A Midsummer Night's Dream
ABOUT
An anise flavored cocktail never tasted so good. Ouzo, grapefruit and lemon juices, apricot syrup, and mint come together to create one of my most refreshing cocktails yet. This is definitely my new go-to summer drink. And once you try it, it’ll be yours too.
The inspiration for this drink comes from a cocktail class that I recently hosted. My client is a huge fan of aniseed, so I wanted to incorporate as many Mediterranean flavors as possible. That’s where the Ouzo comes in.
For those of you unfamiliar with Ouzo, it’s an anise-flavored liqueur that’s the national drink of Greece. Ouzo, like many other anise-flavored drinks, has a sweet, black licorice aroma and taste. You either love it or you hate it. Although I love Twizzlers (the strawberry flavor), up until recently I was of the later.
While I wanted to create an Ouzo cocktail that my client loved, I also wanted to be able to drink it myself. That’s where the apricot syrup comes in. Apricots are a stone fruit that resemble peaches in appearance, but purple plums in taste. They tend to be on the tart side. Since I was making an apricot syrup, I wasn’t too worried about the tartness.
The only problem was that apricots are not the easiest fruit to find and they can get very expensive. For this reason, I decided to make the syrup using apricot preserves. Unlike jellies and jams, preserves have a higher fruit to sugar ratio and contain whole or larger pieces of fruit. By adding honey and a modest amount of water, we can easily create an apricot syrup in just a few seconds.
My go-to recipe is 1 cup of preserves, 1/2 cup of honey (or another sweetener) and 1/4 cup of water. Although I add everything to a saucepan, there’s no need to let the mixture simmer. Just whisk everything together over low heat until you get a smooth consistency. You can strain out the chunks for fruit if you prefer.
Lastly, for this cocktail I opted for two types of citrus fruit: grapefruit and lemon. With grapefruit being more bitter and tart, and lemon being more sweet and sour, the two come together to create a very lively, yet perfectly balanced drink. What I love most about this cocktail is that the flavors pair so well with the Ouzo that they don’t take away from its distinctive taste. In fact, they help you experience it in a brand new way.
This cocktail is best served in an old fashioned glass. Mint leaves are an optional garnish.
Recipe Type: Cocktails
Glassware: Old Fashioned
Servings: 1
INGREDIENTS
1.5 oz. Ouzo
1 oz. grapefruit juice
1/2 oz. fresh lemon juice
1/2 oz. apricot syrup
2 part apricot preserves
1 part honey
1/2 part water
INSTRUCTIONS
Prepare apricot syrup by adding 2 part apricot preserves, 1 part honey and 1/2 part water to a small saucepan over low heat
Whisk together until you have a smooth, syrupy consistency
Remove from heat and let cool completely
Strain into a clean glass container for later use
Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker
Add ice and shake for 15 seconds
Strain into an old fashioned glass filled with ice
Garnish with mint leaves
Enjoy