Most of the Pacific Northwest has thawed by mid-spring, when rhubarb’s stalks heave their way past the dewy hyacinth leaves and other early-blooming perennials — unless it was grown indoors, or forced, for an earlier crop in January. Part of rhubarb’s charm is that it prepares and excites us for the wave of warmth and abundant growth after a winter diet of pears and apples.

But not everyone agrees on its virtuousness. Is it esoteric or rustic? With those lush Jurassic-sized, insect-repelling leaves and thick fibrous stalks, resplendent or peculiar?

Its mild tannin-y character and austere appearance, no matter what shape you divine those stalks into, can make it difficult to tease the palate or form a mental picture of them gracing an elegant dessert plate. When you further consider that the term rhubarbis used in baseball parlance to refer to a heated disagreement, especially between players and umpires, it’s not such a hard thing to wonder if rhubarb is the most divisive edible ever.

So it’s tempting to think that before rhubarb will submit to being eaten it first has to hide among strawberries, another of spring’s first, to smooth out its astringency and benefit from the berry’s superior aesthetic score. Or to think that you need to spike it with, say, an orange liqueur to give it a burst of citrus notes and a welcome, if overcomplicated, complexity. Even the most devout rhubarb skeptics might agree that the concentrated sweetness and bouquet of the liqueur pair amazingly with rhubarb to create an assertive sweet-sour vibe. As a born poseur, though, the citrus tends to dominate the palate and mask rhubarb’s intensely bright and tangy flavour.

This recipe, then, showcases rhubarb’s distinctive character — its unfairly maligned tartness — on its own, without interference from any overarching flavour or ingredient For a crystal-clear garnet hue, choose bright red- not green- stemmed rhubarb.

Rhubarb Cordial
1 pound fresh trimmed rhubarb, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 ounce vodka
ó ounce Campari or other bitters (optional)
1/4 to 1/2 ounce simple syrup

Make raw rhubarb juice by puréeing rhubarb in a food processor until smooth. Alternatively, use a juicer to extract the liquid from the rhubarb stalks. Add the purée to a strainer doubly lined with a cheesecloth and set over a bowl. Gather the ends of the cheesecloth and firmly squeeze the rhubarb to release the juice. Reserve the pulp for baking or stir it into your porridge.

Transfer the juice to a clear liquid measuring cup and refrigerate for at least 6 hours or overnight. When you see the sediment has settled, strain off the red juice that rose to the top and discard the sediment.

Fill two-thirds of a cocktail shaker with ice cubes. Add 1ó ounces of rhubarb juice, the vodka, optional bitters and simple syrup. Shake well. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

This recipe makes enough rhubarb juice for five cocktails, approximately.