You might associate “moonshine” with old bathtubs and bearded guys wearing overalls. Not, say, a farm-to-table restaurant straddling the base of the Catalina Mountains.
But guess what, the infamous bootlegged spirit of the Prohibition era is becoming trendy — and bartenders like Jessica Morelan at Harvest are taking notice. Rather than buying the bottled stuff available in most liquor stores, the Oro Valley restaurant (sort of) makes its own back in the kitchen.
Morelan starts with fresh fruit and spices. (Flavors vary, but on my latest visit, I chose blackberry.) Then she adds the neutral grain spirit, Everclear. The mixture sits in a mason jar for about a month, allowing it to ferment.
Harvest sells the moonshine by itself, but I chose to get mine as a Backwoods Lemonade, shaken with fresh lemon juice and agave nectar. If you’re not from ‘round here, you might choose the Hillbilly Martini with moonshine and Disaronno Italian liqueur. Harvest also serves a Moonshine Mimosa.
I admit, I was a little worried it would taste nasty. But what a pleasant surprise: The satiny purple juice is all sweetness and fruit, with that perfect tang from the lemon juice, and that’s about all.
Aside from the boozy blackberry garnish taken straight out of the jar, the alcohol was barely noticeable. Almost like it wasn’t even there at all ... But perhaps, that was the point?
