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Kaffir Lime Summer Sipper with Peppermint Foam

July 26, 2017
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If you are a frequent reader of our blog, then you might know that we love making, what we call, complex cocktails. And no, I don’t mean overly complicated drinks or using rare ingredients and unusual combinations of flavors that no one has thought of mixing before.

I’m talking about paying attention to more than just the initial taste when a cocktail hist your lips. Mikey and I favor deep flavors that get all senses engaged and always pay particular attention to the mouthfeel (or texture) of the drink. And call us crazy, but we also believe that a cocktail should look nice and if it can add an element of surprise to the drinking experience even better.

Speaking of good looking cocktails, complexity, and surprises, I recently created a gorgeous kaffir lime concoction topped with a silky cocktail foam that I just had to share with you…

Now, I know I am late to the party, but this summer I had my first taste of Kaffir Lime Leaf. It was an infused gin at a local bar that got me hooked because it was so darn good. The Kaffir Lime Leaves have a perfume unlike any other citrus, and if you thought that limes and lemons were pungent before, well, then we will need a whole new word to describe the aroma these leaves bring out. I’m not exaggerating when I say that this was one of the best infusions I’ve tried this year. Needless to say, I made my own vodka infusion with the leaves, which took about 5 days but it was totally worth the wait. (You can usually find Kaffir Lime Leaves at Asian markets, but probably the easiest way to get your hands on it is to order it from Amazon)

Kaffir Lime Leaf Vodka Infusion – Combine 750 ml. of good quality vodka and 10-12 medium size Kaffir Lime Leaves in a glass container and seal. Keep in a dark and cool place for about 5 days, or until the vodka has adopted a slightly green color and wonderful citrus aroma.

I then mixed the Kaffir Vodka with ingredients most bartenders and cocktail enthusiast have at their disposal. Fresh lime juice, agave nectar, orange bitters, and some fresh arugula for a slightly herbal yet, spicy note. So far, the cocktail was refreshing and rich, mainly because of the incredibly flavorful Kaffir leaves, but I wasn’t entirely happy with the texture and the overall presentation. It was kind of dull, so turned to one of my favorite “fixers” techniques- homemade cocktail foam made with a whipped cream dispenser.

For this particular cocktail, we landed on a peppermint-gin flavored foam with fresh lemonade and egg whites. Well actually, I made the foam without the gin at first, and it worked well but added the gin later to make it boozier. So, if you’re not the gin sipper, you can easily skip the Juniper spirit and make this foam virgin. It will still get the job done and enhance not only this cocktail but pretty much any summer drink you make.

To finish this project, I topped this gem with Angostura bitters to add a delightful aroma to the equation. The result was a delicious summer sipper, perfect for those sunny afternoons by the pool.

I describe it as “multilayered” cocktail. Or in other words, a cocktail with one smell, a very distinct taste and entirely different after taste. This is one complex (as in character), yet relatively easy to make drink and another bar quality cocktail you can make at home.

As a final note, I will say: I realize that not everyone has a whipped cream dispenser. But I can assure you that if you like to make cocktails and try new things, this is one kitchen/bar gadget you won’t regret investing in. Not to mention that you can make homemade whipped cream…all the time…YUM!