The Food Diaries

Melon vodka

Inspired by food blogger David Lebovitz, with his recipe for a strawberry-infused vodka, I decided to give it a go myself substituting with the fragrant Charentais melon.

The recipe couldn’t be simpler: In a large jar place chunks of fragrant melon flesh (1 small melon), cover with 1 bottle (750ml) of vodka. Cover and store in a cool, dark place for around 4 days (depending on the ripeness and flavour of the fruit this may need an extra couple more days).

Strain through a cheesecloth, discard the fruit (most of its flavour will have been transferred to the vodka) and pour back into the vodka bottle.

Cocktails recipe using vodka melon will appear in upcoming diary entries.

Note: you can use a relatively inexpensive vodka for this recipe as the fruit will be doing all the work to add the flavour.

Strawberry Kir

In a small wine goblet pour in 1 part creme de fraise or other strawberry liqueur, to 5 parts chilled white Burgundy wine.

The Algonquin cocktail

Named after the legendary Algonquin Hotel in New York City, this is a classic 3-ingredient cocktail; not too sweet, not too dry, and surprisingly, can even be appreciated by non-whiskey drinkers.

In a cocktail shaker 1/3 filled with ice pour in 45 ml rye whiskey, 30 ml vermouth (such as Noilly Prat), and 30 ml pineapple juice. Stir gently till very cold. Pour into a chilled cocktail glass. Adding a few drops of orange bitters is a nice touch. This cocktail requires no garnish to complete it.

Serves 1.

Mai Thai cocktail

This is a twist on the traditional Mai Tai (Tahitian for “good”) using Thai rum instead of the Caribbean varieties of dark and white rum.

In a cocktail shaker 1/3 filled with ice pour in 30ml Sangsom Thai dark rum, 20ml apricot liqueur, 20ml Cointreau, a dash or two of grenadine, a few drops of Angostura bitters, the juice of 1/2 lime and 60ml pineapple juice. Shake vigorously and strain into a highball 1/3 filled with ice. Garnish with fresh mint, a slice of lime, a cocktail cherry and a piece of exotic fruit (such as pineapple or passion fruit).

Serves 1.

Mango Bellini

This is a lovely, early summer alternative to the traditional (white peach) Bellini - and what better way to celebrate the summer solstice than with such a sunny cocktail?

This recipe really works best with a super-fragrant mango, such as the Alphonso from India (in season right now for a short time only!).

Peel, core and chop  2 small Alphonso mangoes. Puree in a blender to a smooth consistency (add a dash of water if too thick).

Spoon 1 tbs mango puree into the bottom of champagne flutes (4-6) and top with a bottle of Prosecco (or other sparkling white wine). 

Serves 4-6.

Mila’s apricot jam cocktail

This is my new favourite cocktail using a fab apricot liqueur from Salzburg, Austria called Nannerl. It is a sweet/sour combo balancing the sweetness of the Bourbon and apricot with the sourness of the lemon juice. A good summer option.

In a cocktail shaker 1/3 filled with ice add 40ml Bourbon (Maker’s Mark), 20ml apricot liqueur (Nannerl), 25ml lemon juice, 25ml passion fruit juice (or orange juice), 1 tbs apricot jam and a dash of orange bitters. Shake well, till the shaker becomes quite cold and strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

Serves 1. 

 Strawberry summer punch - German Erdbeerbowle 

Take 400g strawberries, sliced and place in a bowl. Sprinkle on 1/2 cup sugar and the juice of 2 lemons, stir and refrigerate for 2 hours. Strain the juice and set aside in the fridge. Add 1 bottle white wine (Riesling or Gewurztraminer) to the strawberries and return to the fridge for another hour. Place all in a punch bowl and top with 1 bottle sparkling white wine. Serve in punch cups with cocktail picks (to scoop out the strawberries).

Optional: add 100ml strawberry liqueur and 100ml Pimms No.1 to the strawberry juice, and150ml rose lemonade to the punch bowl.

Ruby Punch

This cocktail has orange juice as its base is a good option for an early-bird crowd. The bitter Campari keeps the overall effect from being too sweet or cloying.

In a large punch bowl (7-8 litre capacity) mix together the following (pre-chilled): 1 litre Campari, 700ml vodka, 350ml Triple Sec, and 4 litres freshly squeezed blood orange juice. Stir, and then add the following to taste (i.e. depending on how sweet/strong you like your drinks): 250ml raspberry syrup and 1 litre sparkling water. Garnish with small wedges of blood oranges (2 oranges).

Serve in small punch glasses. This will provide 30 people with two smallish (100ml) servings.

Bloody Margarita

In a cocktail shaker 1/3 filled with ice add 30ml Reposado (or other preferred tequila), 15ml Grand Marnier, the juice of 1/2 lime, and 25ml Sicilian blood orange juice (freshly squeezed). Shake vigorously till quite cold. Strain into a small tumbler and add ice.

Black Forest Gateau Cocktail

No doubt about it, this is dessert in a glass.

In a cocktail shaker half-filled with ice pour in 30ml Maker’s Mark Bourbon, 20ml Walnut liqueur, a dash of Monin Chocolate syrup, a dash of grated cinnamon, and a dash of Luxardo/maraschino cherry syrup. Shake thoroughly, and taste for sweetness and balance of flavour. Adjust as needed and strain into a digestif glass and garnish with a maraschino cherry, or two (Luxardo does a lovely version which isn’t lurid red).

Neapolitan

Here’s a variation on the “Cosmo” Cosmopolitan cocktail using grape juice as the mixer. It doesn’t sound particularly sophisticated but it does add a brighter, stronger flavour than the standard cranberry juice. 

In a cocktail shaker half-filled with ice, add 50ml Stoli vodka (or Absolut Citron will do nicely), 25ml Cointreau, 25ml grape juice, and the juice of 1/2 a lime. Shake vigorously and strain into a chilled, Martini glass. Add a twist of lime as a garnish. 

Serves 1

Port of Spain Cooler

In a tumbler half-filled with ice cubes, stir in 50ml Trinidadian dark rum (such as Angostura Single Barrel Reserve), the juice of half a lime, a shake or two of rhubarb bitters (angostura may be substituted), a dash of Monin coconut syrup (or substitute with a coconut liqueur) and top with freshly pressed rhubarb and apple juice. Serves 1.

To serve a crowd, simply multiply up the quantities and serve in a large jug or punch bowl half-filled with ice.

Pineapple rum punch

Punches have come back into vogue recently and have the advantage over most cocktails of being super easy to put together and serve at a party. It also provides the perfect excuse to seek out a vintage punch bowl set….

Caribbean punches are traditionally composed of one part sour, two parts sweet, three parts strong, four parts weak. The amount below are for around 8 servings (somehow smaller batches don’t taste quite as good!) and I have adjusted the recipe to be somewhat sweeter and stronger, so feel free to adjust the quantities to taste.

In a jug mix together 80ml freshly squeezed lime juice, 120ml pineapple-flavoured sugar syrup*, 120ml strained pineapple juice*, 200ml dark rum, 80ml white rum, 120ml brandy, and a few good shakes of Angostura bitters. Keep chilled till ready to use along with a 1/2 bottle of Prosecco.

Pour the contents of the jug into a punch bowl, add some ice cubes, and pour over the Prosecco (or sparkling water to taste if you prefer a weaker cocktail).

Serve in punch cups along with a light grating of nutmeg. 

* To make the syrup and juice place 1 cup sugar, 1/2 cup water and 2 cups cubed pineapple in a small pot and bring to a boil. Simmer for just a few minutes then take off the heat. Strain the syrup and chill. Puree the pineapple pieces and pass through a fine sieve, using the back of a spatula to extract as much liquid as possible (or squeeze the juice through a fine muslin).

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