This past week, I went to the grocery store and found some persimmons (kudos Kroger). They weren’t far from ripe - key, because if not they have tremendous astringency. When I was a younger man and trapsing through the Appalachian forests, you’d find them here and there in the wild (the American version, not to be confused with the Asian varieties. The wisdom was they needed to be dead ripe before attempting to eat them, and the old wisdom was they needed a good, hard freeze first. When you find ripe persimmons, they have a custard-like texture and flavor that approaches baked butternut squash or sweet potato combine with apricot and the tiniest bit of brown sugar or honey.

These persimmons reminded me of the their constant companion in the Appalachians, an animal that is the symbol or face of Appalachia - the Virginia Opossum, or Possum. Where you find persimmons, you find Possums who seem to know better than anyone else when the time is right. This hairy little marsupial (unique in North America) is hugely beneficial to ecosystems and to people (for instance, eating thousands of harmful insects). So, this week’s cocktail is an ode to the Possum and a fruit they love.

Chill your glass. Then, the shaker tin with all the ingredients sans garnishes. Bring the tin together and dry shake this (i.e., without ice) really well to develop the proper foam structure. I aim for at least a 20 count and sometimes up to 30. Once dry shaken, load the tin with ice and shake as you would normally. Fine strain the cocktail into your glass, dust with Allspice and float your Star Anise pod. Enjoy.

Glass: Coupe, Nick and Nora, or Martini

Options: A rye whiskey would work here as well. The spice would complement the persimmon’s flavor. You could also use of Aquafaba to generate the foam if you are a vegan, vegetarian, pescatarian, or similar persuasion. Fee Brothers makes Fee Foam. Aquafaba is simply the juice or brine surrounding cooked or canned chickpeas.

Persimmon Puree - About that. First, I mean it when I say that the persimmons need to be dead ripe. When you think they are about to cross over the rainbow bridge, that’s the moment to strike. The cores will pop out of the top. Add a small amount of water, say a cup or so, to a blender and toss in the persimmons - whole with peel and all. Blend until smooth, then strain the blender over a mesh strainer.