Gazoz: A Summer Spent Sipping and Reconnecting
On one of our final days in Israel during a family trip in December 2021, we spent a rainy afternoon trying to make our way to Cafe Levinsky41. Friends of mine at Artisan Books had let me know that Benny Briga and Adeena Sussman had a drink cookbook forthcoming and that this cafe with its one of a kind sips could not be missed. Between the tour bus schedule, the torrential rain and our lack of a direct route due to be unfamiliar with the neighborhood, we had to reconcile that one trip to Israel was not enough and that Cafe Levinsky41 would be added to a long list of things that would require our return.
Thus this missed experience led me to obsessively follow the progress of the Gazoz Cookbook with absolute delight and anticipation. While I waited, I planted what I affectionately called my gazoz Garden. When my review copy finally arrived 18 months later I had mint, nasturtiums, lavender, coriander, basil, sage and more cascading over my garden walls like a waterfall of flavors, colors and drink pizazz. Upon unwrapping my copy of Gazoz, I took it straight to the kitchen and started pulling out fruit, sugar, spices and mason jars and so began my summer of gazoz making. With the pandemic bringing all of our entertaining outdoors, the gazoz has become my signature drink. I have even been known to arrive at friends decks and backyards with my cloth bag clinking with jars full of fermented spices, fruits and syrups and a vase of fresh herbs.
Sometimes the longing for a missed opportunity leads to exponentially more. I know I will find my way back to the Gazoz Cafe in the heart of the Levinsky Market and these one of a kind drinks that I create at home in the Pacific Northwest for my friends and family are not only pieces of art, gifts of flavor but also of an experience and a story. I love that no two are ever alike, just like each person I serve it to.
Jesica is a librarian and book critic. To see what else she is reading, loving or recommending follow Jesica on Instagram, Facebook or visit her profile at Wrapt to see what else she is reviewing here.