Labor Day is right around the corner, and with it comes the end of summer.
By that point, all of the “non-harmful algae compounds” that recently found their way into the State Water Project’s supply should be out of the local system. If you hadn’t heard about the incident, you might have smelled or tasted the evidence.
On Aug. 13, the city of Santa Maria announced that the Central Coast Water Authority alerted local municipalities using state water to the presence of what was identified as methyl isoborneol and geosmin—the latter of which, if Wikipedia is to be believed, we can thank for “the earthy taste of beets.” The former seems to be the culprit behind the delightfully named “cork taint” that sometimes plagues pinot people (and other varietals, I’m sure; I just couldn’t resist the alliteration).
First of all, let me explain a little bit about how water works. Santa Maria residents don’t drink from a single source. The city—acting like a winemaker or scotch producer aiming to create something new and amazing or cover up a wrong turn during fermentation—actually blends together water from various sources. The recipe as of late has been 80 percent groundwater and 20 percent state water, though local operators recently took the state’s percentage down to 16 percent. I don’t know how big a difference 4 percent makes, but it’s apparently enough of a distinction to warrant making the change.
The city, of course, tests and evaluates the water for compounds, and will continue to do so, and they reported on Aug. 13 that it should take about a week for the funk to work its way out of city pipes. If the water folks need to reduce the State Water Project’s supply even more, they’re prepared to do so to combat the algae’s unpleasant effects.
And what are those effects?
I’ve frequently seen them referred to as a musty odor or flavor. Since there’s no reported health risk, the downside seems to be merely a matter of taste.
“If you are experiencing an earthy or musty odor or taste in your water, consider chilling and/or adding lemon or lime to your water,” a report from the city suggested.
So, considering the aforementioned and forthcoming Labor Day, I wanted to come up with a cocktail or two you can serve at the End of Summer celebration you’re surely cooking up.
Mojito isoborneol
- 1) Mix 2 teaspoons of brown sugar, half a dozen mint leaves, and a splash of tap water into a glass
- 2) Muddle everything together; make sure the mint is pulped
- 3) Juice a lime, and pour the liquid into the muddled mess
- 4) Add ice (preferably frozen in advance from tap water)
- 5) Pour in 1 to 3 ounces of rum, depending on how strong you want the drink
- 6) Top off the glass with more tap water
- 7) Garnish with a sprig of mint left on a windowsill long enough to gather dust
Geosmargarita
- 1) Start this recipe several hours in advance by freezing tap water to make plenty of ice cubes
- 2) Squeeze the juice of several limes and lemons into a blender
- 3) Add 1 cup of triple sec
- 4) Add 1 cup of a tequila of your choice
- 5) Pour in 2 cups of ice
- 6) Blend everything until there are no longer coarse pieces of ice
- 7) Pour the mixture into martini glasses rimmed with potting soil
- 8) Float three thin, circular slices of beets, unwashed, on the surface of each glass
- 9) Add a beet wedge to the rims for garnish
Again, the taste and odor problem that’s plagued the city’s water supply should be gone by Labor Day, but that’s why I included the dusty mint and unwashed beets as ingredients in the recipes above. You’ll be able to capture the scent and aroma that (some) people noticed when they brought a glass of tap water to their lips without having to rely on the continued presence of byproducts from an algae bloom impacting state water supplies.
Yum!
And cheers!
The Canary should have been a bartender. Send your own drink recipes to canary@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Aug 21-28, 2014.