Tuesday, September 27, 2011

The Cobbler Cocktail: Vodka with Grapes Macerated in Monastery Herbal Liqueur & Pandan Simple Syrup for the International Incident Cobbler Party


International Incident Cobbler Party
You may be wondering what the heck I'm doing posting a cocktail for the September International Incident Party - hosted as always by our lovely foundress, Penny aka Jeroxie - when the theme is cobbler. Have I lost my mind? Is this an alcoholic's coded cry for help? Is there nothing I won't do to get out of making dessert?

Well, yes, no, and yes, but that's beside the point. You see, I did a little cobbler research and discovered that while it can certainly be a fruity dessert wth a crumbly topping ("pie for the unmotivated,"  stated one definition) there is an older and more arcane definition: An iced drink made with wine, sherry, sugar, and lemon. Bingo!

So I decided to combine the fruit element with the wine element and incorporate macerated grapes into my cocktail, which I have dubbed "The Cobbler." Drink enough of it and its name changes to "The Bobbler."

I have also been itching to use an amazing ingredient sent to me by the incredibly thoughtful, creative,  and sassy Maya of Foodiva's Kitchen: fresh pandan leaves. This is the second of four inspiring  ingredients that somehow found their way to me, the first being those cute little finger limes. I don't know what I have done to deserve it all, but I hope I keep doing it!

Pandan is often described as the vanilla of Asia, and it is that but so much more - nutty, complex, and amenable to sweet and savory preparations. I decided to make a simple syrup with it, by boiling 1/2 cup water and 1/2 cup sugar, and then steeping the pandan in the hot liquid to infuse it. This is the first of a few applications I have for my lovely pandan, and it was a huge success - a subtly scented simple syrup with notes of vanilla, macadamia nuts, and something I can't quite put my finger on.

For my macerated grapes, I covered roughly 2 generous handfuls of seedless red grapes with this herbal liqueur that I got at a Prague monastery:
If you don't happen to have any of this lying around .... I think you could go with Benedictine. To this I added a generous squeeze of lemon juice and 2 tablespoons of honey. I let all this sit around and macerate for a couple of hours:
To assemble the cocktail, I filled a chilled martini glass with ice-cold vodka and stirred in 3 teaspoons of the pandan simple syrup, and then plopped in 3 grapes along with a tablespoon of the liqueur/lemon/honey liquid:
I don't normally go for sweet cocktails (I am a dry gin martini kind of gal - or should I say dame?) but the pandan imparted its savory nuttiness, while the liqueur lent an almost bitter quality to the drink, so the sweetness was more than balanced. Thank you Maya for helping to inspire it!

This is, above all, a quite dangerous drink, but then, the best ones always are, aren't they? Make sure to check out what everyone else brought to the cobbler party - the dishes will be posted by 9 pm EST (for once I have come to the party a bit early).

Cheers!





18 comments:

  1. OMG. Genius. A cobbler cocktail. I KNEW we could count on you for a fab dish at the party! I'd like one of these for dessert for Thanksgiving!

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  2. WOW...your pics and recipes are always FANTASTIC!!! hugs, Flavia

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  3. You are so entertaining...I love it! You sure have put a lot of thought into this drink! I agree with Mardi, quite genius.

    I have not been able to find fresh pandan leave, or any frozen ones either! I have pandan paste, but that is such and unateral green! I hope to some day find a screw pine plant and have it planted in my yard!

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  4. Yum! Cool idea. I like that it has grapes

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  5. Oooh, what an exquisite, exotic cocktail...and I love it's name :)

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  6. Oh my gosh, I'm SPEECHLESS, Trix! This is such a brilliant offering to the Party, I never even knew there was such a thing as a cobbler cocktail. And what an inspired use for the pandan leaves too, I knew you would turn them into something memorable!

    You know what, I'm going to make a non-alcoholic version of this and drink it with my lunch today (with a silent toast to you, of course). Off to the garden now to pluck some pandan leaves and grapes.... okay, just kidding with the grapes! LOL.

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  7. Might have to give this a whirl on girl's night! Wonder if the vineyard down the street will notice a few missing grapes...

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  8. Somehow, my glass of chardonnay has lost it's luster?? You've created a designer cocktail fit for any fancy list at any of the fine dining establishments that offer them but you're enjoying your extra special cocktail at home- what a treat you lucky woman;-)

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  9. Oh I am liking this! This is definitely my kind of cocktail!

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  10. Genius! I never knew that this cocktail exists! There you go. Thanks very much. I have learnt something new today. xoxo

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  11. Of course I feel the urge to macerate daily but the outcome is never as lovely as this cocktail; something to savor and behold. Usually when I macerate I just feel like wiping up and starting over again in a day or so. This would be great with gin too btw.

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  12. What a great idea! I'm a writer over at Trendhunter.com and I'd love to feature this recipe. I'll send over a link when its polished and published! Fantastic work!

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  13. Yes, I've made a few cobblers in my time. Delicious idea, isn't it? Now about that pandan... in all this time I've never heard it described, only how good it is. The description got my attention, Trix. I've got to get to Kalustyans and pick some up to try... what a great flavor combination!!!

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  14. I love all the ingredient discoveries you are writing about. Ok so the drink is still sweet but way to go in avoiding your lesser favored (to your taste) dessert creations. Looks really amazing wish I could taste it.

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  15. Let's go with gal ;) I am a dry martini sort myself, lol...you crack me up. What a way to get out of dessert, this is just amazing! May I use the term brilliant!!! I really love this, and wish I had one right now :)

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