Cocktails
Kaffir Lime Mojito
One of my favourite recipes from my new book How to Drink without Drinking. I absolutely adore the flavour of kaffir limes which are wonderfully fragrant in comparison to ordinary limes – a bit like a bergamot is to a lemon. They more than make up for the lack of rum in this classic cocktail.
If you can’t find fresh kaffir limes, you can use the more widely available frozen ones, but the flavour of the rind is not quite so intense. I suggest garnishing the drink with a wedge of ordinary lime, though, because the pith of kaffir limes is so thick.
SERVES 1
about 10 mint leaves, plus 1 sprig to garnish
pinch of coarse sea salt
30ml (2 tbsp) Kaffir Lime Syrup (see below)
wedge of lime
crushed ice
chilled soda water, to top up
Put the mint leaves in the bottom of a wide, heavy-based tumbler, sprinkle over the salt and lightly crush with a muddler or the end of a rolling pin. Pour in the kaffir lime syrup, then squeeze over the wedge of lime, drop it into the glass and stir.
Fill the glass halfway with crushed ice, top up with chilled soda water and stir. Garnish with a sprig of mint and serve.
For the kaffir lime syrup
Makes 300ml/10 fl oz
3-4 kaffir limes
200g (7oz) caster sugar
300ml (10 fl oz) water
Using a vegetable peeler finely peel the rind of the kaffir limes, taking with it as little of the white pitch as possible. Juice the limes and set aside.
To make the syrup put the sugar in a saucepan and add the measured water. Place over a low heat, stirring occasionally until the sugar has completely dissolved. Bring to the boil and add the lime rind then simmer for 3 minutes. Take off the heat and leave to cool.
Stir in the lime juice then strain the syrup through a fine sieve into a wide-necked jug or bowl. Pour through a funnel into a sterlised bottle or jar, seal and store in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
6 easy cocktails to make for Valentine’s Day
Making a cocktail doesn’t have to involve the skills of a bartender, a battery of equipment and a shelf full of obscure bottles. You can make a simple cocktail for your beloved with as little as two ingredients - so long as they’re red or pink . . .
Here are six simple ideas. Feel free to improvise . . .
BELLINIS
Originally made with the juice of fresh white peaches topped up with prosecco that’s not going to be the easiest cocktail to run up at this time of year unless you’re in the southern hemisphere.
A company called funkin pro does a white peach purée in a 1 kilo bag though which you can order from amazon or make a raspberry bellini instead with fresh or thawed frozen raspberries, blitzed in a blender with a little icing sugar and strained.
Or use that most sexy of raspberry liqueurs, Chambord, to make a framboise royale
RASPBERRY MOJITO
Just crushed raspberries mint and white rum. Simples!
THE ECLIPSE (AKA WATERMELON MARTINI)
A bartender told me about this the other day and it sounds delicious. Basically you pour 2 shots (60ml) of frozen vodka and 1 shot (30ml) of fresh lime juice into a shaker full of chopped watermelon flesh and ice adding a little gomme (sugar syrup) if your watermelon isn’t that ripe. Shake well and strain into a chilled martini glass.
PINK BLOSSOM
One of a number of cocktails devised by port producer Croft who sell a pink port. That of course will outrage traditionalists but it's perfect for V Day. It calls for St Germain Elderflower liqueur but I don’t see why you can’t use a mixture of elderflower cordial and vodka if you can't get your hands on some. I like the frozen berry garnish too.
RHUBARB MARTINI
You might not be turned on by the idea of rhubarb but you have to admit the forced rhubarb that’s in season at the moment is dead pretty. If making it from scratch poach your own rhubarb then strain off the rhubarb syrup and shake it up with some vodka or gin - and lemongrass according to this stylish recipe from Diffordsguide.com. Or you can buy rhubarb vodka readymade - Chase does one which is stocked by The Whisky Exchange but it’s not cheap. If you’re organised enough next year you could make your own.
PORN STAR MARTINI
OK, it's not pink but it's suggestive which makes up for it. There are variations but basically it's vanilla-flavoured vodka (or vodka and vanilla sugar), Passoa (passionfruit liqueur) and passionfruit pulp topped up with champagne - or served with a champagne shooter on the side.
That's a couple more ingredients than the others which might deter you unless you have a handy offie like Gerry’s of Old Compton Street or a well-stocked supermarket* nearby but it is a modern classic.
You can also turn your cocktail into a dessert as you can see from this post
* Other shops with good spirits and liqueurs selections include larger branches of Marks & Spencer and Waitrose.
Image © Jag_cz - Fotolia.com
RSS
Most popular
.jpg)
9 great wine pairings for duck (updated)
My latest book
How to Drink without DrinkingNews and views
.jpg)
Fine Wine and Fast Food
About Fiona
About Matching Food & Wine
Work with me
