I’ve always been interested in coming up with familiar flavour combinations by using unfamiliar ingredients. Like making fruit loop ice cream with toasted rice and orange blossom water or finding out plum bitters and citric acid in milk tastes just like banana penicillin medicine. When I was working as a pastry chef, this was a fun pastime activity during service. Mixing different flavours together and balancing them with bitter, sweet and salt to come up with something new.
Hay has always been an intriguing ingredient for me. Different types of hay have different flavours, some are sweeter than others but I found that Alfalfa hay has the perfect balance of sweet earthiness that makes it taste very similar to matcha tea.
I wanted to take this ingredient and elevate it to the same level as Matcha. Taking the same time and care as I would with a teaspoon of matcha. I treated the hay with the same amount of respect. Letting the hay steep overnight in the vodka and straining it leaving me with a beautiful green spirit. With the help of Honey, Yuzu juice and egg white to help lengthen this drink I was able to come up with something that resembles a chilled Matcha latte with a light citrusy floral note that helps brighten up that deep green flavour.
Depending on the type of honey and yuzu juice you use, the measurements of this cocktail will vary. But I found that the following recipe gave me the perfect balance.
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60ml Alfalfa Hay infused Grey Goose Vodka
15ml Yuzu juice
45ml Honey Syrup 1:1
30ml Pasteurised egg white
Glass: Orrefors Cocktail Avantgarde
Method: Add all measured ingredients into one half of the shaker tin and cap. Dry shake, making sure to incorporate air into your mixture. Add ice and reshake to chill the cocktail. Strain into a chilled coup. Garnish with gold leaf, matcha powder and Sakura flower.
