rather small, have friends bring fresh pickings from their own gardens or borrow from your neighbors. Recommended selections would be in-season fruits and berries as well as white sage, rosemary, and mint. And in Portland in June, cherries, rosemary, and sage can be found almost as easily as blackberries can be in late summer. The rule for the Iron Chef contest is that contestants must create a cocktail using at least one of the garden ingredients, but here are some ideas. Gin infused with rosemary is surprisingly delicious. Cherries and mint muddled in lime soda will leave you wanting more. Muddle and strain salmon berries for a sweet martini. Sage goes surprisingly well with lemonade. So put on your cocktail dress, throw on your favorite lounge records, and celebrate the summer with some creative mixing and using the bounty of your (or a friend’s or neighbor’s) bounteous herb and fruit garden.