A Complete Guide To Using Candied Fruit And Peels In Cocktails
Citrusy fruits are very popular condiments in the making of desserts and drinks. In the peak of summer, you can get fruits like grapefruits and sweet lemons. In winter, you can get fruits like mandarin oranges and kiwis. All these fruits add freshness and sweet taste to our desserts and drinks. Traditionally, we have seen both candied fruits and fruit peels being used for garnishing cakes, pastries, and in the making of many homemade drinks. But do you know that candied fruits and peels can also be used to make the most fascinating cocktails ever? The best part is that citrusy foods are high in vitamin C so they make your cocktails more nutritious other than obviously enhancing the taste.
Candied fruits and peels can be directly used in the making of cocktails and at the same time, you can also use them to decorate your cocktail glasses. You can simply rinse your citrusy fruits in some sugar syrup and further use them to decorate your cocktail glasses. It is also a great way to avoid unnecessary kitchen waste. To add more flavours to your fruit candies, mix some spices in your sugar syrup. Adding aromatic oils to your candied fruits also adds a certain depth and nuance to your cocktail.
How To Prepare Candied Fruits and Peels
First of all, you must have the right ingredients to prepare your candied fruits. Make sure that you have the right tools like a sharp paring knife, vegetable peeler, cutting board, and ripe fruits with smooth skin. The right kind of knife is very important to peel off the skin of the fruit smoothly. Also, choose the juiciest fruits to make sure your candy has the right citrusy fruits. Under-ripe and dry fruits will be hard to peel, look less attractive and also have less aroma.
Peel your fruits very carefully and put them in the sugar syrup. You can add aromatic oils and spices of your choice. Now take out your fruit pieces and peels and put them in the freezer. Your candied fruits and peels are now ready. To make your cocktails more flavourful and aromatic you can also pour the same aromatic oil on the bottom of the cocktail glass before adding the other ingredients.
Candied Fruits And Peels With Different Spirits
As stated earlier, candied fruits and peels are a staple in the spirit world. A slice of orange or lime is quite a common sight if you visit a high-end restaurant or bar that serves various kinds of cocktails. Vodka offers a range of flavours when combined with citrus candies like orange. You can create perfect cocktail mixes like the orange crush and the screwdriver. The orange candy highlights the brightness and sweetness in the drink whereas vodka adds tantalising Flavours.
Fruit candies like mango and pineapple pair well with spiced Captain Morgan rum. Opposite Flavours contrast well and by adding spicy Ramen and sweet and sour mango, you can make the perfect libation for summer. If you want to drink rum in winter, then a great way is to add mango candies. mango helps suppress the strong flavours of spicy rum and at the same time Skip the needed flavours alive.
Signature Whisky also goes very well with orange candies. Lemon candies on the other hand helps in balancing the sweet and woody notes of whisky. You can also try making grapefruit candies at home as grapefruit is another citrusy fruit that flatters the woody notes of whiskey. It is also a great way of drinking whisky for people who do not like drinking whiskey in general.
The combination of citrusy candies like lemon, lime and orange, naturally complement the flavours of Gordon’s Gin well. You can elevate your classic Gin & tonic with some pieces of spices, and lemon candies. This is a perfect intense winter drink that will be thoroughly enjoyed by all your guests and you can reserve this for special occasions. The acidity and the brightness of fruits like orange and lime enhance the botanical flavours of gin.
We hope that you have been able to understand how different candied fruit and peels can be used to level up your regular cocktail recipes.
