LAVENDER LEMON DROP

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Lavender Lemon Drop image

Provided by Geoffrey Zakarian

Categories     beverage

Time 30m

Yield 1 drink

Number Of Ingredients 10

1 cup demerara sugar
1 ounce gin, such as Plymouth
1 ounce limoncello, store-bought or homemade, recipe follows
1/2 ounce lemon juice
1 ounce Moscato d'Asti
1 sprig fresh lavender
Lemon wedge, for garnish
12 large, thick-skinned lemons, preferably Sorrento lemons, washed
1 liter inexpensive vodka, such as Smirnoff or Tito's
1 cup sugar

Steps:

  • For the demerara sugar syrup: Combine the demerara sugar and 1 cup water in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Cook, stirring, until the sugar dissolves. Remove from the heat and let cool completely.
  • For the lavender lemon drop: Add the gin, limoncello, lemon juice and 1/2 ounce of the demerara sugar syrup to a cocktail shaker, add large ice and shake vigorously. Add the Moscato d'Asti, tumble-roll once to mix throughout and double-strain into a martini glass with a small sprig of lavender. Garnish with a lemon wedge and serve (do not muddle the lavender).
  • Keep the remaining demerara sugar syrup covered in the refrigerator up to 1 month.
  • Remove the peels from the lemons carefully, making sure not to include any of the pith. Place the peels in a large container and add the vodka (reserve the vodka bottle for later). Infuse until the alcohol strips the oils and color out of the peels, 12 to 24 hours.
  • Meanwhile, make the simple syrup. Combine the sugar and 1 cup water in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Cook, stirring, until the sugar dissolves. Remove from the heat and let cool completely.
  • Fill the vodka bottle with about 27 ounces of the infused vodka and 7 ounces of the simple syrup and place in the freezer. Serve ice cold in chilled small copita or shot glasses.

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