Cocktails at Christmas add a sense of occasion - after all, they take a little more effort than pouring a glass of wine. But so worth it! Creating something seasonal will add that extra sparkle and this Clementine Martini ticks the boxes nicely. Why not get started early so you have it down to a fine art by Christmas Day. Purely in the name of research of course. The syrup is the thing to pay special attention to - you need to put some effort into getting it infused with cardamom or it'll get dwarfed by the punch of gin & orange.
Number of servings: 1
Ingredients
Cardamom Syrup:
Water: 120ml
Sugar: 100g
Cardamom pods: 8 pieces
Clementine Martini:
Gin: 60ml
Clementine juice: 30ml
Lemon juice: 10ml
Cardamom syrup: 15ml
Ice: 200g
Garnish:
Clementine slices
Method
Preheat the oven to 180°C (fan) / 200°C (oven) / gas mark 6.
Toast cardamom pods in oven for 8 minutes until fragrant.
Crush cardamom pods with a pestle and mortar.
In a small saucepan, combine water, sugar and cardamom pods. Bring it to simmer over medium heat until the sugar is fully dissolved.
Strain out the cardamom pods and store the syrup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. Alternatively (and the best way for flavour), leave the pods in and strain them when making the cocktail.
Chop clementines into halves.
In a cocktail shaker, add 60ml gin, 30ml clementine juice, 10ml lemon juice, 15ml cardamom syrup and 200g ice.
Shake well until the cocktail shaker feels ice cold.
Pour the cocktail into a martini glass.
Garnish with a slice of clementine. Enjoy!
