Dirty French Chef

''There are usually drinks that men like, and women don't," says Petit Robert Bistro chef and owner Jacky Robert. ''And then there are drinks women like, but men won't touch. But everybody seems to like this drink."

The creation that's crisscrossing gender lines is Robert's Dirty French Chef, an unorthodox libation made with rhubarb juice and Kahlua, served in a glass rimmed with balsamic vinegar and sugar. The combination of flavors is sweet and savory with just a hint of bitterness, much like a real-life dirty French chef. The name of the drink comes from a nickname once bestowed upon Robert, thanks to his kitchen talk about affairs of the heart and hormones. Years later, when he came up with the recipe for the rhubarb cocktail, he thought the randy name seemed appropriate.

While the recipe sounds simple -- Kahlua and rhubarb juice -- Robert goes to great lengths to extract raw juice from the stalks. He cuts them into one-inch pieces (below, top left), and then places them in the blender.

''It's not something natural, like squeezing the juice out of an orange," he says. ''It's very dry, and you can't add water because you need pure rhubarb juice."

After blending repeatedly, he squeezes the rhubarb pulp by hand (below, top right) to free any remaining juice. When the juice is poured into a glass (bottom left), it settles with a layer of sediment at the top and a layer at the bottom. The center is a clear, rose-colored fluid. Robert then freezes the glass of juice, and after it solidifies, he cuts away the sediment layers at both ends (bottom right), leaving him with the pure juice from the center. When the juice is thawed, it's finally ready to be mixed with the Kahlua and shaken over ice.

''You can make it at home," Robert says. ''But it's a lot easier to come in and get it here."