Rhubarb Cocktail

It’s a misty, cold, March morning as I write this by a crackling fire.

Fortunately these photos are already beaming a bit of sunshine into my soul. Or perhaps that’s just the after burn of yesterday’s cocktails.

The images remind me that murky mornings, like yesterdays, can turn into glorious afternoons which flow into happy hour and the promise of a Friday evening cocktail.

I cooked some more Timperley rhubarb with sugar and vanilla. The vanilla scented soft fruit pieces went into the rhubarb and custard muffins for the Spring Fair.

The syrup was destined for a cocktail for me. Research tells me that I am not really allowed to call it a Rhubarb-tini as it only shares the same glass as a true martini.

To be frank it doesn’t even do that, since I smashed my martini glass last week making some of these.

I’d be no good as a cocktail waiter. I managed to coat the table and the floor with this one as I tried to pour it whilst looking through the viewfinder.

So this is my rhubarb and vanilla cocktail, very pink and quite girly.

As if to prove a point Ed and George went out to the garden to do ‘boys things’ whilst I snuck a snip of my Weekend medicine and tidied up the mess I made.

Rhubarb Cocktail

• 500g fresh chopped forced rhubarb
• 150g caster sugar
• 1 split vanilla pod
• Gin or vodka
• Vermouth

Put the chopped rhubarb in a shallow oven proof dish, sprinkle on the sugar and add the split vanilla pod. Cover with foil and bake at 180 degrees c for 30-40 minutes until tender. Cooking it this way keeps the pieces whole and stops it being stringy.

When it has cooled drain the juice into a jug and use the pieces of soft fruit for cakes, crumble or pie.

Half fill a cocktail shaker with ice, strain in about a shot of rhubarb syrup, add a shot of gin, or vodka if you don’t like gin.

Add a splash of vermouth, or lemon juice if you prefer things sour.

Shake it.

Shake it until the outside of the shaker has a coating of frost and your fingers freeze.

Strain into a girly glass and drink until nightfall…or you fall.

Related Posts:

Rhubarb and Custard Cakes

Spring Fair

Tagged: 2012, cocktail, drink, gin, martini, rhubarb, rhubarb-tini, rhubarbtini, Spring, syrup

Posted in: Claire, Drinkies, Food, Fruity, Original Recipes