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Sour Cherry Caipirinha

Caipirinhas are the Brazilian national cocktail, and are made by crushing limes with sugar, and then mixing them with cachaca, a liquor derived from sugar cane.  I crave them every once in a while, both because of my frightening addiction to highly acidic foods, as well as their refreshing nature.  The other day I thought I would make a sour cherry version, with early Summer's fleeting tart fruit.  I have a very captive audience these days, since my grandparents are visiting, and they have long enjoyed being KC guinea pigs.  There is nothing complicated about the recipe.  I just followed our basic Caipirinha Cocktail http://www.kitchencaravan.com/segment/caipirinha-101, and after crushing the limes with the sugar, I added a few pitted sour cherries, and crushed them slightly.  At the end, I garnished the cocktail with a cherry as well.  The result is a beautiful cocktail with fuschia traces, that leaves you with some sweet and sour cherries at the end.  Enjoy!

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July 5, 2012   |   182 comments
Tags: Drinks, Food, Fruit, Fusion, Latin America, Latin America
Recipe
Fall Crush

2 tablespoons slow roasted grapes*

1 ounce Vodka (preferably Hangar One Fraser River Raspberry)

1/2 ounce Creme D'Yvette, or another violet liquer

Juice of 1 lime

1 tablespoon Honey Syrup

Ice

Rosemary Sprigs

Soda Water

Whiskey glass

Instructions for one cocktail:

Put the grapes in the bottom of the glass and pour over the alcohols and lime juice. Stir in the honey syrup and taste to see how balanced the flavors are. Add ice and stir again.  Light up a gas flame on low or use a lighter and run the rosemary along the flame until it catches and crackles a little with the flame. Dip the sprig into the drink and stir. Top up with soda water and serve.

This drink looks lovely served in a ball jar with a nice, big straw.

* Slow roasting grapes is easy, just rinse them, remove them from the vine, and roast them at 275°F for 30 minutes. Save them in a jar or dish and reserve the concentrated pan juices.

To make the Honey Syrup: heat up about 1/2 cup of honey in a small saucepan with 1/4 cup water. Stir over low heat and simmer slightly for about 3-5 minutes. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature. This just makes the honey more liquid and able to dissolve into the drink.

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October 15, 2010   |   0 comments
Tags: Drinks
Recipe
Honey Blossom Mojitos

We debuted this recipe last week and immediately fell in love. We are always splashing orange blossom water in whatever feels right, and this combination was incredible. Usually we are sticklers for real organic cane sugar to be used in our mojitos, but the honey and orange blossom together are fabulous. There is no exact recipe that we follow, so these are the guidelines:

Use a scotch glass or other sort of tumbler.

Pour 1 to 1 1/2 ounces of rum (we use brown rum in our mojitos), such as Flor de Cana, into the tumbler.

Add 1 ounce Honey Syrup (see below) and stir.

Use 2 limes or 3-4 key limes (rinse them well under hot water), and juice them all you can into the glass. Toss in the rinds. Mash with the back of a spoon or another utensil to release the oils from the skins.

Add a splash (about 1 T) orange blossom water and stir everything together.

Add ice and top off with sparkling water. Stir once more and serve with a few torn mint leaves.

Makes 1 glass.

To make the Honey Syrup: heat up about 1/2 cup of honey in a small saucepan with 1/4 cup water. Stir over low heat and simmer slightly for about 3-5 minutes. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature. This just makes the honey more liquid and able to dissolve into the drink.

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May 5, 2010   |   0 comments
Tags: Caribbean, Drinks, Latin America
Blog entry
A Garden of Cocktails

Last Summer my family and I went out to Montana to visit my uncle and aunt at their ranch. My aunt is a fabulous cook, and I spent many hours reading through her cookbook library. One of my favorite books that I came across was The Gentleman’s Companion: Volume II, Being an Exotic Drinking Book or, Around the World with Jigger, Beaker and Flask by Charles H. Baker, Jr. The book had actually belonged to my grandfather, and seeing that I loved it so much, my uncle and aunt sent me a copy that they found for my birthday. Each cocktail description made me laugh our loud and wish that one day I can write a cocktail book with recipes such as The Sahara Glowing Heart Cocktail, which will also include instructions for how to enjoy each libation, “ . . . when out under the moon in a desert overnight camp, riding camels out across the vast dunes, or strolling in the moonlight around the Sphinx with some congenial young woman companion.”

Anyway, it was in this book that I found much of my inspiration for cocktail making this year, as well as learned about many old family traditions. As it turns out, my grandfather was famous for his Ramos Fizz cocktails, which he would make every year for their famous "Breakfast Party". Having just learned this, the variation on the recipe, the Fizz à la Violette, which is a Ramos Fizz with Violet liqueur instead of Orange Blossom water, jumped out at me. I had never seen that type of floral liqueur, but was determined to hunt it down. As I soon found out, the same company that produces St. Germain, the elderflower liqueur, was re-introducing Crème Yvette, an old French violet liqueur made with violet petals and spices, which had been stopped in 1969. It just came back onto the market in March, right in time for Spring, when we love to cook with flowers here at Kitchen Caravan.

The three cocktails below are all inspired by the beauty that flowers bring us in the Spring as well as the classic cocktails that our grandparents would have known by heart. All we did was buy a package of edible flowers at the farmers market for our garnishes. We think that although they are optional, they really make the drinks stand out. First we have our light purple Fizz à la Violette, a Ramos Fizz with Violette liqueur, which is sure to delight the senses, as well as take you back in time. It might look dainty, but it is quite strong. Second is our Mint Julep en Rose, a bourbon Mint Julep with an added dash of rose syrup. We know that some people take their Mint Juleps very seriously (the first page of The Gentleman’s Companion states that “The Mint Julep is One of Mankind’s Truly Civilized Inventions”), but did you know that the word Julep originates from the Persian word for rose, “gulab”? We saw it fitting that the Kitchen Caravan Julep would take on a pinkish hue. And last but not least is our Andalus cocktail, which has been a site favorite since it debuted last year. Vodka is infused with kumquats, sugar, and orange blossom water, and then shaken with mint and freshly squeezed orange juice. The result is a refreshing and slightly aromatic drink with delightful tones of bitter citrus.

Why not invite a group of friends over for a Garden of Cocktails?

Fizz a la VioletteFizz a la Violette

Fizz à la Violette

Adapted from The Gentleman’s Companion: An Exotic Drinking Book

1 ounce gin
½ ounce violette liquor, such as Crème Yvette

2 teaspoons cream

1 fresh egg white (make sure that the egg is very fresh)

1 teaspoon sugar

Juice of ½ lemon and ½ a lime

Club soda

Garnish: baby pink or purple edible flowers

Combine all of the ingredients in a martini shaker and fill with grated ice. Shake for 1 minute and strain into an attractive goblet. Top off with a splash of club soda.

Mint Julep en Rose
Mint Julep en RoseMint Julep en Rose

Adapted from The Gentleman’s Companion: An Exotic Drinking Book

6 sprigs of mint 

1 teaspoon sugar + 1 teaspoon rose syrup

OR

2 teaspoons sugar + 1 tablespoon rose water 

1 ounce bourbon 

Juice of ½ lime

Garnish: Marachino cherry and edible flowers

Muddle 2 sprigs of the mint, the sugar, and rose syrup or rose water in a martini shaker. Make sure you muddle well to get the essence of the mint extracted. Add in a good amount of ice. Pour over the bourbon and add 2 more sprigs of mint (unbruised) and the lime juice. Shake it up really well and pour into a glass filled with ice and top with the remaining 2 sprigs of mint and a colorful edible flower. 

The Andalus 

For the Mix: 

A Garden of CocktailsA Garden of CocktailsVodka (about 3/4 Liter)

Orange Blossom Water(about 1/4 cup) 

Fresh kumquats, rinsed and halved (about 1 cup)

Sugar

For the Cocktail:

Juicing oranges (1 per drink)

Mint

Ice

To prepare the mix, get a large jug with a lid, and toss in the kumquats. Sprinkle over about 2 tablespoons or so of organic cane sugar. Pour over a few lugs of Orange Blossom Water. You want to moisten the kumquats, but not overpower the whole base with the aromatic water. Cover the lid and shake up really well to dissolve the sugar a bit. Pour over the vodka and shake again. Put in the fridge to rest for at least 2 days.

When you are ready to make the cocktail, juice 1 orange and pour into a martini shaker.
Combine the juice with 1 ounce of the infused vodka. Tear up a few fresh mint leaves and toss in as well. Shake up really well with ice and pour into a nice cocktail glass. It could be a martini glass, or even a large wine glass. 

The proportions are always 1 part base : 1 orange : 1 drink, so just adjust according to the number of people you serve.

 

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April 15, 2010   |   3 comments
Tags: Drinks, Rose
Recipe
Fizz à la Violette

Adapted from The Gentleman’s Companion: An Exotic Drinking Book

This recipe is a slight deviation from the classic Ramos Fizz from New Orleans.  Instead of Orange Blossom Water, it calls for violette liquor, which gives it an ever-so-slight purplish hue.  The result is a delightful cocktail that is aromatic and beautiful.

1 ounce gin

½ ounce violette liquor, such as Crème Yvette

2 teaspoons cream

1 fresh egg white (make sure that the egg is very fresh)

1 teaspoon sugar

Juice of ½ lemon and ½ lime

Club soda

Garnish: baby pink or purple edible flowers

Combine all of the ingredients in a martini shaker and fill with grated ice. Shake well for 1 minute and strain into an attractive goblet. Top off with a splash of club soda and garnish with the edible flowers.

Serves 1.

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April 14, 2010   |   2 comments
Tags: Drinks
Recipe
Apple Saffron Martini

Apples originated in Kazakhstan, and made their way West via Europe.  We integrate the spices of the Silk Road into this martini, and use fresh apple juice to make this a distinguished and worthwhile cocktail. 

1/3 cup fresh apple juice*

2 teaspoons agave nectar

1 ½ ounces vodka

1 clove

1-2 cardamom pods, lightly crushed, or small dash of
cardamom powder

2 tablespoons lemon juice

Pinch of saffron

 

Combine the apple juice with the agave nectar and vodka in a
martini shaker.  Add the spices and
leave to infuse in the fridge. 

In a separate small bowl or ramekin, combine the saffron and
lemon juice. 

After about 15-20 minutes, add the saffron infused lemon
juice to the martini shaker. 

Add ice and shake it up. 

Strain into two martini glasses, allowing for a saffron
strand or two to float in each. 

Makes two drinks. 

Note: Fresh apples can be grated using a cheese grater over
a bowl to make fresh juice.  We recommend gala and honey crisp for this recipe, as they have a very “apple-y” flavor and are sweet.  It is a much higher quality juice than the store bought variety.  If you are to use store-bought juice, omit the agave nectar in the recipe. 

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October 23, 2009   |   0 comments
Tags: Drinks, Fall, Fruit
Recipe
Fresh Almond Milk

Making almond milk is very easy. We use a proportion of 1 part almonds to 4 parts water.

Soak the quantity of almonds that you want to use over night in water.
The next day, drain them of their soaking liquid and blend with 4 parts water. Blend until smooth, and then strain the mixture through a fine mesh sieve.
Keep in the fridge.

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September 28, 2009   |   0 comments
Tags: Drinks
Recipe
Thandai- A Fresh Drink with Almond Milk

1 liter almond milk
1 cup almonds, soaked in water for 4 hours
2 tablespoons sweetened condensed milk
4 tablespoons sunflower seeds
2 tablespoons dried lavender
1 sprig tarragon

Blend the almond milk, almonds (strained of the soaking liquid), sweetened condensed milk and sunflower seeds together in a blender until smooth.
Add the lavender and tarragon and continue to blend. Add ice and blend to crush the ice.
Strain and pour into 4 cold glasses.

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September 28, 2009   |   0 comments
Tags: Drinks, Nuts
Recipe
Beauty of Palermo

This recipe is called the Beauty of Palermo, because it highlights the fusion of ingredients that make up Sicily's food culture. The Arabs brought with them sugar cane and jasmine and orange blossom flowers when they ruled over this fertile island. They also brought a love of sweets, often laden with various nuts and spices that has distinguished the confections of Sicily from the rest of Italy. One of Kitchen Caravan's favorite recipes that is not our own is of a watermelon pudding from a book called Cucina del Sole. The combination of sweet watermelon with cinnamon delighted us, and inspired this cocktail. We recommend using the small watermelons you can find at the market if you don't want leftovers.
If the jasmine syrup is too complex for you, simply omit the jasmine, and only flavor the drink with cinnamon and any other spices that occur to you. We would love to hear what you come up with.

3 ounces watermelon puree
1 ounce Jasmine Cinnamon Syrup (below)
2 ounces vodka
1 tablespoon lemon juice (about ¼ juicy lemon)
3 mint leaves
Garnish: additional mint leaves and cinnamon sticks

Make a watermelon puree by blending the flesh of a small watermelon to make about 3 cups of juice. Simply slice the watermelon into quarters and remove the flesh with a spoon. You can then blend the juice in a tall plastic cup with a hand blender or in a regular blender. You will strain the cocktail at the end, so don’t worry about removing the seeds.
To make the drinks, combine the syrup, vodka, watermelon puree, and lemon juice in a martini shaker along with the mint. Add a few cubes of ice, cover and shake well. Pour into the cocktail glasses. You can use martini glasses or another stemmed glass appropriate for a chic cocktail.
Makes about 2 large or 3 smaller cocktails.

Note: You can make the syrup and watermelon puree ahead of time and keep cool in the fridge. When you are ready to serve the drinks, simply combine the ingredients and shake away. If you do not have a martini shaker, simply combine the ingredients in a jar with a tight fitting lid with the ice. Screw on the lid to shake, and strain through a small kitchen strainer.

Jasmine Cinnamon Syrup
½ cup organic cane sugar
1 cup water
2 tsp dry jasmine flowers (or replace the 1 cup water with 1 cup of richly steeped jasmine tea)
1 cinnamon stick
1 teaspoon orange flower water (optional)

Make the syrup by combining the cane sugar and water together in a small saucepan with the jasmine flowers (or tea) and cinnamon stick. Bring to a boil and then simmer until it is reduced by half and is quite syrupy. Drain of the flowers and cinnamon and cool to room temperature. Stir in the orange flower water. Store in the fridge.

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September 24, 2009   |   0 comments
Tags: Drinks, Europe, Fusion, History, Mediterranean
Recipe
The Bramble

This is a classic English cocktail that is a delightful combination of gin and blackberries. Although sometimes the combination uses crème de mure or cassis for the fruity flavor, we opt for freshly crushed blackberries macerated with agave nectar. This drink is refreshing and sweet, and looks absolutely adorable in old jam jars.

1 cup blackberries
2 tablespoons agave nectar*
2 limes, halved
4 ounces gin
Sparkling water
Ice
4 jam jars or regular cocktail glasses
Optional garnish: fresh blackberries

Crush the 1 cup blackberries thoroughly and stir in the agave nectar. Leave for at least 30 minutes to macerate and sweeten the juices.
Divide the fruit liquid and pulp among the four glasses and stir in ½ a lime’s worth of juice. Add 1 ounce of gin to each glass, and stir in the ice. Top up with the sparkling water and garnish with the fresh berries, if using.
Makes 4 cocktails.

*If you are unfamiliar with or cannot find agave nectar near you, use 3-4 tablespoons of cane sugar instead.

The Bramble cocktail is a staple on almost every bar menu across the UK. Although the original recipe calls for crème de mûre and sugar syrup, we prefer the freshness of muddled blackberries with agave nectar. Serve it in a clean jam jar for cute presentation.
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August 21, 2009   |   0 comments
Tags: Berries, Drinks, Summer