Thursday, May 21, 2009

Thirsty Thursdays: Black Currant Edition

You've heard of cleaning out your refrigerator ... how about cleaning out your liquor cabinet?

A quick survey of my ever burgeoning booze cupboard revealed a bottle of rather lonely looking Cassis - last used ... I don't know when. Sad.

Well, no longer. I put that bottle to good use and have dreamed up a lovely, refreshing spring time cocktail. Redolent with the perfume of ginger and bright with the astringent tang of lime, this little beauty is sure to please.

The Blushing Mule:
  • 2 parts vodka
  • 1/2 part Cassis (I like the Matilde brand.)
  • juice of 1/2 small lime
  • 2 tsp. ginger syrup
  • 2 - 3 drops of orange bitters
  • some plain seltzer or soda water for topping up
Pour the vodka, Cassis, lime juice and ginger syrup into an ice filled martini shaker. Shake well and strain into an ice filled tumbler. Add a couple drops of orange bitters and top up with the seltzer. Garnish with a slice of lime. Serve and enjoy, repeat as necessary.

The idea for this cocktail was hatched in my grocery store. I spied a bottle of ginger syrup on the shelf and immediately thought: I need to make a drink with that! I had a feeling it would pair well with the tart, luscious black currant liqueur ... and I was right! A squeeze of lime never hurt anybody, so in that went, and I'm really diggin' the orange bitters at present, so that served as a nice, bright, finishing touch. The results? Scrumptious! A completely harmonious mix.

Given the similarities to the Moscow Mule, I've named it the Blushing Mule, in honor of the Cassis. I hope you'll try it!

Bon appetit!

14 comments:

Marta said...

Hahaha that's a pretty clever name! This looks quite refreshing and it makes me feel like I should be sitting on my deck with a sunhat on!

The Diva on a Diet said...

That's exactly what I was going for, Marta. Now I just need to find myself a deck! ;) Cheers and thanks!

Christo Gonzales said...

dang are you the total mixologist diva or what?

Anonymous said...

Who turns down cocktails? Not these two! Especially anything with vodka.

Anonymous said...

I love the name! Sounds excellent with cassis and ginger syrup!

Jescel said...

sounds like a fabulous cocktails.. all you need now are equally fab friends to share them with, and you'll have a fab night!

The Wino said...

Man, I don't have any of that in my liquor cabinet...wait I don't even have a liquor cabinet! I need to go shopping!

Marta said...

I liked your healthy snack idea featured on Christie's Corner! Thanks for sharing :)

pixelgal said...

I'm still waiting for a Moscow Mule which was promised for Easter but never happened! Now there's the Blushing one....oh, well...sobriety is overrated anyway!

Laurie said...

Nice cocktail!

I love Thirsty Thursdays! Back in my waitress days, two co-workers had a weekly date after work named exactly that. I was a single mom, so I couldn't join them, but I alwyas wanted to. Now I can join you instead, although I will need to beef up my supplies to keep up.

stephchows said...

black currant really??? And it was tasty??? I don't know diva... sounds scary! lol :)

The Diva on a Diet said...

Yes, black currant, really! It was delicious! So good I served it to some company on Saturday night and they loved it too. Try it, you'll like it! ;)

Laurie - how funny about your own "Thirsty Thursdays" ... love it!

tavolini said...

Wow! Great concoction--I've never heard of cassis and I'm very intrigued by the ginger syrup...

The Diva on a Diet said...

TavoLini - the ginger syrup is very cool and I'm sure you could use it on pancakes as well. If you like ginger, you'll like this.

As for the Cassis, its yummy too - and also pairs well with champagne. Cheers!