It's much too early to be drinking martinis, but somehow my work is never done. Poor me. I tasted the white chocolate consomme again this morning to decide what kind of alcohols to pair with it. The consomme is actually quite intense in flavor, sweet and soft on the palate and there's no mistaking the flavor of white chocolate. The curry leaves had faded into more of a background flavor, teasingly ethereal unless you happen to know what you're tasting in advance. Since I didn't have any curry leaves to muddle into the drink I decided not to highlight that combination. Instead I decided to play up the chocolate aspect balancing the consomme with Ketel One vodka for it's sharp, clean flavor and a bit of Tuaca to round out the sweetness of the chocolate.
Tuaca is an Italian liqueur based upon cask aged brandy with added flavors of citrus and vanilla. It also has some wonderful caramel and butterscotch notes and added a nice complexity to the drink. If you don't have the white chocolate consomme you could make this drink with some frothy white chocolate milk. For that you just bring eight ounces of milk, whatever kind you prefer, to a simmer and pour it over 4 ounces of chopped white chocolate and a few grains of salt. Whisk until the mixture is fully incorporated and frothy and either chill the milk or add the liqueurs and serve warm. The warm version would be perfect on a stormy evening paired with a roaring fire and good conversation with someone you love. Chilled and made with frothy white chocolate milk it would be equally indulgent as an apertif or as a dessert. The consomme makes it lighter with more straightforward flavors but making it with white chocolate milk brings it home. It's all up to you and your pantry to make the perfect sip.
White Chocolate Martini
2 ounces white chocolate consomme or white chocolate milk
1 1/2 ounces of Ketel One Vodka
1/2 ounce of Tuaca
Combine in a shake with ice. Shake vigourously and strain into a martini glass.
While we're talking about cocktails, our recent house drink (at our house, not the Guest House) is a rum and passionfruit concoction. So for those of you who like rum...
Pyrat and Passionfruit
1 1/2 ounces Pyrat XO Rum
1 quarter of a lime
3 ounces passionfruit juice (We use Ceres)
Squeeze the lime quarter in the bottom of a small shaker and add the piece of fruit to the container. Cover with ice and add the liqueurs. Shake well and pour into a rocks glass.
