GIN & PINK LEMONADE

Now I know what you’re thinking….gin and pink lemonade that’s not cooking that’s a cocktail – but this isn’t an ordinary cocktail. This is an edible cocktail and might I add, still has its full alcohol hit. This recipe is from an E-book and its owner Mr Eddie Shepherd who is an award-winning modern vegetarian chef, cookbook author and development chef. If you have a look at his website Veggiechef.com you will most certainly see why. This recipe uses molecular recipe techniques and I can assure you the effort is quite rewarding.

INGREDIENTS

Carbonated Gin & Pink Lemonade

-140g Pink Lemonade

– 35g Caster Sugar

– 15g Lemon Juice

– 4.5g Calcium Chloride

– 0.45 Xanthan Gum

-30 Dry Gin (I used Melbourne Gin Company Very Very nice and well priced!)

– 2g Beetroot Juice

You will also need a sodium alginate bath link below

Lemon & Juniper Syrup

-300g Caster Sugar

-150ml Water

– 10g Dried Juniper Berries

– Zest of 2 Lemons

Cucumber Granita

-150g Cucumber Juice

-60g Lemon & Juniper Syrup

-20g Lemon Juice

METHOD

First prepare the sodium alginate bath. Next you want to prepare the carbonated gin & pink lemonade. Place all the wet ingredients into a blender. Blend the ingredients on high to create a vortex in the centre and add the dry ingredients. Once combined, pass the liquid through a fine sieve or muslin and this will help to remove any bubbles. Pour the liquid into small hemisphere moulds and freeze.

Once frozen add a couple of spheres at a time into the sodium alginate bath and leave for one minute. Then carefully with a slotted spoon remove and place in fresh cold water. After all the spheres are formed you want to place three to four at a time into a cream whipper and then charge with two CO₂ chargers and chill for at least two hours.

Next you want to make the lemon and juniper syrup. Vacuum all the syrup ingredients together then cook in the SousVide at 60° for one and a half hours. Once the time is up, chill the syrup and strain (spare syrup can be stored in the freezer). Once complete combine 75g of the syrup with 150g of cucumber juice and 20g of lemon juice in a container and freeze the mixture over night, stirring after the first two hours. Store in the freezer until needed, then use a for to scrape up the cucumber granita and spoon out when its desired.

Once all components are made, first vent the gas from the cream whipper and carefully pour out the carbonated spheres. Place a little of the granita in a glass then place one of the carbonated spheres on top. Finally garnish with fresh borage flower (Borage has a very mild cucumber taste) and serve immediately.

Full Credit to Eddie Shepherd. This recipe made from his e-book “Edible Cocktails”                     http://www.veggiechef.co.uk

Specialty ingredients can be purchased at the link below

http://www.redspooncompany.com/index.php/ingredients/modernist-cuisine.html