Mixology Monday: Fruit Liqueurs (Kinda)
Monday, April 14th, 2008
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It’s Mixology Monday time around here again, and this month we’re hosted by the lovely Anna at Morsels and Musings. Anna has chosen the theme of “Fruit Liqueurs” for this month’s edition.
Just to warn you before you invest too much personal (or work, heh) time, there are no fruit liqueurs used anywhere in this post.
There is a liqueur made from flowers, which eventually turn into berries. But flowers aren’t a fruit. There is wine, which I guess comes from fruit. But I boil the booze out of it and add a bunch of sugar, so it’s not really a liqueur, it’s a fruit syrup. Sorta.
But I really, really wanted to share this drink with you, because it tastes incredible and it embodies the sort of building-layers-of-flavor thing I’ve been working on lately.
When I found my first bottle of St. Germain elderflower liqueur last year, I was - like many of you - inspired by its unique flavor and wanted to use it in a cocktail. I mixed it with vodka, I mixed it with gin, I mixed it with lemon juice, and I sweetened it with simple syrup. And everything I came up with ended up being remarkably similar to this drink, which - while delicious - lacked the complexity I was looking for in a drink to put on my cocktail menu.
Enter Sweet Cheeks Winery. Their 2006 Estate Pinot Gris has something you won’t find in too many Oregon wines: big, ripe, juicy white peaches on the palate. And when I tasted it, I knew I had to find a way to work this baby into a cocktail.
East of Eden
1½ oz Bombay gin
1 oz fresh lemon juice
¾ oz pinot gris syrup*
½ oz St. Germain elderflower liqueur
Shake ingredients over cracked ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. No garnish is necessary, as it will just get in the way of the luscious aromas rising from the glass.
*To make pinot gris syrup, simmer one bottle pinot gris (or try experimenting with other local white wines - this is one drink that can evoke a sense of place) over medium heat until reduced by half. Add 12 ounces sugar and stir until clear. Bottle and chill until ready for use.
14 Apr 2008 at 11:33 am 1. Marleigh
I need one of these delivered to my house.
14 Apr 2008 at 6:26 pm 2. Jessica Hutchinson
That looks and sounds delicious!
15 Apr 2008 at 4:18 am 3. Anna
no fruit! that’s cheating!
but i guess i can forgive you seeing that drinking elderflower flavoured beverages is practically a national pastime in my husband’s homeland (sweden).
15 Apr 2008 at 6:59 am 4. Eugenia
A pleasure to finally meet you last night, Jeffrey! That absinthe-washed French 75 was delicious, thank you so much. The absinthe was just the perfect note to transform the drink into something rare and new, and I liked it less sweet than I usually make it. Really nice.
So I waffled between that and the East of Eden — wanted to keep drinking but that’s hard to do when your companion is sticking to a single glass of white wine, alas. But now that I read the recipe, I almost regret not bulldozing ahead.
I guess this means I get to see you again soon!
15 Apr 2008 at 6:05 pm 5. Jeffrey Morgenthaler
Thanks, everyone. And thanks for letting me cheat a bit, Anna!
Eugenia, it was a pleasure to meet you. You’ll have to come try some more libations next time!
Jeff
15 Apr 2008 at 8:07 pm 6. canary
a cocktail with pinot gris? hmmm….
16 Apr 2008 at 9:05 pm 7. Chris Bailey
It was great to see an elderflower recipe. A friend and I were just discussing this as it’s in some of the drinks at Range in San Francisco, and a few other hot bars there. Now, armed with your recipe, I’m excited to try it (and better yet that it uses gin, my usual favorite
17 Apr 2008 at 3:32 pm 8. Molly
Damn you. And here I thought I was going to go straight home from work like a good girl.
17 Apr 2008 at 4:37 pm 9. Aimee Scarlett
Nice name for a beautiful drink…How’d you know?
Considering that’s one of my favorite books and that it uses my favorite gin, I’ll look forward to trying it next time I’m at Bel Ami.
18 Apr 2008 at 1:43 am 10. Jeffrey Morgenthaler
Molly
I hope you enjoyed the drink!
Aimee
I went to the same high school as John Steinbeck, and grew up with an elder tree in my backyard. Also, I love working with gin, so now you know where the drink really came from. I look forward to making you one soon!
18 Apr 2008 at 7:13 pm 11. Alex Frane
Man, that sounds amazing. Are you selling it at Bel Ami? Can I stop in and get one?
18 Apr 2008 at 7:27 pm 12. Aimee Scarlett
I am so insanely jealous that you went to the same high school as Steinbeck.
So on a more technical note (and maybe this should go on the Saz blog) I attempted to make a Sazerac for a young guest the other night at work and in a hurry as usual, I couldn’t get the sugar cube to dissolve and I couldn’t keep stirring it for time’s sake, which resulted in unsightly white crystals in the bottom of my cocktail. I was irritated but had to go serve food to people. I had considered using the simple syrup, but John had hidden it from me.
Anyway long story short, is there any good way to ensure the darn sugar cube disintegrates in a timely fashion without compromising the drink quality? Many times I have much less time than I’d like to craft the drink.
19 Apr 2008 at 9:51 am 13. Jeffrey Morgenthaler
Aimee
Ask me again under the Sazerac post and I will tell you what’s going wrong with your sugar cube.
20 Apr 2008 at 12:07 am 14. von Hottie
If you go to The Dove in New York City, (228 Thompson Street) and you order a von Hottie - it’s St’ Germain with champagne and a lemon twist. Delicious.Ask for Mara - she makes it the best.
22 Apr 2008 at 5:41 pm 15. Chris Bailey
Tried my hand at this tonight. Came out well! For various circumstances that nobody cares about, I used Plymouth Gin instead of Bombay, but it was still good. Fair bit sweeter than I imagined (although I guess should be obvious). My wife really liked it a lot as well. I used the same Sweet Cheeks Pinot Gris. I’ll be making again tomorrow (wife requested it for a party she’s going to
24 Apr 2008 at 11:39 am 16. Jeffrey Morgenthaler
Chris
I think this drink has a sort of sweetness that happens on the mid-palate, but I find the finish to be nice and bracing. I think a lot of that comes from the St. Germain, which I find has a really complex sweet/sour profile.
Ain’t like pouring a bunch of triple sec in there, that’s for sure!