This Cocktail was my submission for the 2025 Flor de Caña Sustainability Challenge. This cocktail got selected to be a part of the top 10 in Canada. I was very fortunate to travel to Toronto for the first time to show this drink off. Side note: this the comp was on my 30th Birthday so this was for sure a super cool experience. Have a look on a riff of a Daiquiri!!!
2 oz Flor De Cana
1/4 oz Strega
3/4 oz Acidified Lacto Fermented Green Apple*
1/2 oz Burnt Honey Syrup**
Spray Lapsang Souchong Tincture***
Method: Ensure you have a frozen coupe glass ready and waiting in the freezer. Add all ingredients into a cocktail shaker except the Tincture. Shake cocktail for 8-10 seconds. With your frozen coupe glass, Spray in the Lapsang Tincture twice in the glass then double strain the cocktail into the coupe. Garnish with Brown Butter Burnt Honey Apple Tuile**** on the edge of the glass. Enjoy!!!
*Acidified Lacto Fermented Granny Smith Apple:
400g Locally Sourced Granny Smith Apple
200g Filtered Water
2% Total Weight Kosher Salt
Fermentation Time: 7 Days
Pasteurization – Sous Vide at 145° Fahrenheit for 40 minutes
Acid Ratio: 4g Malic Acid per 100g of Lacto Fermented Juice
Process: With a scale, measure out 400g of Granny Smith Apples & cut the apples into manageable chunks. Add apples into a blender, followed by 200g of Filtered Water. Calculate 2% of the total weight the ingredients & that number in grams will be the amount of kosher salt that will be used for the fermentation. Add in Kosher salt into the blender & Blend over medium speed for 2 minutes. Now that you have a good mash from the blending, transfer ingredients into a vacuum seal bag & seal the bag. Label contents & wait for 7 days for fermentation to take place. After 7 days, burp the bag & reseal the bag. Prep your sous vide bath set at 145° Fahrenheit. Place vacuum sealed bag into the sous vide bath & allow it to pasteurize for 40 minutes. After 40 Minutes, prepare a muslin bag with a chinoux overtop of a cambro. Open vacuum sealed bag & pour into the muslin bag. Allow it to drain, squeeze out the remaining juice from the pulp.
**Burnt Honey Syrup:
150g Locally Sourced Unpasteurized Honey
150g Filtered Water
(Sugar content should be between 50°-55° Brix)
Process: With a medium sized sauce pan measure in 150g of honey into the pan. Separately measure out 150g of filtered water & set aside. Cook honey over medium high heat until honey starts to caramelize & turn a dark brown. Take the pan off heat & add in the water. Stir in until combined, allow it to cool down before testing the sugar content with a refractometer. Sugar level of the syrup should be between 50°-55° Brix.
***Lapsang Souchong Tincture:
100g Neutral Grain Spirit
5g Organic Lapsang Souchong Tea
Process: In an ISI Canister, measure out 100g of Neutral Grain Spirit & 5g of Organic Lapsang Souchong. Close Canister & add in 2 NO2 Chargers into the Canister, shaking in NO2 for 30 seconds after each charge. Allow the contents to rest for 10 minutes before filtering out liquid & putting it into an atomizer.
****Brown Butter Burnt Honey Apple Tuile:
2 Egg Whites
50g Caster Sugar
100g Burnt Honey Syrup
60g Locally Sourced & Milled Pastry Flour
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
75g Brown Butter (Organic Butter was used)
10g Lacto Fermented Granny Smith Apple Powder
Process: Preheat your oven at 350° Fahrenheit. Add in 2 Egg Whites into a mixing bowl & whisk until it becomes frothy, add in your Caster Sugar, Lacto Fermented Granny Smith Apple Powder & Burnt Honey Syrup while whisking. Once combined, add in the Pastry Flour in small portions. Gradually incorporating everything together. As everything is combined add in the Brown Butter & Vanilla Extract into the batter. Having a sheet tray with a honeycomb mold, spread in the batter over the mold. Add the sheet tray with the mold into the oven, allow the batch to cook for 2-3 minutes before pulling out the tray. Flip over the mold & wait for it to cool for 2-3 minutes. Slowly peel off the mold from the Tuiles.
