5 Organic Vegetables To Add Crispy Flavours To Your Cocktails
Cocktails that are prepared using organic ingredients or produce cultivated without the use of harmful chemicals or fertilisers, are fast becoming a sought after alternative particularly by those who are conscious of the impact of one’s culinary practices on the environment.
Organic produce brings in richer flavour and a fresh feel into any cocktail preparation. And many times, fruits and vegetables that are grown in one’s home garden or by organic farmers in one’s locality are brought into the kitchen to be juiced or sliced for use in making cocktails.
Using organic vegetables then simply elevates one’s cocktail game because this homegrown or locally sourced produce adds a lot of depth to a relatively simple recipe.
Read on below to know more about some organic vegetables that can elevate one’s cocktail game when it is time to turn mixologist at home:
Beets
A root vegetable that can be cultivated in one’s small kitchen garden at home, organic beets are a suitable alternative for use in cocktails. Beet juice or beet syrup brings a touch of sweet and savoury flavour into any alcoholic mix.
Moreover, the deep reddish and purple hues of the vegetable imbue a cocktail with such rich colours that the drink becomes quite an interesting alternative particularly for festive occasions like a scary Halloween.
Organic beets can be incorporated in the making of many cocktails like a beet and tomato bloody mary, beet moscow mule and more.
Kale
Over time, kale has acquired quite a bit of a reputation for its deep green colour and its natural flavour making it a sought after ingredient in salads, appetisers and in cocktails too.
Kale puree is often seasoned with a bit of salt and pepper so it can be blended into drinks to imbue into them a veggie touch. The green hue of the leafy vegetable seeps into the drink and gives it a very bright look.
Organically produced or homegrown kale can be added to different cocktail recipes including a kale mojito or a kale collins.
Cucumbers
Whether it is a classic gin and tonic or a cucumber vodka fizz, this green vegetable adds a lot of crisp and savoury flavour into any cocktail recipe. Cucumbers are cut up into long slivers and are incorporated in cocktails either as garnishes or as a juice that goes well with spirits like gin or tequila.
Growing cucumbers in one’s kitchen garden using herbal fertilisers is one way to make use of this organically grown veggie into cocktails.
Cucumbers can be used in the preparation of several drinks like a cucumber gimlet, a cucumber flavoured martini cocktail and as a garnish for a classic gin and tonic.
Celery
Procure organic celery whose crispy, crunchy sound brings an added textural layer into a cocktail recipe when it is used as a garnish for drinks like the bloody mary.
The green hues of the vegetable stalks introduce a pop of colour into a drink prepared using white rum, vodka or tequila. Celery stalks are often used as garnishes, however, they can also be converted into a smooth puree that builds into the creamy profile of a cocktail.
Organic celery with its bitter and earthy tasting notes can be used to prepare drinks like a celery margarita or a bloody mary with a celery stick garnish.
Carrots
Another vegetable that can be grown organically at home, carrots bring in a very robust sweet and savoury tasting note into cocktails. Carrots pair well with citrus fruits and their orange colour plays right into the yellow and vermilion hues of these acidic and tangy ingredients.
Organically grown carrots can be incorporated in the making of drinks like a carrot ginger mule or a carrot margarita in the form of orange purees that add a sweet and earthy finish into the drink.
Do remember: like everything, alcohol is best consumed in moderation. Serve and drink responsibly!
