My adventurous daughter sent me a text message picture from a bar in Bali, yes Bali! The picture showed a purplish half-consumed beverage with the caption: "Dragonfruit-lemongrass cocktail". Naturally, I was intrigued.
Of course I asked her "Are there other ingredients? " Lime and ginger" she said. My wheels began to turn right away. I realized immediately that I would have to adapt this recipe since the type of dragonfruit used in her cocktail is not available here. You see, up until about one week ago I thought there was only one variety of dragonfruit: the one with the white pulp. Not so; there is actually one with a purplish flesh.
Anyhow, back to the cocktail... Dragonfruit lemongrass cocktail sounds like the type of exotic recipe for an ethnic food blog, right? Absolutely! What I find amusing, as I am envisioning ways to recreate this cocktail is that lemongrass and dragonfruit are very healthy ingredients. I am about to remove the health component by adding rum! Oh well, it's all in the name of creativity, right?
Lemongrass dishes
Lemongrass is used in many Southeast Asian dishes. It is really popular in Thai and Vietnamese cuisine. It is used to make various curries, seafood, and in soups as well. If you like the citrus type punch from the flavor of lemongrass try my recipes for Thai red curry chicken and Thai coconut chicken soup. Cambodian chicken amok is a curry dish that has a flavor like no other curry dish I have ever tried. It gets a great pop of flavor from minced lemongrass. Lemongrass is also used in cocktails; who would have thought? Try my lemongrass vodka martini for your next cocktail hour! I have detailed instructions and photos on how to trim and prepare the lemongrass stalks for cooking and making the simple syrup below.
Frequently Asked Questions
Refrigerate the dragonfruit and it will keep nicely for about 2 weeks?
If you press the skin it should have a little give and not be too firm. The skin should be smooth, firm and waxy. If the skin is loose or wrinkled it is likely overripe.
Seal the fruit in a container in the refrigerator and it will store nicely for about 3-4 days.
You can cut down the center of the fruit lengthwise. You can eat with a spoon right out of the skin from the cut halves or peel back the skin and cut into pieces.
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Dragonfruit Lemongrass Cocktail
Ingredients
- 1 dragon fruit cut into 2 inch cubes
- 2 oz simple syrup lemongrass infused
- 2 oz lime juice fresh squeezed
- 4 oz rum white
- 1 tsp ginger fresh minced or micro-planed (optional)
Instructions
- Slice the dragonfruit in half lengthwise.
- Peel the sided of the dragonfruit away from the inner flesh of the fruit.
- Cut the fruit into about a dozen pieces and place in a blender.
- Add the simple syrup, lime juice, rum and ginger to the blender.
- Blend and pulse on low speed until the fruit is just puréed. Don't blend to much or you will pulverize the black seeds of the dragonfruit and the pulp will turn a grey color.
- Pour over ice into a cocktail glass and enjoy!
Notes
1. Heat 1 cup of water and 1 cup of sugar in a saucepan until the sugar is dissolved and starts to thicken slightly.
2. Cut the root end of the lemongrass off and the top of the stalk. You should have about a 4-5 inch piece of the white lemongrass.
3. Place this on a cutting board and beat with a kitchen mallet to break up the stalk.
4. Place the smashed stalks into a container and pour over the simple syrup while warm.
5. You can let the syrup sit overnight and then remove the stalks and strain it. The simple syrup will store nicely in the refrigerator for several months.
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