It’s a searing, steaming, scorching hot August here in Italy, and no climate could be more fitting for this month’s MxMo theme: FIRE!!
This time we have the honor of being led by Muse of Doom, one of the most talented bloggers in the booze-blogging universe, and here you can read all about the chosen theme. Make sure you pay her a visit every once in a while, because not only does she come up with great recipes and even better names, but she’s probably the most active person on the net in spreading other people’s word around.. a true Muse of this movement!!
I was worried about not having enough time to contribute, given that I spent my past two weeks on holidays, but luckily I managed to find some spare time as soon as I got back home, so fire away!!

CHARRED MEMORIES


INGREDIENTS
1 oz. Absinthe parisienne
1 oz. White Rum Agricole (I used Saint James)
1.25 oz. Grilled Pineapple Juice
0.75 oz. Grilled Lemon Juice
0.75 oz. Burnt Sugar Syrup
1 oz. Egg White
2 spoonfulls of thinly sliced orange and lime peel
3 drops Vanilla Extract
2 dashes Bittertruth Creole Bitters

GARNISH
Charred lemon wheel and charred pineapple wedge.

PREP
Now this one needs a bit of preparations to do..Place the orange and lime peel, vanilla extract and absinthe in a little pot and set on fire, just like this.

To prepare the grilled lemon and the grilled pineapple juice, just put few pieces of fruit on the grill, and cook them for quite a while, until they both become caramelized, aka brown. Put pieces of each fruit in a juicer and extract the liquid, then let them cool for a bit. Save some of the grilled fruit for garnish.

Burnt sugar syrup is quite simple to make, I used instructions from “Craft Cocktails at Home” by Kevin Liu, but I’m sure you can find a recipe on his website as well.

Once you have all the ingredients ready, chuck them all except the bitters in a shaker, dry-shake first and then shake the hell out of it with ice, pour over a couple of big chunks of ice, add 2 dashes of creole bitters and garnish with grilled fruit. Since the grilled fruit doesn’t come out of the pan really charred unless I leave it there for hours, I decided to blacken them with my portable burner, it adds loads of aroma.

I have been playing with grilled fruit juices for quite a while now, as I’ve tried to incorporate them for a couple of competitions recipes, and I got to say that I love them. They add so much more complexity, especially sour fruits, they mellow and get a much sweeter note. I decided to take this month theme, and rather than using fire as a garnish, I preferred to use ingredients modified by fire.
The combination pineapple and absinthe is always a great one in my opinion, as the two flavors compliment each other, but what sets this drink apart is the burnt sugar syrup. It gives a great long lasting sensation of caramel, which ends up mixing with citrus peel and vanilla. This drink has a very complex flavor profile, but it’s incredibly easy drinking. Not a thirst-quencher but a good sour, with extra spices and flavor.
That’s all for this one, I had a great time with this theme and thanx again to Muse of Doom for hosting MxMo this month, and also a virtual high-five to Fred Yarm for keeping this great happening alive!!

Coming up in the next two weeks, a couple of recipes I am working on at the moment, for Angostura Global Cocktail Challenge 2014, Beefeater comp and Nikka Perfect Serve 2013.