WHY YOGHURT?
- Yoghurt beverages are cooling and refreshing. That’s why we love the Indian lassi (a blend of yoghurt, water, spices and fruit), the Turkish ayran (yoghurt shaken with water and salt until frothy) and the Iranian doogh (like ayran, but minty and fizzy).
- A little goes a long way. Plain yoghurt adds a nice tang and a slight sweetness to drinks, and also mellows out the harsh edges of spirits such as a gin and rum.
- It lends a richness to cocktails, but with less fat than cream.
- It’s a great frothing agent. You could substitute yoghurt for raw egg whites in a gin sour cocktail, for example.
PASSION-LIME SOUR
In a cocktail shaker, combine 1 shot granadilla simple syrup, 1 shot white rum, 1 T plain yoghurt and the juice of 1⁄2 lime with a handful of ice. Shake until frothy and serve garnished with fresh mint.
To make the granadilla simple syrup, combine 1 cup water and 200 sugar in a saucepan and heat until the sugar has dissolved. Add 2 T granadilla pulp and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat, cool, then strain and chill until needed. Keep the remaining syrup in the fridge and use in a soda spritzer.
Pro-tip: A great way to come up with flavour combinations is to consider what you enjoy with yoghurt. Fruit, cereal grains, nuts, brown sugar – all these accents to a bowl of yoghurt work well in cocktails. – Julia Momose, bartender at Chicago’s Michelin starred oriole.
Comments