Serendib Kitchen

A friend asked what made this Sri Lankan, and I have to admit, I didn’t want to mess too much with the classic Aviation, which is a delight. But I did switch out the standard lemons for limes — limes are native to Sri Lanka, and tend to be a bit less sweet and more bitter/sour, making a more interesting contrast with the floral notes of the violet liqueur. I’ve left some variation in the amount of lime, depending on whether you’d prefer a more floral or more tangy emphasis to your drink.

I used Tillen Farms Bada Bing cherries, which give a slightly fresher taste than grocery store maraschino cherries typically would — they taste more like cherries off the tree. They’re a little darker and moodier in appearance than bright red maraschino varieties; perfect to accompany a moody violet drink. They’re also great for just snacking on!

If you do want a brighter cherry, I’d recommend Luxardo Maraschinos, though those can be a little intense for munching. They’re actually marasca cherries, grown around the Luxardo distillery in Italy. They’re packed in a sugar & cherry juice syrup, rather than sugar & water, so have intense flavor.

2 oz. gin
1/2 oz. maraschino liqueur
1/2 oz. créme de violette
1/2 – 3/4 oz. lime juice, freshly squeezed
Garnish: maraschino cherries

1. Add the gin, maraschino liqueur, creme de violette and lemon juice to a shaker with ice and shake until well-chilled.

2. Strain into a cocktail glass, and garnish with a brandied cherry.

NOTE: You’d typically use a martini glass for this, with a narrow stem that you’d hold, so the heat of your hands doesn’t warm the drink. I tried a double-walled glass in a different style, that also insulates the drink; it worked well.

(makes one big glass)

This takes a little planning ahead, since you’ll want to grill the pineapple and let it cool to at least room temperature before making the drinks. But the effort is well-rewarded with a rich burst of extra flavor, and added complexity from the cayenne, salt, and lime.

4 pieces of pineapple (about 4 oz.), sprinkled with cayenne, salt, and lime
4 oz. thick coconut milk
2 oz dark spiced rum
2 t. kithul treacle (or honey)
3-4 ice cubes

honey and grated coconut (unsweetened) for rimming the glass

1. Skewer pineapple, sprinkle with cayenne, salt, and lime, and grill on high for 5-7 minutes, turning periodically. (You can also roast at 400F if you prefer.) Remove from grill and let cool.

2. Blend pineapple with coconut milk, rum, kithul treacle (or honey), and ice cubes.

3. Dip rim of glass in honey, dip in shredded coconut, and carefully pour in piña colada.

If you like, serve with additional skewers of grilled spiced pineapple!

(makes two)

This is the delightfully simple cocktail you’ll want to sip as you dance through a rain shower, your pink sari plastered to your body, while your eyes flirt demurely with your stunningly attractive admirer.

1 c. watermelon chunks
1 oz. vodka
1 t. rosewater
1 t. kithul treacle (or honey)
rose petals to garnish

1. Combine in blender, garnish with rose petals, enjoy!

(makes 2)

This is one of my more complex cocktails, and requires a few notes:

a) It’s getting easier to find fresh jackfruit in American grocery stores; if you can’t find fresh, look for frozen. You can also buy canned ripe jackfruit, but that usually comes in a sweet syrup, so the end result will be noticeably sweeter.

b) For the ingredients here, I looked to some of what I’d typically use in a jackfruit curry — tamarind, cinnamon, and lemongrass. Lemongrass found in American groceries is often quite woody and tough; if you’re not growing your own fresh sprigs, you may want to either skip the lemongrass, or simmer and steep it in the vermouth, removing the stalks before using.

c) Tonic water (a favorite in colonial South Asian cocktails for its inclusion of quinine, which treated malaria) lends this concoction a bitter edge; if you don’t enjoy bitter, use seltzer water instead.

1 c. ripe jackfruit (fresh or frozen)
2 oz. mango puree
2 oz. coconut milk
2 oz. gin
1 oz. vermouth
1 oz. tonic water or seltzer water
1 t. tamarind puree
1 t. chopped lemongrass, optional
2-3 ice cubes
lemongrass, cinnamon stick, and jackfruit to garnish

1. Combine all ingredients except garnish in blender; blend to combine.

2. Garnish and enjoy!

I’ve started working on recipes for the little cocktail cookbook; I promised it as part of the Vegan Serendib Kickstarter. My goal is to do a mocktail version to pair with each cocktail; we’ll see if I can do that in an interesting way, rather than just taking out the alcohol.

For example, for this one, I can do a ginger simple syrup instead of ginger liqueur, and you can get non-alcoholic bitters (Dram Apothecary makes some, for example), so that by itself should be pretty good. But if you have suggestions for something else to add instead of the vodka, feel free to chime in!

But tonight, here’s the one with alcohol.

*****

Ginger & Blood Orange Vodka Press

This would be a nice brunch cocktail, and if you want a less alcoholic version, just leaving out the vodka works nicely.

3 oz. orange juice
2 oz. blood orange soda
1 oz. vodka
1/2 oz. ginger liqueur
dash of orange bitters
slice of clementine
1 tsp chopped crystallized ginger

1. Combine orange juice, blood orange soda, vodka, ginger liqueur, dash of orange bitters.

2. Garnish with clementine and crystallized ginger. Enjoy!

NOTE: I enjoy locally-produced Koval ginger liqueur in this drink, along with Ketel One’s Grapefruit Rose vodka, and Strongwater’s orange bitters.