April 13
There are two very exciting things about this post:
1- These recipes are finally up- I have been meaning to share them for almost a year- I’m sorry!
2- There is a special video at the end of the post that includes the story behind these drinks as well as the recipe itself. Please let me know if you enjoy it! It was a lot of fun to put together and I’m thinking of incorporating videos in more posts in the future.
If you haven’t already skipped ahead to the video, let me tell you how I stumbled across these wonderful drinks. I was in Toronto at the end of the summer of 2013 to visit my dear friend that I met in London. I am not a big drinker to begin with, but I was especially keen on staying away from alcohol because I was doing a huge bike ride (144km) a couple of days after I got home. I am not superwoman! I needed all of the help that I could get and if I was advised to stay away from alcohol before the big day, that’s what I was going to do.
I made one exception (or two?) that has stuck in my mind ever since. One night, we went to the Distillery district. Other than visiting Soma, an amazing chocolate shop, where I bought some tasty chocolate and hot chocolate mix. We waited in line for a disturbing amount of time for a new Mexican restaurant called El Catrin. The food was great but the drinks were even better. I got a burnt honey and grapefruit cocktail that had a cinnamon stick as a straw. It was amazing. My friend got an equally delicious cocktail made up of muddled cucumber and serrano peppers.
Since then, I’ve had those drinks on my mind. Even though I don’t drink very much these drinks made me think that it may actually be enjoyable to have a special night at home with a couple of friends and spice things up with a few fancy cocktails. It’s definitely more economical to do it that way and with my mason jars and christmas lights (yes, still) adorning my lamps and bookcase, our apartment feels just as cool as any hipster joint out there.
These cocktails are really out of this world. The grapefruit and burnt honey one is definitely sweet but it also has some lemon juice to balance everything out. Also, cooking the honey down first gives it a depth of flavour that pure honey would lack. I thought that serving it with a cinnamon stick ‘straw’ was a cute idea, it definitely highlights the cinnamon flavour if that floats your boat. The cucumber and serrano pepper is fresh but spicy, and the cayenne/salt rim really pushes it over the edge of deliciousness.
I hope that if you have some company over you share these with them. I guarantee you that they will think you are the best host of all time.
Other than the burnt honey, which you will have some extra of, these recipes are for 1 drink. Multiply for as many people as you would like!
Feel free to adjust the sweetness and alcohol levels to your personal preference. Personally, I like sweet drinks that don't taste very strongly of alcohol.These would also be delicious alcohol-free.
In a small pot, over medium high heat, cook 1/4 cup honey until the colour starts to deepen and it becomes fragrant. Add 1/4 cup of water to dissolve the honey (makes it easier to incorporate into the drink). Set aside to cool.
On a plate, mix together cinnamon and sugar. Wet the rim of a glass with lemon juice and dust the rim with cinnamon sugar.
Add all ingredients for cocktail, mix.
Garnish with cinnamon stick (you can even use it as a straw for extra cinnamon flavour!)
On a plate, mix together cayenne pepper and salt. Wet the rim of a glass with lime juice and dust the rim with salt and cayenne.
Add sliced cucumber and serrano pepper to the glass. Lightly muddle.
Add the rest of the ingredients for cocktail, mix.
Garnish with serrano pepper.
http://mysecondbreakfast.com/grapefruit-burnt-honey-and-cucumber-serrano-cocktail-recipe/Grapefruit & Burnt Honey and Cucumber & Serrano Cocktail Recipe was last modified: April 13, 2014 by
4 thoughts on “Grapefruit & Burnt Honey and Cucumber & Serrano Cocktail (w/ VIDEO!) Recipe”
Sami, you are amazing !!!! What a brilliant idea. Must have taken you a loooong time to put together! The music is so cool and goes with the mood of the drinks.. Your drawings at the beginning are fantastic… Now I have to try the drinks..Ever think of bar tending? lol
Have fun with the future videos.
xoxoxo’s
“absolutely” amazing! Love the music….made me smile!!!!
🙂
I think the music is hilarious lol