Simple gin cocktail with indian orange

One thing most of the bartenders love to experiment with is ingredients. Every bartender wants to have their own unique and exemplary ingredient. It’s habitual for every bartender. It is what defines a cocktail. With the increasing number of cocktail competitions, a straightforward approach to standing out is to create a cocktail with a special, unique ingredient. The role of ingredients is the most crucial factor in food and beverages. The quest for Kohinoor in ingredients will always be there. However, here, we tend to keep it as simple as possible. Or you could say it is as simple as an Indian orange. Also known as Nagpur Santra 🙂 . Today, we make an easy and simple gin cocktail with Indian orange (Santra)

We at the bar are more inclined to use the so-called Malta and Mandarin orange. And it is rightly so. The quality is much superior when compared to locally grown oranges here in India. It also comes with a great texture, making it more bar-friendly to work with. And at bars, yes, we do prefer the so-called imported oranges. For me, I adore the zest of the Malta orange. It is and will be one of my all-time favourite garnishes.

indian orange(santra)

Santra! Quite an underrated fruit in cocktails. Comes with a tangy, sweet flavour, but the zest of the Indian orange is where it loses out to the imported ones. I do remember bartending at a birthday party in a renowned property. Surprisingly, the Matla orange was replaced by the Indian orange. I didn’t know who was to blame; everyone comes with their unique reason. But the show must go on, and so it did. The hint of tangy flavours from the santra worked awesome. Flavours-wise, it did a great job; the only thing I missed was the zest of the Malta orange. The guest, they generally don’t give a shit as long as the cocktails are great ;). Well, the cocktails turned out to be fabulous, much better than expected. All went home happy. Well, the drunk part? shhhh 😉

Gin is a botanical distilled spirit. This gives it an edge over the other spirit. Not that we won’t try the Indian orange with the other spirit, but for today, it’s going to be gin. Here is one of the cocktails we did for the event. For Gin, we used Jaisalmer Gin – A premium indian craft gin. The peel of the Indian orange is one of the 11 botanicals present in the gin. A pretty simple cocktail to make. It also qualifies as an excellent summer cocktail. The ingredients can be easily sourced. And when it’s the orange season, you have to try this one. The flavours of the orange complement the notes from the gin very well. You could also try the same with any of your favourite gins.

Cocktail Ingredients

1. Gin.
2. Indian Orange.
3. Lemon juice.
4. Triple Sec Syrup.
5. Ginger Ale.
6. Blueberry.

Equipment

1. Measuring jigger.
2. Bar Spoon.

How to make an easy gin cocktail with indian orange

1. Drop 3 cut carpels of indian oranges in a tall glass.
2. Add 10 ml of fresh lemon juice and 10 ml of triple sec syrup.
3. Half fill the glass with ice.
4. Add 50 ml of premium gin.
5. Top up with 30 to 40ml or ginger ale.
6. Drop in fresh blueberry and stir the drink well.

A Hint of tangy flavours of the indian orange, along with ginger and the crisp and slightly peppery notes of the gin. All combine well for a nice, refreshing cocktail. You could easily go through three rounds on any given day. Don’t forget the feast on the gin-soaked orange carpels at the end of the cocktail. A simple cocktail with gin to chill on a warm day

Cheers!

Drink Responsible