Green Goddess Cocktail
Every year for my birthday my mom gifts me with a year subscription to Bon Appétit Magazine. Even though there are many wonderful recipes available online there is something extra special about actually holding and touching the pages of a beautiful food magazine. I look forward to the delivery each month and squeal when I open the mailbox.
One of my favorite things to read in the magazine is the R.S.V.P. column where Bon Appétit publishes recipes, requested by readers, from restaurants all across the country. Sometimes the requests are hilarious and out of complete desperation. Thankfully, Bon Appétit tracks down these particular recipes and tests them in the their own kitchen before publishing them. Hint, if you’re ever dying to recreate a particular dish from a restaurant definitely write in!
Anyhow, I stopped dead in my tracks when I read in the latest R.S.V.P. column about an incredible Green Goddess Cocktail from a restaurant in L.A. It sounded totally farm fresh and a little out there if I’m being honest (arugula simple syrup….What?!). However, Bon Appétit has never failed me before and I’m so happy with how these drinks turned out. Both Taylor and I agreed this is going to be the Tumbleweed Farm signature cocktail for the 2015 season.
I couldn’t help myself and used local honey for the simple syrup instead of cane sugar (which the original recipe calls for) however, feel free to use sugar if that’s what you have on hand or prefer. Also, the vodka is infused with green tea for 8 hours so I’d suggest prepping the vodka in the morning so these cocktails are ready to rock right at 5 o’clock! Anyhow, I hope you all enjoy these drinks as much as we do and get to clink glasses with good company.
Farm to glass never tasted so good! Cheers from Tumbleweed.
Green Goddess Cocktail
Prep Time: 15 minutes Cook Time: 15 minutes Serves: 4
- 8 oz vodka
- 1 teaspoon OR 1 bag green tea
- 1/2 cup honey OR 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 cups packed baby arugula (or beet greens)
- 1 cucumber
- 1 jalapeño, quartered and seeded
- 4 oz. fresh lemon juice
- Mint sprigs for serving
Preparation
- Combine vodka and tea in a jar. Cover and let infuse for 8 hours. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a small bowl; discard solids. Cover and chill.
- Bring honey and 1/3 cup water to a boil in a small saucepan, stirring to dissolve the honey. Remove from heat, add arugula, and stir until wilted. Cover and let syrup steep 5 minutes, then strain into a small bowl; discard solids. Cover and chill until cold. About 1 hour.
- Cut 12 thin slices from cucumber; set aside
- For each cocktail, finely grate one-fourth of remaining cucumber directly into a cocktail shaker. Add a piece of jalapeño and muddle until chile is broken into small pieces. Add 2 oz green-tea vodka, 1 oz arugula syrup, and 1 oz. lemon juice to shaker. Fill with ice and shake vigorously for about 30 seconds. Strain cocktail into a glass filled with ice and garnish with mint and 3 reserved cucumber slices. Repeat with reaming 3 cocktails.
Notes
*This recipe is adapted from bon appétit *Use this as a guide and adjust measurements and ingredients as necessary
Who could resist a cocktail named Green Goddess? And I totally agree about the joys of flipping through a brand new issue of Bon Appetit!
This looks so amazing and fresh! I love the use of arugula in a simple syrup- very creative. And I also love how you used honey instead of cane sugar, it adds an extra dimensional of flavor and can be bought locally! Love love love everything about this cocktail 🙂
Can’t wait to try it (another six hours or so) and Brian will be
pleased that at least it’s not a cocktail using kale!
Lucy! I hope you guys enjoy this cocktail as much as we do! Don’t even mention the arugula to Brian (Taylor was oblivious at first!) Cheers from the west coast. xoxo