Macadamia lovers rejoice, this is an indulgent little sipper! Ester Dry and Brookies Mac liqueur make for a rich yet boozy delight. For the full experience, have a go at making your own macadamia orgeat!
INGREDIENTS
45ml Ester Spirits Dry Gin
10ml Brookies Mac liqueur
20ml Fresh lemon juice
20ml Orgeat*
GARNISH
Fresh lemon twist
METHOD
Add all ingredients into a shaker with ice and shake vigorously. Double strain into a small coupe or Nick & Nora glass and garnish with twist of lemon.
MACADAMIA ORGEAT
Orgeat (pronounced or-zhaat) is a sweet, almond-flavoured syrup commonly used as a cocktail ingredient (aloha, Mai Tai!) or in desserts. In this recipe, we substitute almonds for a creamy macadamia twist. Yields about 500ml.
- 250g raw macadamia nuts
- 400ml water + extra to soak
- 350g granulated sugar
- 15ml vodka
- 1 tsp orange blossom water
Preheat your oven to 175°C. Lay macadamia nuts out in a single layer on a baking sheet. Roast for 15-17 minutes until golden in colour, checking closely to make sure they don’t burn.
Let cool, then empty into a medium bowl and cover with cool water. Let soak for 30 minutes. Drain, then crush in a zip-loc bag with a rolling pin or lightly pulse in a food processor.
Return the crushed nuts to a bowl and add 400ml of water. Let stand for two hours. Strain through a cheesecloth, squeezing to extract all liquid. Add the nuts back in and let stand for another hour. This helps remove the oils from the nuts.
Strain the liquid again, this time into a saucepan and set aside the nuts for another use. Add the sugar to the pan and stir over medium high heat until dissolved. Remove from heat and let cool for 15 minutes, then add the vodka and orange blossom water. Stir and store in a clean glass bottle or air tight container. Will last up to 3 months in the fridge.
