The Tip Jar #2 - Sky's Forced Rhubarb Gin Sour

The Tip Jar #2 - Sky's Forced Rhubarb Gin Sour
Welcome back! Here we are - round number two. It was so wonderful seeing you try our homemade marmalade last month and hearing how you got on. While our orange obsession marches on (last week we cut, peeled and juiced the most divine blushed Sicilian blood oranges), this month has felt like a candy-coloured daydream. 
Why? Rhubarb, bright-pink rhubarb. Or Yorkshire forced rhubarb to be technical. A light in the dark in every sense. If you've followed us recently, you've probably seen us lauding this wondrous vegetable as we've used it to make our bright-pink and deliciously delicate jam. You might even have a jar of it in your cupboard.
But what do you do with it? Well, it works well with many things. For a quick breakfast or snack, try lumping a spoonful of it into natural yoghurt. It is, of course, an excellent addition to a crumble with plenty of custard and it adds a delightful tartness to sweet pastries. But we're going to show you something a bit different.

Sky's Forced Rhubarb Gin Sour

 

There was a moment last Friday afternoon, around 4pm, when a certain feeling of satisfaction filled around our little railway arch in Bermondsey. It had been some week - you know the type. The type where you can hardly catch your breath. Frantic? Just a little. But we're lucky in the grand scheme of things.

As the afternoon ticked on at a hurried speed, we got a knock on our door - "Pallet of fruit", remarked a friendly-faced chap. We can certainly use that, I said. As we lifted our shutter to bring the pallet in, we were greeted by glorious afternoon sunshine, peaking perfectly through the leaves of our grapevine. Ah, where have you been? The fruit came in and we were ready to finish for the week. A little glance at the weather app: sun, much more sun. Serpentine, I know you'll be ready and waiting at the weekend.

Now was the time to wind down, we'd originally wanted to share with you a couple of our favourite forced rhubarb desserts, but this felt so clearly like the right thing to share with you after we shamelessly gulped down a couple of these while we chatted under the sinking evening sun. So here it is, Sky's Forced Rhubarb Gin Sour.

 

 Here's what you'll need:

Here's how you make it:

  1. Mix the gin, lemon juice and Forced Rhubarb jam in the shaker with ice. Shake well for about 30 seconds. This is known as a wet shake - when ice is involved. 
  2. Strain and remove ice, then add your egg white. Shake again, this time without ice (unsurprisingly called a dry shake), for 30 seconds.
  3. Double strain into a tumbler, or whichever glass you like! You should have a beautiful light pink drink with a foamy, creamy head from the egg white. A 'Pink Guinness', as Jack titles it! Hmm.

    This is a delicious drink. It's delicate, light pink appearance matches its beautifully subtle flavours. Slightly sharp but sweet rhubarb jam dances along your tongue, beautiful lemon juice grips your jaw and then you're met with the slow, dry & resinous release of juniper berries cascading down the throat. I am already looking forward to trying this one during the inaugural, warm and light summer evenings. 

    As French philosopher Albert Camus once said, "Fortunately there is gin, the sole glimmer in this darkness. Do you feel the golden, copper-coloured light it kindles in you? I like walking through the city of an evening in the warmth of gin".

    This feels pertinent right now. Brighter days. Please.

     Best wishes, Sky, Kai & the England Preserves team

     

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