Grapefruit Rosé Syllabub
I love a little history with my drinks.
Awhile back, I stumbled across an article about colonial-era cocktails. Really, they weren't even technically 'cocktails'--they were 'health drinks'. They were a means of consuming your very healthy and important eggs and cream long past the expiration date. Because these items were precious and perishable, they were often mixed with some sort of alcohol such as rum, wine, cider, or beer in order to give them a longer shelf life. When you don't have a refrigerator, you just add alcohol and hope it kills off all the bad things. What could go wrong?
One such 'cocktail' is the Syllabub, which, back then was a mixture of cream, egg whites, sugar, and either wine or cider (Incidentally, 'Syllabub' is also the name of a delicious dessert which is made with similar ingredients. But that's a post for another day and probably another blog).
When The Village Magazine asked me to make them a fun egg white cocktail, I just so happened to be chomping at the bit to try my hand at a syllabub.
Note: as always, consume raw egg whites at your own risk. Make sure they are fresh as hell, or use pasteurized egg whites to be extra safe.
G R A P E F R U I T R O S É S Y L L A B U B
To make one 'bub:
5 oz. sweet, floral rosé
2 oz. fresh grapefruit juice
1 oz. homemade grenadine
1 oz. ginger rum (or just plain light rum)
1/2 tbs. heavy cream
5 dashes cardamom bitters
2 fresh egg whites, whipped
2 tsp. grenadine
floral garnish
In a small bowl, whip two egg whites until stiff peaks form. Add 2 tsp. of grenadine to sweeten, whip until combined. Set aside.
Combine rosé, grapefruit juice, grenadine, rum, cream, and bitters in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake until chilled. Strain mixture into glass, then spoon egg whites on top. Garnish with edible flowers.
Annnnnd that's a chicken standing on its head.
I'm sure there was a lot of drinking with chickens in colonial times.
And here's a little instructional video we did on how to make it:
Good stuff. I feel healthier already.