Thursday, August 11, 2011

Almond-Fennel Cocktail

Cold, refreshing beverages are an important part of my life right now and will be until the end of this hot, hot weather. So, I was thrilled to find some pages I cut from the April issue of Food and Wine that were full of cocktails and mocktails. This almond-fennel beverage was intended as a mocktail, but I couldn't resist adding some vodka. The flavors sounded intriguing, and since it's made with orgeat, I had to try it. Last year, I found myself in the middle of an orgeat search and learned that it's exactly the same as almond syrup. For the fennel flavor in this cocktail, a second syrup is made by steeping crushed fennel seeds in water and then dissolving sugar in it. The bubbles from club soda and the green, frilly fennel frond garnish gave it a cool, crisp look making it an inviting way to combat the heat.

You'll need to make the fennel syrup in advance since the seeds need to steep for about 20 minutes. A tablespoon of fennel seeds were crushed in a spice grinder and then added to a cup of water which was brought to a boil. It was removed from the heat, covered, and allowed to steep. Then, the seeds were strained as the water was poured through a sieve into a jar or measuring pitcher. One cup of sugar was added and stirred until it dissolved. The fennel syrup can be stored in the refrigerator for a month. To make the cocktail, combine orgeat, or almond syrup, fennel syrup, fresh lemon juice, and vodka if you'd like. Add ice, stir in club soda, and garnish with a fennel frond.

The mild anise of the fennel syrup blended nicely with the almond flavor. You should taste as you mix because I found I wanted a little more fennel syrup to be sure it didn't get lost behind the almond and lemon. It's true that I'm happy to see just about any beverage over ice these days, but the interesting flavors in this one made it particularly refreshing.



23 comments:

  1. This is so cute!!! I love the garnish of fennel on your cocktail! I could use some now!

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  2. Very original and so refreshing!

    Cheers,

    Rosa

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  3. Fantastic cocktail. Intricate flavor profile. I'd throw a few back.

    Bravo!

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  4. This is very inspirational for me as I'm about to start a project with fennel. A lovely cocktail!

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  5. I love the idea of ground fennel with almond and lemon - what a delight!

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  6. This makes me thirsty:) very fresh.

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  7. Oh my this sounds so lovely. Almond and fennel together...crazy but genius. I have a Friday night that calls for some cocktail love!

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  8. Oh my, that sounds very tasty. I'm getting thirsty already.

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  9. This is absolutely lovely... I can taste it just by looking at your photos. Stunning Lisa!

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  10. Never would've thought of this! And the photos really capture the soothing, calm essence of the drink. Gorge Lisa!

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  11. I already enjoy the sound of this - almond fennel, almond fennel....nice :)

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  12. Now, why would anyone have a mocktail over the real thing? Good call on adding vodka. This looks excellently refreshing, indeed!

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  13. that is a very interesting cocktail and i love the color.

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  14. Impressive! You made most of this cocktail from scratch. I will have to try making fennel syrup, it sounds like a delicious way to add a candied licorice twist to beverages.

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  15. Lisa, this looks so refreshing! Wow...love that you turned this into a real cocktail with vodka! I bet these flavors are amazing and what a great way to beat the summer TX heat! Cheers! :)

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  16. What a creative and refreshing beverage! I really like making favored simple syrups - the possibilities are endless :)

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  17. This cocktail look fresh and georgeous!! gloria

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  18. I am completely intrigued by this pairing .. it's so different and looks so refreshing. Ready to dive right in Lisa. Mmmmm

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  19. this cocktail is so intriguing. I'm not too friendly with the fennel but I love the greenish color.

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  20. This looks so refreshing! I really love the fennel in the drink.

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  21. What a unique and refreshing cocktail. This is on my list to make really soon. Hope that the weather eases up soon.

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  22. i'm not much of a cocktail drinker, but i'm digging the originality here, both in ingredients and presentation! :)

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  23. this looks so good right now! i cant wait to try this out. thank you for sharing this. i have missed checking out your post. have a great day!

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