The Pairing
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, by C.S. Lewis
The Reasoning
The iconic foodstuff of the Narnia series is Turkish Delight, so sweet and delicious that Edmund is more than happy to betray everyone he loves for it. I remember years ago watching a video featuring lots of people (mostly Americans) who grew up never having tasted Turkish Delight. They described what they imagined it tasted like, and every last one of them described something very different from reality. Most of them thought it was chocolaty. This one may be divisive – it’s essentially the Marmite of candy.
Having grown up in Britain, I tasted Turkish Delight at a young age. I’ll be honest – I wasn’t a fan. It’s a sugary gel confection flavored with rosewater and lemon, sometimes with a slightly nutty flavor and dusted with powdered sugar. It’s not for everyone, and if you dislike floral flavors I guarantee this isn’t the cocktail for you. That said, I committed to making something that tasted genuinely Turkish Delight-esque, and while I’m not a fan of the candy, I did enjoy this cocktail. I hope you do too.
The Cocktail
You will need:
- Cocktail shaker
- Channel knife (a paring knife or vegetable peeler is fine if you don’t have one)
- 5-6 ice cubes
- 1 lemon
- 1 oz rose syrup
- 1 oz sweet vermouth (rossi)
- 2 oz vodka
- 1 drop almond extract (seriously. ONE DROP.)
- Superfine sugar (US)/Caster Sugar (UK)
Take channel knife and cut a twist of lemon peel. Set to one side. Cut lemon into quarters. Use one quarter to coat rim of glass. Put superfine sugar in a small bowl and rim glass with sugar.
Fill shaker with ice. Measure vodka, vermouth, rose syrup and almond extract into cocktail shaker. Squeeze the juice of half the lemon into the shaker. Shake vigorously.
Strain into the glass and garnish with twist of lemon.
