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A Truly Seasonal Ginger-Kumquat Collins

Ginger-Kumquat Collins

You can thank Martha Stewart for the bright and sparkly Ginger-Kumquat Collins cocktail you see here. Though it’s not her recipe I’m going to give her some backhanded credit anyway.

You see, I was thumbing through a decade-old copy of Martha Stewart Living recently. It wasn’t really looking for anything more than a distraction from the Corona doldrums and Martha’s magazine is a guilty pleasure of mine. Sure it bugs that almost everything about the magazine is geared towards women. But that’s alright, I skip right past the make-up tips and arts and crafts stuff and look at her recipes. She always features creative yet approachable seasonal ingredients with pretty pictures.

Or, I should say she usually does.

Its spring here in Los Angeles and it really feels like it too. So I’m not sure why I pulled out a November issue of the magazine, but I did and I came across this sentiment: “Greet Thanksgiving guests with a tart and tangy kumquat sour cocktail.”

Where I live kumquats are a spring crop. In fact, my kumquat tree is brimming with fruit as I type this. So her cocktail seemed odd to me. As did the Cranberry-Kumquat Sauce she was serving with her turkey.

Ok, cranberries and thanksgiving I get, but how did kumquats come to be associated with Thanksgiving. Did the Pilgrims grow kumquats in specialized off-season greenhouses? Martha’s Thanksgiving cocktail featured kumquats stirred with bourbon, I guess the bourbon in some way makes it a holiday tipple. But not the kumquats.

Ginger-Kumquat Collins

These are the things I think about in lockdown. I know they may not seem all that important but at least they led me outside on a beautiful spring day to harvest the last of my kumquats. I have Martha to thank for that, but I’ll take the rest of the credit for this Ginger-Kumquat Collins cocktail. Thank you very much. It’s a springy riff on the classic Tom Collins. It’s easy to make, it’s pretty in the glass. It’s a little sweet and a little sour. It may seem like a light little sparkler, but this Ginger-Kumquat Collins is still plenty potent enough to work its warm weather magic. GREG

Ginger-Kumquat Syrup

Ginger-Kumquat Collins

Print This Recipe Total time Yield 1Published
Ginger-Kumquat Collins

Ingredients

  • 3 ounce London dry gin
  • 1 ounce fresh squeezed lemon juice
  • 1 ounce kumquat-ginger syrup (see recipe)
  • club soda (as needed)
  • candied kumquats (optional)

Directions

Shake all ingredients over ice and strain into a 12-oz Collins glass filled with ice cubes. Top with club soda to taste. Garnish with candied kumquats (if using)

Ginger-Kumquat Syrup

Print This Recipe Total time Yield 2 cupsPublished
Kumquat-Ginger Syrup

Ingredients

  • 5 ounce fresh kumquats (about 20 halved crosswise, seeds removed)
  • 4 ounce fresh ginger (peeled and thinly sliced cross-wise)
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 cup water

Directions

Place everything into a saucepan and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer gently until the kumquats soften but still hold their shape, about 15 minutes. Allow the syrup to cool, then strain into a clean jar. You may keep the candied ginger and kumquats for another use if you like. The syrup will keep for several weeks in the refrigerator.