Doing a personal year-in-review on this blog, I took another look at two of my most popular posts: my interviews with Jeffrey Morgenthaler and Tony Abou-Ganim.
Two things struck me:
- Tony's caipirinha technique, honed during his Starlight Room days, using simple syrup and hand-squeezed lime juice (instead of muddling the lime and sugar), and
- Jeffrey's triple-spice syrup (essentially a simple syrup with anise, cloves, and cinnamon boiled into the water) used in his Boca-Loca-based Que Calor holiday cocktail.
Seemed to me that the hacker thing to do would be to combine these two. Good news is the spices really lend a great kick to the drink. Some might miss the flavor from the essential oils released from the lime during muddling, though.
In any event, I give you the Ganimthaler caipirinha, which I just enjoyed this fine Wednesday evening.
The Ganimthaler Caipirinha
To make the triple-spice syrup: In a small saucepan, simmer 16 oz. water, covered, with 9 star anise pods, 20 cloves and 3 cinnamon sticks for 30 minutes. Strain solids immediately and add 2 cups sugar. Let cool and bottle.
- 2.5 oz. cachaça
- 1/2 oz triple-spice syrup
- Squeezed juice of half a lime
To make the triple-spice syrup: In a small saucepan, simmer 16 oz. water, covered, with 9 star anise pods, 20 cloves and 3 cinnamon sticks for 30 minutes. Strain solids immediately and add 2 cups sugar. Let cool and bottle.
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