5 Stone Fruit Cocktails To Serve This Monsoon
Juicy, tart, deeply hued and elegantly versatile, plum is quite an interesting stone fruit to incorporate in contemporary mixology. It is available readily in monsoons and can be used to infuse its sweet, tangy and tart flavours into cocktails for added complexity and colourful depth. With a fine balance of fresh tasting notes and a subtle tartness, the fruit itself carries quite deep flavours which shine in cocktails as they lend drinks a bright note and layered profile in equal measure.
Undoubtedly, plums are the underdog of monsoon mixology and when you are crafting drinks for guests during this season, they can be your go-to alternatives for building unexpectedly complex blends. Moreover, there are numerous ways to incorporate plums into mixology. From a plum and honey syrup to plum juice, plum purée and muddled plums, the stone fruit can be given different forms to effectively extract its taste into myriad concoctions.
Read on below to know more about some of the plum-infused cocktails that can be prepared during this rainy season and ways to incorporate the stone fruit into them:
Spiced Plum Rum Punch
Bring together about 30 ml of any premium rum of choice with a tablespoon each of lime juice and spiced simple syrup laced with cinnamon. Blend this with plum juice crafted using the fresh fruit. The sweet and tart layers of the stone fruit will seep into the caramelised notes of the dark rum and the sweet-spicy flavours of the syrup to bring forth a rather fresh flavour combination. Notes of lime juice will introduce a sourness into the recipe which balances out its more robust flavours. This spiced, tangy rum punch can be an interesting alternative to serve at a cocktail party hosted in humid monsoon weather.
Plum And Sparkling Wine Spritz
A fresh drink complete with the fizzy textures of 20 ml good quality sparkling wine or champagne and the sweet and slightly tangy notes of plum purée, this is a light and bubbly concoction to serve at a dark, rainy day brunch. What would add more of a floral touch to this recipe is about 10 ml elderflower liqueur, which pairs quite splendidly with the tart and fruity notes of the purée crafted out of ripe plums.
Plum Gin Smash
Dice ripe plums and muddle them with 4-5 fresh basil leaves and about a tablespoon of simple syrup so the fruity and herbal flavours release themselves to reveal a layered, aromatic blend. This mix can be topped off with about 30 ml of any premium gin of choice along with 10 ml lime juice before being given a thorough shake with ice. The resulting integration of botanical and fruity notes, topped off with the fizziness of 45 ml tonic water, will lead to the creation of a bright and fresh monsoon-time sip well-suited to an evening gathering.
Hot Toddy With A Plum Infusion
A warm cocktail complete with 30 ml good quality brandy and 45 ml spiced plum juice, this is a concoction meant for those slightly chilly days which arrive when monsoon breezes announce themselves. Blend the sour and tart notes of the plum juice with the spiciness of a pinch of cinnamon powder to craft this mixer. Warm the brandy and the plum juice together over medium heat before serving with a cinnamon stick and plum jam garnish. The drink can be served alongside freshly baked oatmeal and raisin cookies.
Plum Whisky Sour
About 30 ml of any premium whisky of choice can be mixed with a tablespoon of plum and honey syrup to make this variation of the classic cocktail. Honey softens some of the plum’s tang and integrates well into the whisky, playing into its lightly sweet notes to become a luxe, complimentary sweetener. Infused with a tablespoon of lime juice which cuts through the richness of the robust whisky and the sweet and tart syrup, this cocktail carries a dense profile suitable for a rainy evening.
Drink Responsibly. This communication is for audiences above the age of 25.
