Courtesy Christian “Suzu” Suzuki, bar manager at Wildhawk, San Francisco
“The name Catbus Garden comes from the Catbus spirit in the Japanese animated film, My Neighbor Totoro—a film I grew up watching,” Suzuki explains. “I remember in the film, the children would eat cucumber and corn with so much happiness and joy. I too, as a child, enjoyed cucumber and corn on a hot summer day in Japan.”
Corn potage—a creamy corn soup— provided inspiration for the syrup in this refreshing drink.
Ingredients
Directions
Combine all ingredients in a Collins glass. Add pebbled or crushed ice, then use a swizzle stick or long-handled bar spoon to gently mix.
Garnish with sliced cucumber.
How to make *Corn Potage Syrup
Boil 2 ears of corn until kernels soften. Remove kernels.
Combine corn kernels, 1 cup sugar, 1 cup preferred milk alternative and pinches of salt and pepper in pot and bring to a boil. Transfer to a blender, blitz and strain.
For a simplified version, combine equal parts heated milk alternative and sugar, stirring until the sugar dissolves. It won’t be quite as flavorful as the corn version but will yield a similar result in the finished drink.
This article originally appeared in the June/July 2022 issue of Wine Enthusiast magazine. Click here to subscribe today!
Last Updated: June 6, 2023