Balsamic vinegar and black pepper both pair wonderfully with ripe strawberries. That's why I was delighted when I found this cocktail that incorporates them both into a delicious, vodka-based drink with fresh strawberries. The strawberry fields cocktail would be perfect for using juicy summer berries, but I could see myself enjoying this tasty beverage any time of year.
How to make it
You should begin this recipe by preparing the honey syrup ahead of time (see recipe below).
Next, you're going to hull and roughly chop two medium-sized strawberries. Place the strawberry pieces into your cocktail shaker. Use a muddler to muddle them into a purée. I really like the muddler that comes with the cocktail bar set that I mention below.
Add the vodka, honey syrup, freshly squeezed lemon juice, and pasteurized egg whites into the cocktail shaker with the strawberry purée. Don't add any ice yet. To get a nice egg white foam for the top of our cocktail, we are going to 'dry shake' it first. This means shaking it without ice. Dry shake the cocktail vigorously for thirty seconds.
Now it's time to water down the cocktail a touch and make it cold with tiny ice shards. Do this by adding a few ice cubes to the shaker and shaking vigorously for another twenty seconds. Strain the cocktail into a coupe glass.
Use a dropper (if you have one) to add five drops of balsamic vinegar on top of the foam. While this cocktail recipe originally just calls for regular balsamic vinegar, I highly recommend using a nice, aged one. It will have so much more depth of flavour and will make such a difference in the flavour of this cocktail. Drag a toothpick through the centres of the balsamic drops to shape them into hearts. Then add a dusting of ground black pepper on top.
How to make honey syrup
To make honey syrup, simply mix three-parts honey together with one-part hot water in a small bowl. Stir together until the honey has melted and mixed well with the water.
Origin of the strawberry fields cocktail
This cocktail was created in 2014 by mixologist Trina Nishimura, also known for her anime voiceover acting career.
Strawberry Fields Cocktail
- Prep Time: 2 minutes
- Total Time: 2 minutes
- Yield: 1 cocktail 1x
- Category: Cocktails
- Cuisine: American
Description
The strawberry fields cocktail is vodka-based and deliciously features fresh strawberries paired with aged balsamic and black pepper.
Ingredients
Cocktail:
2 medium strawberries
1 ½ oz vodka
½ oz freshly squeezed lemon juice
½ oz honey syrup (recipe below)
½ oz pasteurized egg whites
Garnish:
5 drops aged balsamic vinegar *
ground black pepper
Instructions
Honey Syrup:
In a small bowl, mix together 3 parts honey with 1 part hot water. Stir until honey is melted and well blended.
Cocktail:
Hull and roughly chop the strawberries. Place them into your cocktail shaker and muddle until they form a purée.
Add in vodka, honey syrup, lemon juice, and egg whites. Dry shake (with no ice) vigorously for 30 seconds.
Add ice and shake again for 20 seconds.
Strain into a coupe glass.
Garnish:
Use a dropper to add five drops of aged balsamic on top of the foam. Drag a toothpick through the centres of the drops to make heart shapes.
Add a dusting of ground black pepper.
Notes
* You could use regular balsamic vinegar to make this cocktail, but I highly recommend that you use a nice, aged one. Aged balsamic is sweeter and has much greater depth, and will completely change the resulting cocktail. I looove balsamic with strawberries so I sometimes add a little extra in.
This cocktail was created by Trina Nishimura, 2014.
Keywords: strawberry fields cocktail
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