MxMo Quatorze: Champagne
For this month’s Mixology Monday, I decided to try something new–the Plum Royale.
I came to this with a melange of inspiration:
- Anita’s post on the Rosemary Five got me thinking about pairing fruit and spice in a champagne drink.
- A day after I read her post, I had a Gin Royale at brunch and decided to riff on that.
- Finally, Jen brought home some beautiful black plums.
photograph by Jennifer Hess
So with three ingredients already in mind–gin, champagne, and plum–I had to find my spice. In Googling around to find inspiration, I came across an article about Plymouth gin that discussed, among other things, the botanicals in Plymouth–angelica root, cardamom pods, coriander seeds, lemon peel, orange peel, orris root, and juniper berries. Hm, cardamom. Turns out that cardamom and plums are a popular pairing, so I chose to go that way.
I made up a variation on this Cardamom Lime Syrup, sans lime this time. I also made a plum puree. The puree, gin, and syrup formed the basis for the drink, which I topped with champagne.
Delicious.
Plum Royale (a.k.a. the Eve Plum)
makes two drinks 4 oz. Plymouth gin 2 oz. plum puree 1 oz. cardamom syrup Shake over ice and divide between two champagne flutes. Top with champagne and garnish with a sprig of mint. (The mint is more for presentation than for flavor, so feel free to leave it out.)
Yum! This reminds me of a drink we make using bubbly and leftover liquid from brandied pears — warm spices, simple syrup, and brandy, all mixed with the exuded plum juices.
Darn it, I can’t decide if this one goes under “herbs and spices” or “classics and variants” in the roundup — it’s kind of a French 75 meets Kir Royale, isn’t it? Or does the cardamom syrup kick it into spicier territory? Decisions, decisions…
er, I meant brandied PLUMS. I have pears on the brain lately…
Anita,
The cardamom is subtle. It’s there, but not up front. It’s really up to you where you place it, but I wouldn’t call it a spicy drink.
[...] of Bitters, Michael combines gin, cardamom syrup, and plum puree into a cordial-like base for the Plum Royale, a drink that nods at the French 75 and adds a Kir-like blush. (The delicious-sounding cardamom [...]
This reminds me of a champagne drink I’ve grown fond of lately at a local bistro. They add a simple syrup of red basil to champagne and produce a result that’s amazingly lovely.
Since I’m particularly fond of gin I’m looking forward to trying your recipe. Sounds like the perfect addition to a Sunday brunch.
Hi Michael and Jennifer — Thanks again for your entry in MxMo 14! The roundup’s posted here: http://marriedwithdinner.com/archives/679
Anita - you’re welcome! Thanks for hosting and passing along some great ideas for fizzy drinks - cheers!