Time for a soon-to-be-regular-feature of the blog: drink reviews and recipes.
Yesterday I made a gin and tonic for a friend and I didn’t have any limes on hand. I usually like to use lots of lime juice in my G&Ts because I love the combination of citrus with tonic water. Searching for an alternative in the fridge, I found a box of these adorable bite-sized Asian fruits:
Now kumquats are like an orange that’s the size of a grape, though they are bitterer than oranges and frankly can be outright sour. As a snack, you eat the whole thing, skin and all.
So here’s the recipe for my GT and K:
- 1 1/2 oz gin
- top with tonic water (I use Schweppes Diet to avoid high fructose corn syrup)
- 4 juiced kumquats
- garnish with a sliced kumquat
I estimate the ratio at this: 3 kumquats = about 1/2 a lime, so add based on your taste. Use a hand juicer because a single tiny kumquat can have lots of seeds in it.
My servee said “the kumquats really make the drink.”
I also worked up an alternative without the gin, modified a Tom Collins recipe, and called it a kumquat soda:
- 4 oz club soda
- 1 tsp of simple syrup
- 4 juiced kumquats (remember, use a juicer, too many seeds)
- drop in some kumquat wheels
So now I have a fun new citrus to play with in my summer drinks, and can finally say that my life-long search for kumquat uses has reached an end! Plus, how many times do you see the word “kumquat” appear in a blog post? Not enough. The tally’s 10 for this one.
