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Midsummer Madness: a fresh apple and thyme cocktail for an English summer’s evening

Cocktails, Drinks, Recipes
A fresh apple, thyme and rhubarb cider cocktail that makes a light summertime pre-dinner drink.

A cocktail created to drink in the garden during the summer solstice during the recent UK heatwave—over 30°C and light until after 9pm. This is fresh, light, with a subtle savoury note. We were on the border between Kent and Sussex with gardens in full bloom, so this uses a delicious local apple and rhubarb cider (from Turners Cider in the village of Marden, in the Weald of Kent), herbs from the garden… and some cachaça that needed to be used up! Cachaça is the Brazilian spirit made of fermented sugarcane juice, used in cocktails like the caipirinha. In this recipe you could easily substitute a vodka or light white rum.

Midsummer Madness: a fresh apple thyme cocktail
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Midsummer Madness: a fresh apple thyme cocktail

Servings

1

glass

A refreshing and light pre-dinner drink, with flavours of the English countryside (apples, rhubarb and local herbs).

Ingredients

  • 5ml lemon juice

  • 10ml apple juice

  • 10ml thyme herb syrup

  • 15ml cachaça

  • 25ml sparkling apple & rhubarb cider

  • 1 mint leaf for garnish

  • Thyme herb syrup

  • 5-6 springs of thyme

  • 1 sprig rosemary

  • 1 lavender flower

  • 100ml water

  • 100g sugar

Directions

  • Syrup
  • Mix the ingredients in a small saucepan
  • Heat gently on the stove until the sugar is completely dissolved and it just comes to a boil. There should be a heady aroma of thyme.
  • Leave to cool and steep for at least an hour.
  • If keeping for longer, filter out the herbs and store refrigerated; it should be fine for a week at least.
  • Cocktail
  • Filter the herbs from the syrup using a fine sieve
  • Shake all the ingredients except the cider with ice
  • Pour into small a glass, add 1-2 ice cubes and top with the cider
  • Float one mint leaf on top

Notes

  • You can substitute any high quality dry cider. If you don’t have cachaça use vodka or a light white rum; the recipe is light on the alcohol and quite forgiving.
  • This can easily be made ahead in a batch. For 1 litre: Mix 70ml lemon juice, 140ml each of the syrup and apple juice and 210ml of cachaça. Chill until ready to serve. Mix with a 500ml bottle of cider before pouring into small glasses like coupes, each with 1-2 ice cubes. This makes 10 x 100ml glasses.