Photo by Michael Piazza / Styled by Kyisha Davenport

For the final story I’ll share with you this year, a cross between a Q&A and a collection of personalized cocktail recipes, I reached out to a handful of my folks to thank them, shine the spotlight on them and make them (and you!) each a cocktail based on their favorite winter traditions and flavors. You’ll also learn a bit more about their phenomenal work in food, education and culture—all of which welcomes your support.

Tersillia Valentini is a bartender at Black Lamb and Franklin Café in the South End. She keeps Boston both hydrated and thirsty for more with her cocktail pop-up, Roots and Libations (@rootsandlibations) when she’s not at her main bars. Biplaw Rai and his Comfort Kitchen team are currently serving deliciousness at Little Dipper in Jamaica Plain, and will move into their forever home on Columbia Road in Uphams Corner in 2022! Biplaw is also in excellent company as one of the WBUR ARTery 25—Artists of Color Transforming the Cultural Landscape.

KYISHA: What ingredient(s) did you choose, and why?
BIPLAW: I chose timur pepper because it represents home for me—in Nepal, and here in Massachusetts. It is in the same family as Szechuan peppercorns. Though it has a similar tingling, mouth-numbing sensation, it has really bright citrus notes and flavor that make it essential to Nepali seasonings and curries.
TERSILLIA: I chose sumac because of its earthy tartness, which is ideal for me in food and drinks. Those qualities balance rich, warm flavors really well, especially in fall and winter dishes.

KD: Where can we find timur pepper and sumac in Boston?
BR: You can find timur at any Nepali grocery store or sometimes Indian grocery stores, too. TV: You can forage staghorn sumac almost any time of the year, but you’ll also find it in dried or powdered form at local specialty stores like Tropical Foods in Roxbury.

KD: How did you two meet?
B&T: We first met in the corridors of Commonwealth Kitchen in Dorchester!

KD: What is special to you about our community, or being “in community” together?
BR: Community is family to me. Just like my family, I like to see my community members safe, healthy and thriving. For many of us not born and raised in Boston, creating a community is vital for our survival. It’s everything—and the pandemic has definitely taught us that, for sure.

KD: Say we’re hanging out in Boston: Where’s our go-to place to eat and drink together—or what places do you recommend folks try out?
TERSILLIA: First stop is to keep it light with drinks from Mike and games at A4cade in Central [Square, Cambridge], then up the block for bites at Little Donkey. Head over the bridge to the South End for dinner at MIDA, and then dessert—an espresso martini from Marsha—at SRV. Eventually, make your way down to Franklin Café and have a nightcap (or two) with Kayla and Anna. Cheers!

SUMAC SOUR

Makes 1 cocktail

2 ounces timur pepper–infused Rhodium gin (see instructions below)
1 ounce sumac syrup
¾ ounce lemon juice
1 egg white

Build all ingredients in a shaker. Dry shake (shake without ice) until egg white is frothy, about 20 seconds. Add 1 ice cube and shake until ice completely dissolves. Using a fine-mesh strainer, pour the cocktail into chilled coupe glass. Tap strainer to shaker over glass to release foam.

Timur-infused gin: Crush about 10–12 whole timur peppercorns in 2 ounces of Rhodium gin. Let gin sit for an hour, swirling and tasting every 20 minutes. The gin is ready when you can feel the mild numbing sensation of the timur.

Sumac Syrup: Mix 2 parts cane sugar to 1 part ground sumac berries and 1 part hot water. Stir well. When sugar is dissolved, strain at least twice into a clean container. Light sumac sediment in the syrup is normal.

This recipe appeared in the Winter 2022 issue as part of a larger story, Winter Cocktails: In Community.