Have you ever tried a cara cara orange? Its one of my favorites. Think navel orange, darker in color, almost like a ruby red grapefruit. The taste is sweet with a hint of tartness. Absolutely delicious! Tonight I created a cocktail using the juice of a cara cara orange and we LOVED it!
The Caratini!
The Caratini
- The Juice of 1 Large Cara Cara Orange (Freshly Squeezed)
- 2 oz Lemon Vodka
- 1 oz Basil Infused Simple Syrup
- Basil for Garnish (optional)
- Basil Infused Granulated Sugar for Rim of Glass (optional)
Yield – 2
You will want to prepare your simple syrup in advance, several hours to one day.
Mix 1 Cup of White Sugar, 1 Cup of Water and 3-4 Basil Leaves in a small sauce pan. Stir over medium heat until sugar is completely dissolved. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Once cool, discard the basil leaves and transfer to a jar or small bottle and refrigerate.
If you wish to flavor your sugar for rimming your glass, place about half a cup of granulated sugar in a baggie with a couple of coarsely chopped or crushed basil leaves and seal. Allow to sit for several hours (or a full day) so the minty flavor of the basil flavors the sugar. When ready to use, discard the basil leaves.
To prepare the cocktail, first you will need to squeeze the juice from the cara cara orange, then set aside. In a shaker, pour 2 oz of the Lemon Vodka, 1 oz of the Basil infused syrup and the juice. Add some ice and shake vigorously for a minute or so.
Pour the sugar out onto a flat plate. Wet the rim of your martini glass and dip into the sugar to coat. Now pour your Caratini and garnish with a basil leaf.
Enjoy!
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