The challenge with Canton is to embrace the intense almost peppery ginger flavor, but to also balance it so that it doesn’t overpower the drink. Pear juice was the initial counterpoint, but I found that it needed something more to balance the ginger, and fortuitously Michael had a bottle of vanilla infused simple syrup lying around just looking for a drink to call home. So I added that, dropped the lemon but kept the lime, and with the final addition of a crystallized ginger garnish converged on the ingredient list that stands today. That convergence occurred, interestingly enough, on an evening that I was hosting a TV viewing of a major boxing match between the great Filipino fighter Manny Pacquiao and Miguel Cotto. Now I’m not normally a fight fan, but my wife’s family is Filipino and in the Philippines Pacquiao is a living God, so I was only to happy to host the party and, of course, serve cocktails. Since the drink came together in its near final form that night (ratios were later tweaked slightly), I initially called it the Pacquiao Punch. While that name was very popular with my fine brothers-in-law and fitting for that evening given that Pacquiao thoroughly pummeled Cotto, it soon became clear that a name for a wider audience would be required. So I started thinking about the ingredients and where that place that I wanted the drinker to be transported to was–somewhere on the vast Asian steppe, centuries ago, on a camel caravan transporting pears and ginger and vanilla beans from China to the Mediterranean with the blood orange sun melting into the distant horizon. And so I arrived at The Silk Road, the end of this journey and a drink that I feel truly delivers on its inspiration. Let it transport you.

The Silk Road

• 4 – 4 ½ parts vodka
• 1 part Domaine de Canton ginger liqueur
• 1 part pear juice
• ½ part vanilla simple syrup (Sonoma Syrup Co. or homemade)
• ½ part lime juice
• Crystallized ginger slice

Shake all ingredients vigorously in a shaker two thirds full of ice and strain into cocktail glasses. Garnish with long strips of crystallized ginger.

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It was warm last weekend (by Berkeley standards) and will be again this weekend, so the “Creole Watermelon” from Scott Beattie’s Artisanal Cocktails seems timely. As you can see from the picture to the left, there are some interesting ingredients in this one.

I adore spicy cocktails. Not on an everyday basis, but I do like them for a change. Recently I was at the East Coast Grill in Cambridge Mass (a great restaurant and a great series of grilling cookbooks from chef Chris Schlesinger) and had their Scotch Bonnet-infused Martini from Hell. And don’t forget the magnificent Carter Beats the Devil from the inspiring cocktail menu at the excellent Flora. But I digress. Which isn’t against the rules on this blog as there are no rules on this blog. But still.

The key to this drink is to get good watermelon. I’d look for very small heirloom watermelons that you should be able to find this time of year. It needs to be sweet.  The advance prep for this cocktail (a feature of many of the cocktails in the book) is to make frozen watermelon wedges and watermelon juice. For the wedges simply slice the watermelon (about 1/3 to 1/2 inch) and then cut into wedges. You may need to cut them down even further depending on the size of your watermelon. You want them to be small enough for several them to fit into a martini glass along with the cocktail. Put them on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and stick them in the freezer. An hour or so of freezing time is needed, so plan ahead.

For the watermelon juice simply remove the rind and cut the watermelon into small chunks. If there are lots of seeds you should remove them as they will impart a bitter flavor to the juice. Then briefly puree the watermelon in a food processor or blender, put the result in a strainer over a bowl or pitcher and let the juice run out for 30 minutes or so. Voila, watermelon juice. As Scott says this is a very fragile juice and it won’t keep for much more than a day (if that) even if refrigerated. So invite your friends, which I’m sure you’re doing anyways. Right?

Okay, now that you have all that together, here’s the recipe, which is a slight adaptation from Scott’s:

• 3 parts regular vodka
• 3 parts Hangar One Kaffir Lime vodka. This is expensive and worth it. Don’t skimp.  There is nothing better, by the way, than a gin & tonic made with this gin (or 50/50 with unflavored vodka).
• 2 parts lime juice
• 6 parts watermelon juice
• 1 part agave nectar (or use simple syrup)
• Cilantro leaves (5-10 per drink)
• Kaffir lime leaves (3-5 per drink, you can get them at Berkeley Bowl if you live in the area)
• A spice mixture consisting of 1 teaspoon chili powder, 1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper and 1/2 teaspoon salt

Muddle the cilantro and kaffir lime leaves in the shaker. Add the liquid ingredients and about 1/2 teaspoon of the spice mixture per cocktail (start with less, you can add more if you want). Shake aggressively and strain into a martini glass. Add 5 or so frozen watermelon wedges, 5 or so cilantro leaves and a couple of kaffir lime leaves for garnish.  Then sprinkle on a bit of the spice powder for good measure.

I love this on a warm day. Not just because it is refreshing, but because the frozen watermelon chunks help keep the drink cold without diluting it in the same way ice cubes would (although this drink would be great on the rocks as well). And the watermelon ice cubes taste good once you’ve finished the drink.

I also think the drink looks absolutely fantastic.

You should really buy Artisanal Cocktails soon. Or now.

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The ingredients for making the foam include gelatin (“bloomed” in water), grapefruit juice, simple syrup and coconut milk. You pour the lot into a whipped cream dispenser, charge it, let it rest in the refrigerator for a few hours and then dispense. I’ll let you buy Scott’s book for the exact details but even without the foam the cocktail is excellent. The cocktail itself is equal parts normal vodka, grapefruit vodka, tequila, grapefruit juice and lime juice, sweetened with a half-part of agave nectar. The rim is coated with a mixture of 5 parts sugar and 1 part red Hawaiian sea salt. Shake, pour and top with the foam.

It was delicious and highly recommended even if you aren’t in the market for a hangover remedy. The first batch was a little strong on the grapefruit flavor, so for the second batch I used more unflavored vodka and less grapefruit vodka. I was using Absolut Grapefruit vodka and my guess is that it is a bit less subtle than the Charbay brand that Scott recommends (and I couldn’t find).

The foam was less successful than I would have liked. It tasted great but the appearance was not what I was hoping for. The bubbles were larger than I expected and the resulting foam was a bit lumpy. I’m not sure why. Perhaps too much gelatin? Or my half-sized dispenser isn’t the right tool for the job? Any advice from experienced cocktail foam makers is appreciated. Back to the kitchen for another try!

Pelo Del Perro

Next up, the Creole Watermelon…..

Related posts:

1. A Taste of Persia