A Twist on July 4th: Oysters & Whiskey
My Achilles' heel for holiday gatherings is that I can never leave a traditional theme alone. I’m always looking for a way to mix things up.
So for July 4th, I started thinking about what I could serve instead of the usual hamburgers and hot dogs that would still feel at home at a backyard barbecue.
As my mind worked around the issue, I remembered something from my work with Billion Oyster Project: In the 17- and 1800s, oyster carts lined the streets of New York City. That got me wondering what makes a great oyster sandwich. And just as importantly…what cocktail would I pair it with?
Now, let me be clear: I am not a chef or bartender. But I have plenty of pros I can call.
For the sandwich, I called fellow oyster aficionado, Chef Kerry Heffernan of Grand Banks, Holywater, and other delicious destinations. He gave me the base recipe so that I could start testing and playing, and shared plenty of notes on the presentation — which I always appreciate. When it came to perfecting every little detail, I called two of my BFFs and sister chefs, Lori and Kristy, who I knew would obsess with me to get it right. Some ideas made the cut…and some didn’t (Cute lettuce scribble, Lor!), but in the end, the sandwich was DELISH.
Texts with Chef Kerry Heffernan about how to make a fried oyster sandwich.
One of my besties weighs in.
For the whiskey cocktail, it needed to be fresh, summery, and offset the fried oysters. I had ideas but needed the right spirit balance. So I called my friend Wendy, who heads up TV and film product placement for Michter’s. (If you’ve seen Michter’s on TV — and I know you have! — it’s because of Wendy.)
Then, instead of turning to the mixologists in my life, I drew inspiration from my Grandma Waible’s favorite cocktail. Or, rather, my not-so-perfect memory of her favorite cocktail.
On PIX 11’s New York Living, I told viewers we were making what my grandma called a “Woo Woo,” only to later get a text from my dad correcting me...it’s actually called a “Woojee.”
A “Woojee?”
One fateful Christmas season, after one of Grandma’s brothers-in-law mixed her a 7 and 7 with lemon and sugar, she took a sip and exclaimed, “WOO! GEE!” And thus, the “Woojee” (spelling is up for debate!) was born.
Texts with my dad setting me straight!
For my July 4th version, I took Grandma’s inspiration and gave it a summery whiskey sour twist.
How to Make My Version of Grandma’s ‘Woojee” (AKA a Whiskey Sour)
Pour a shot of whiskey into a cocktail shaker
Add a half-shot of simple syrup (just boil sugar and water in equal parts)
Squeeze in half a lemon
Shake it like crazy!
Pour over ice
Optional: Add some mint to turn the Whiskey Sour into a Whiskey Smash
And how about that Fourth of July fried oyster sandwich? Your call on whether you want to make it first or have a Whiskey Sour to sip on while cooking. 😉
Prep Your Oysters
You’ll need about 4-6 4-6 good sized shucked oysters for each sandwich – I got mine locally from Peconic Gold Oysters, but you can use any local oyster (or even canned oysters) for this dish. Bigger is better.
Pat them dry.
Coat the oysters in a standard dredge, AKA…
Set up three bowls: Bowl 1 with flour, Bowl 2 with whisked egg, and Bowl 3 with panko, salt, pepper — and if you have it, paprika.
Coat each oyster in that order: flour, egg, panko mixture.
For two sandwiches, start with approximately ¼ cup flour, 1 beaten egg, and ½ cup panko.
Pro tip: Add paprika to your panko to achieve that perfect golden brown!
Fry the Oysters for the Sandwich
Preheat your air fryer to 400°F.
Spray the fryer with avocado oil cooking spray - and then place the oysters in and spray the first side.
Air fry at 400°F for 4 minutes, then flip, spray again, and fry the other side for 4 minutes (8 minutes total). Note that you can also pan fry on the stove in just a little bit of vegetable oil — you have options!
Place the cooked oysters on a rack to rest. In my testing, they were great after resting for 20-30 minutes. If you’re cooking for a crowd, you can also refrigerate them promptly and give them a quick re-crisp in the air fryer just before serving.
And most importantly, DON’T WORRY about the oysters looking perfect. Mostly because the tartar sauce is the star. I mean, for me, the sauce, dressing, condiment, drizzle, or dip is always the star. But I digress.
Mix the Homemade Tartar Sauce
(This is enough for about two sandwiches, so batch up from here!)
1 tbsp sweet relish
1 tbsp mayo
1 slice of sweet onion (chopped)
5 cornichons (chopped)
5-10 capers (a mini forkful is all you need!)
Chopped fresh dill
Squeeze of lemon
Salt and pepper to taste
Assemble the Fried Oyster Sandwich
Slather the sauce on your bread of choice (I loved the brioche hot dog bun sliced on top - and no need to toast it!)
Pile on the oysters - I did about 5-6 per sandwich, but ultimately, you just want to fill the bun. (See pics & video!)
Add a little more tartar on top
Garnish with thin-sliced cornichons & fresh dill
Serve with potato chips and ENJOY!!
Carrie