So, a coupe like this Woodstock glass holds five ounces of liquid, which is about ten tablespoons. I rarely measure when I pour my liquors and liquids into the little silver cocktail shaker, but am delighted every time the drink, after shaking, comes right to the rim of the glass. I have a dead eye. With cocktails, anyway.
But with the writing of the book I started measuring, pretty fast, deconstructing after the event, and then reconstructing, to make sure the ratios given in each month's cocktail or aperitif recipes were spot on.
This one is not in the book. The preserved lemons gave me an idea. And it is not exactly a gin sour, either. More like a gin salty and sour. Any ideas for a better name?
2.5 oz gin
1 oz sumac-infused vodka (this is in the book)
1 oz lemon juice
1/2 oz lemon and salt syrup for jar of preserved lemons***
Shaken like the blazes with ice. Tart, a hint of salt, the juniper and sour sumac coming through.
If you'll excuse me, I'm about to sip one, now.
*** See comments. You may want to use less of the preserved lemon syrup to start off, as the saltiness of different batches will vary.
Hic
ReplyDeleteJust made this......woah! Too salty for me, and I used half as much of the preserved lemon syrup. It's like an emetic!
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry Donald! I will make it again and check my quantities. Sounds wrong, because ours wasn't too salty. Apologies...
DeleteWell - I just made it, following the measurements scrupulously. I can taste salt, yes, but it is not overwhelming at all. Good drink. For my taste...
DeleteSo - what happened:
You used the liquid from preserved lemons? Perhaps salt content varies? Especially as you said you used half the amount I stipulated, so 1/4 ounce...Even more strange.
You had sumac vodka? Or what substitute did you use?
The preserved lemons were my own homemade, so vastly different saltiness is highly likely. Since perfect saltiness is very much a personal preference, I should just have had the good sense to make the basic cocktail without the lemony brine at first, and then add the salty liquid "to taste"!
ReplyDeleteI will admit that I had to just use regular vodka too, not having made sumac-infused in the autumn.