Guava-Infused Drinks: 5 Ways To Add The Winter Fruit To Beverages
Come winter, a lot of the season’s fruits and spices start making an appearance in a mixologist’s roster. These are often incorporated into different cocktails and mocktails in the form of juices and infused syrups to build flavours into drinks that are well-suited to the cooling climes.
One such fruit that is often used in the making of different blends during winter weather is guavas.
The fruit has a bright green colour which brings a pop of vibrant hues into a drink when it is used as a garnish. Also, the soft interiors either white or pink also carry a rich colour of their own which makes the overall appearance of any blend more pronounced upon the addition of guava juice.
Inevitably, different kinds of cocktails and mocktails use this winter fruit in several forms to infuse its flavour into their preparation.
Read on below to know more about some of the ways in which guavas can be added to the beverages prepared during winter weather:
Guava Juice
One of the simplest ways to make use of guavas in cocktails and mocktails is in the form of juice. Guava juice can either be bought in a store or can be freshly prepared at home. Using homemade guava juice cuts down on the added sugars so one can utilise the raw flavours of the fruit to a greater extent and blend them with other complementary ingredients.
Guava juice can be used to prepare different non-alcoholic drinks like a guava fizz or a guava and coconut sherbet and alcoholic mixes like guava mule, guava gin spritzer and flavoured margaritas.
Guava Syrup
Another interesting method of incorporating the winter fruit into drinks is through a syrup. This will infuse a more concentrated flavour of guavas into beverages, lending them an increased fruity touch.
The syrup can be made by adding guava chunks to sugar in a pan with a little bit of water and letting this mixture boil until the sugar dissolves completely. This flavoured syrup needs to cool completely before adding it to drinks.
The syrup can be used in drinks like the guava rum punch which require the flavour of the fruit without letting its pulpiness overpower the texture of the drink.
Guava Ice Cubes
An aesthetic way of infusing cocktails with pink and green guavas is by turning them into ice cubes. These can be prepared by placing small bits of the fruit in ice moulds and covering them in water. Sprinkle a bit of chilli powder on the guava pieces to make an icy mix of sweet and spicy flavours.
The ice cubes can be added to cocktails and mocktails for their artsy look as well as for introducing the flavours of this fruit into the mix.
Cocktails such as a guava flavoured margarita or a guava mojito can make use of these ice cubes as fruity garnishes.
Guava Slices
The easiest way to incorporate guavas into cocktails and mocktails is to dice them finely into slices which are then used as garnishes topping off a variety of mixes. Use hard guavas for this purpose so that they can be bit into while sipping on the drink, lending an additional textural layer to the blend. Go for guavas with a pink interior for a pop of colour.
Generally, guava slices are used to accentuate drinks which make use of this fruit as their core ingredient so they can be paired with guava juice or guava syrup as a way to make its presence more pronounced in the blend.
Guava Pulp
The soft flesh of guavas can be used in the making of drinks to infuse a creamy quality into the mixes. This pink interior can be scooped out and mixed with a hint of chilli for an interesting flavour contrast.
Guava pulp can be brought together with different ingredients such as coconut cream, carbonated soda and ginger syrup in the making of a variety of cocktails and mocktails. The pulpy texture of the fruit’s flesh will give the drink a denser quality by building into its fruity notes.
Drink Responsibly. This communication is for audiences above the age of 25.
