Puree To Pulp, 4 Easy Ways To Add Passion Fruit To Cocktails
Gourmands, mixologists and regular folk the world over love passion fruit — an exotic fruit that is distinguished by its beautiful colour, juicy interior, and flavourful balance between sweet and tangy.
Originating from South America, this fruit is a winner when it comes to cocktails because of its versatility and ability to blend in with an array of spirits. If you’re wondering how you can incorporate passion fruit into your cocktails and elevate your mixology skills by several levels, we’ve got you covered. Let’s take a look?
Fresh Pulp
This is certainly the best way to incorporate the flavours of passion fruit in a cocktail. Using the fresh pulp allows the fragrance of the fruit to remain intact, along with its original flavours and texture. For this, scoop out the pulp in its natural form, seeds and all, and add it to the shaker as is as you commence making the cocktail. The fresh pulp goes really well with cocktails with vodka and gin bases because these spirits are so versatile themselves.
Puree
For those who don’t like a lot of fuss, this is the best way to incorporate the flavour without compromising on the taste. Passion fruit puree is available in jars (or you can make it at home by blending the pulp) and you’ll still have a very tasty and flavourful cocktail. Even if you’re not making a passion fruit-centric cocktail, a tablespoon of this in any citrusy or tropical cocktail will be absolutely divine!
Syrup
Now, if you’re a pro or getting there, you should certainly make your own passion fruit syrup. The recipe and process aren’t overly complicated: here’s what you need to do. First, cut up and extract the pulp of about 10-12 passion fruits. Then add the pulp to a saucepan and combine it with a cup of granulated sugar and a cup of water. Stir gently and ensure there are no lumps. Allow the mixture to come to a boil and then let it simmer for about 10 minutes on a low flame. Then strain and let it cool to room temperature before storing it in the fridge. You can store it for up to three weeks, no longer — so please make good use of it and don’t let it go to waste. If this is too much, you can easily halve the measurements for a smaller batch.
Liqueur
This is a bit of an effort, but the results are more than worth it. For this, you’ll need the pulp of 10-12 passion fruits, 200 ml of Smirnoff, and 150 gm of granulated sugar. In a clean jar, muddle the pulp, add the Smirnoff, and give it a good stir. You can also add the zest of a lemon to make it extra flavourful and a little bitter. Let the mixture infuse for at least two weeks, but you can also leave it for four weeks so the flavours become a little more intense. Once the infusion has been brewed as per your preference, you can prepare fresh simple syrup, by following these instructions. Add it to the jar and mix. Let the infusion rest for about two weeks before use.
With these different methods of incorporating it into your drinks recipes, you can experiment and make passion fruit-based martinis, daiquiris, mojitos, margaritas and even pina coladas! Of course, with its lovely flavour and texture, you can also use the pulp, puree and syrup methods to add passion fruit to non-alcoholic drinks and mocktails. There’s no wrong way to enjoy this fruit!
