In 2010, Ruth Laskey, a talented artist who weaves hand-dyed threads into graphic shapes, was one of the Bay Area artists chosen for the biennial SECA (Society for the Encouragement of Contemporary Art) award and whose work would be featured at SFMOMA. She also happened to be Leah's classmate from the California College of the Arts. Thrilled to collaborate with an artist as she produced her work, we arranged a studio visit to see the weavings Ruth was creating for the show. She had a series of six sketches, each with two intersecting shapes of different colors, and she had started weaving the pieces based on her sketches. I suggested assigning a flavor to each color, and where the colors overlapped, so would the flavors. We decided that a liquid of one flavor chilled with ice cubes of a second flavor would be an interesting approach: as the ice cubes melted, the flavors would slowly overlap.
My good friend Paul Einbund, an extraordinary sommelier and a genius at making seasonal sodas, taught us how to make a concentrated syrup by muddling an ingredient with sugar, adding cold water, and then chilling the mixture to allow the flavor to infuse. When sparkling water is added to the concentrate, the result is a lightly sweetened soda with pure flavor.
Leah discovered that just about anything could be given this treatment—from fresh fruit and herbs to licorice candy, and even bubblegum—giving us limitless options for homemade sodas. I like to use standard Eureka lemons in this recipe because I prefer their classic, extra-sour flavor, but Meyer lemons will also work.
We created a soda and ice cube combination for each of the six weavings created for the SECA exhibition, from her larger twill series, and rotated through them on a daily basis: peppermint soda with licorice ice cubes for the blue/black weaving, green pepper soda with orange blossom ice cubes for the orange/green, chokecherry soda with rose ice cubes for the two-toned pink weaving, bubblegum soda with violet ice cubes for the pink/purple, hibiscus soda with eucalyptus ice cubes for the magenta/green, and lemon soda with bay ice cubes for the yellow/green.
We served each drink on a custom wood tray made for us by the installation crew at the SFMOMA. Stained to match the frames around Ruth's weavings, the tray held the glass and two small vials containing threads used in the artwork that had been scented to correspond with the flavors in the drink. With visual, taste, and olfactory components, the Laskey sodas offered guests a multisensory experience and a direct connection to the art, and they were our most conceptual creations to date.
Do Ahead: The ice cubes can be made in advance and stored in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months. The soda concentrate can be made up to 1 week ahead and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Above and Beyond: At the museum, we use small half-sphere silicone molds to make flavored ice cubes, but any ice cube tray will work. Keep in mind, though, the smaller the cubes, the quicker they'll melt, and the sooner the flavors will merge in the drink. A small piece of bay leaf can be added to the cube for additional flavor and a pretty pop of color. Scented textile threads might be impossible to make at home, but my friend Daniel Patterson, chef-owner of Coi restaurant in San Francisco, came up with a great way of incorporating aromas while eating or drinking. Just dab a drop of lemon and bay essential oil (see Resources) on your wrist, and when you bring the glass to your mouth, you'll take in the fragrance.
Resources: Essential oils: libertynatural.com
Half sphere 0.7 ounce, 12/3-inch diameter flexipan: jbprince.com
Recipe notes
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