The saffron infusion we crafted for our evening drinks and cocktails has made its way to breakfast. The golden saffron drizzled over a favourite combination of fresh strawberries and yogurt makes a wonderful breakfast dish you’ll want to serve to summer guests.
If life hands you lemons then make really good lemonade. It means squeezing the juice from the fresh citrus fruit and sweetening it with a simple syrup. Don’t stop there. We are infusing the simple syrup with saffron. This rich spice transforms everyday lemonade into a fragrant, golden drink that can be served for summer celebrations.
Saffron, which is from the dried stamen of the crocus flower, is the world’s most expensive spice, prized more that gold. Luckily you need just a few saffron threads for the infusion. Since saffron needs heat to release its flavour, the floral essence develops in the warm syrup.
We’ve marveled how spices commonly used in savoury foods – peppercorn and basil – can enhance a conventional drink or cocktail. The simple syrup infused with saffron brightens the colour of the lemonade and adds a deep floral aroma.
Normally we strain our infusions. Not this time, as we enjoy the gold saffron threads floating and decorating our lemonade.
Saffron Lemonade
1 cup water
1 cup sugar
Pinch of saffron (about 1/8 to 1/4 tsp)
1 cup fresh lemon juice (4 to 5 lemons)
3 cups cold water
Add sugar and the water to a pot
Crumble saffron and add to the water
Simmer for five minutes, making sure sugar has dissolved
Let the saffron infused syrup sit for at least 15 minutes
Add the cool syrup to the fresh lemon juice
Add the cold water and refrigerate at least 30 minutes before serving
Tip:
Less is more with saffron. Too much spice results in a pungent flavour.
Store saffron in a cool, dark cupboard.
Related Recipes:
The spring tulips have started their parade. It’s easy to see why gardeners over the centuries have been enchanted by these flowers. However, many city gardeners, tired of pesky squirrels, have given up on tulips.
We’ve discovered that they ignore the species tulips, the wild, smaller varieties, and devour their showy cousins. (Darwin would have something to say about this.)
Even if you don’t garden you can still enjoy a cocktail in honour of this spring flower. The original tulip cocktail is a delicate mix of apricot and apple brandy. Here’s to tulipmania.
Tulip Cocktail
1 oz. apple brandy
1 oz. sweet vermouth
1/2 oz. apricot brandy
1/2 oz. lemon juice
Shake ingredients with cracked ice and serve in a chilled glass
More men are discovering the joys of being a gentleman. They have emerged, like birds of spring, strutting and preening along the city streets.
Old fashioned barbershops are popping up across the city, enticing their customers to come in and discover their inner peacock. The look of the moment is “clean cut, close sides,” the barber tells us.
Ready to toast the new look? Bars, lined with bottles and books, have the quiet air of the gentleman’s club. They are serving up the classic drinks.
“A whiskey sour. Please.”
Whiskey Sour
2 oz. whiskey
1 tbsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. sugar
Shake ingredients together and strain into a chilled glass
Garnish with a slice of lemon or orange
Related Recipe – Whiskey Smash
The folks at a local restaurant are determined not to let the cold, wet spring spoil their outdoor fun. They’ve covered their outdoor patio with this handmade Mongolian yurt.
The warm tent, traditionally used by nomads of Central Asia, has found a home in the busy city. Now, it seems, some people prefer to enjoy their drinks and cocktails under the yurt rather than the indoor bar.
What a year of surprises since we decided to press publish and launch the Savannah Cocktail Club. We watched with awe as readers from across the globe, from the Arctic to Morocco, sampled our recipes, a reminder how food is a universal language.
The biggest surprise came when some cafes here in the city expressed interest in adding our fruit and spice infusions to their menu. Now we are creating drinks to share with friends but also collaborating with professional chefs. (Can you spot the Savannah infusions below?)
Our favourite drink? It’s the rhubarb fizz, the tangy blend of rhubarb syrup and sparkling water, which also became our motto – just experiment. Over the year, as we researched various recipes, we’ve been reminded of the limited way most of us think about food.
So, what’s next? Camera in hand, we plan to keep exploring our diverse city and its unique neighbourhoods and markets. There are some new drinks and infusions to share with you. We hope you will continue to be part of the adventure.
Your favourite recipes:
Plum Bliss, a syrup from plums and star anise
Cranberry Gin, a step -by -step guide to making your own
Pear Syrup/Pear Cocktail, pears combined with ginger and spice
Pomelo Cocktail, made from the fragrant citrus fruit
Tip:
If you make the cranberry gin, don’t toss the boozy berries. They make an amazing relish.
Move over mint. Fresh thyme is having its moment with sprigs of the herb floating as a garnish in drinks and cocktails. In France a traditional liqueur is made from fresh thyme from the garden. Try the varieties full of citrus flavours, lime, lemon or orange thyme, for an unexpected garnish in your drink.
Related Recipe - Herb infusions to make aromatic cocktails
