Say When
Grapefruit and black pepper? I can’t remember where I saw this combination, but it’s been circulating in my brain for a minute. After I recently made a batch of a delicious grapefruit-forward syrup (recipe by @sennzafinne_libations— see this post for the full specs), I knew I had to use the combo in a drink.
For the black pepper, I made a tincture. I am sure it would be possible to do a simpler infusion on the countertop over a longer period of time, but I went for speed and high potency here. I combined 10g black pepper (dry toasted, lightly crushed) in 60g high-proof neutral spirit and placed in the sous vide for 1hr at 170F. This stuff is intense, but perfect to bring the presence of black pepper into the drink without needing a large volume.
The build is otherwise a fairly straightforward gin sour, using a lovely gin gifted from @dinglegin and adding some Aperol to bring additional grapefruit-friendly depth of flavor. The grapefruit and black pepper garnish brings a beautiful aroma and provides a nice preview of the tasty sip below.
Recipe
2oz Gin (@dinglegin, gifted)
0.5oz Whole citrus syrup
0.5oz Aperol (@aperolspritzofficial)
0.5oz Lemon juice
2 barspoons black pepper tincture
1 Egg white
Dry shake all ingredients, then shake with ice until chilled. Fine strain into coupe. Garnish with grapefruit peel and freshly cracked pepper. Cheers!!
