Pomegranate Chai Fix

I love the spices in Chai Masala, and I’ll find a way to include them in as many things as possible, cocktails included. Clove, star anise, cinnamon, pepper, and cardamom compliment pomegranate beautifully. This cocktail has a great balance of sweetness, acidity and spice. Great on its own at a cocktail party or as a pre-dinner drink.

Note: You likely won’t use all of the syrup in 2 cocktails. You can make the syrup in advance, in an even larger batch if desired, and keep for mixing a single cocktail or two every once in a while. It stores well in a glass jar in your fridge for up to 2 weeks. Also, feel free to omit a spice or two if you don’t have it or don’t like it. You will still get a great flavor from the blend you use.

What You Need:

For the syrup:

½ cup water

½ cup granulated sugar

1 cinnamon stick

3 whole star anise

5-6 whole cardamom pods

2-3 black peppercorns

½ teaspoon whole cloves

1 cup blackberries, fresh or frozen

For two cocktails:

4 fluid ounces (½ cup) gin (or vodka if preferred)

2 fluid ounces (¼ cup) pomegranate juice

2 fluid ounces (¼ cup) fresh lemon juice

1 fluid ounce (2 tablespoons) blackberry chai syrup

2 pieces of lemon peel

What You Do:

1. Make the syrup: In a small saucepan, combine the water, sugar and spices. Stir together over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Add the blackberries and heat until they burst, adding water if necessary. Turn off the heat and allow it to steep for 10-20 minutes. Strain, reserving the spices for garnish.

2. Make the fix: In a shaker, combine gin, pomegranate juice, lemon juice and about 2 tablespoons of the strained syrup with a few cubes of ice. Lock the lid and shake vigorously for 2-3 minutes or until the shaker is chilled with lots of condensation on the outside. The mixture should be frothy.

3. Taste and adjust if needed.

4. Fill 2 rocks glasses with ice. Pour the mixture over the ice. Garnish with a couple of the reserved whole spices and a twist of lemon.

Herb Infused Syrups

Wait! Stop! Despite what you’ve been told, you should not wrap your freshly harvested herbs in paper towels and store them in your freezer for future use. Let’s be real, you won’t use them. The future leaves, brittle and flavorless, won’t resemble the fresh greenery they once were, and this is a tremendous waste of paper towels, plastic bags and freezer space! Transform those herbs into something that is preservable, portable and ripe with many uses. Some typical creations include pesto, chimichurri, salad dressings and marinades, but have you tried herb infused syrups for use in cocktails, mocktails or baked goods? This recipe requires only about 5 minutes of active time, 3 ingredients [including water] and produces something with countless uses that lasts for months.

Herb Infused Simple Syrups

Yield: 1 cup syrup

What You Need:

• ½ cup sugar

• ¾ cup water

• 1 loosely packed cup of leaves of mild herbs such as mint, thyme, and basil or ½ cup stronger herbs such as rosemary, lavender and sage

What You Do:

1. In a small pot, combine sugar and water. Over high heat, stir until sugar dissolves. Add the herb leaves and bring to a boil. 

2. Remove from heat and allow herbs to steep and cool for about 30 minutes.

3. Strain through a fine mesh strainer. Discard the solids.

Note: For a more concentrated, thicker syrup to use in or on baked goods in place of corn syrup, maple syrup or honey, return to stove. Heat on medium high for 5 minutes until reduced and syrupy.

To freeze: Transfer to small jars or plastic containers with tightly fitting lids. Due to the sugar content, the liquid will not freeze completely solid. You can freeze in ice cube trays and then transfer to plastic bags, but beware that cubes will remain slightly soft. Use within 6 months.

Variations:

Ginger Syrup - Use ½ cup sliced ginger root instead of herbs or in combination with herbs to make ginger syrup. Ginger + Mint is particularly nice.

Rhubarb Syrup - Add one stalk of rhubarb, cut into 1 inch chunks. Rhubarb + Thyme is a great pairing.

Citrus Syrup - In place of some of the water, use ¼ cup orange juice or 2 tablespoons lemon juice. You should still have ¾ cup total liquid. Sage + Orange is a great combination. Lemon + Lavender is another.