The Drunken Botanist: The Plants that Create the World's Great Drinks (59 page)

Citrus sinensis

The sweet orange, probably a cross between pomelo and mandarin, is one of the most widely grown fruit trees in the world, accounting for almost three-quarters of all citrus production. Valencia, Navel, and blood oranges are the best-known varieties. While they are popular for fresh fruit and juice, they are not the top choice for distillers making citrus-flavored liqueurs. Those liqueurs tend to be flavored with the more complex, bitter sour oranges. However, the peel is widely available through spice distributors, so it is often used to add a bright note to gins and herbal liqueurs.

One orange-flavored liqueur that employs sweet oranges is Orange-rie, which its distiller describes as a blend of hand-zested Navalino oranges (botanists do not recognize a variety called Navalino, but perhaps they mean Navelina, a sweet navel orange from Spain first described in 1910), cinnamon, and cloves, infused in Scotch whisky. Another is Solerno Blood Orange Liqueur, a sweet liqueur made from Sanguinello blood oranges that combines separate distillations of the fruit, the peel, and lemon rind. It's an upscale substitute for triple sec and adds a lively, sweet note to gin drinks.

Orange flower water
: Also called orange blossom water, this is a hydrosol (water-based) extraction of orange blossoms. It is a key ingredient in a Ramos Gin Fizz. Some hydrosols are a by-product of neroli oil manufacture; the water left after the distillation is saved and sold as orange flower oil. in other cases, the water or steam extraction of the blossoms is done specifically to create orange flower water without also distilling the oil. In either case, trace amounts of essential oil are present in the water, along with some water-soluble flavor and aroma compounds that are not found in the essential oil.Bartenders prefer French brands such as A. Monteux to middle eastern brands, but both are fine to experiment with.

YUZU

Citrus × junos
(syn.
C. ichangensis × C. reticulata
var.
austere
)

This thick-skinned, sour cross between a mandarin and the strange, bitter Ichang Papeda comes from China and made its way to Japan around 600 AD. While the fruit is not particularly tasty, the rind exudes a complex, fruity citrus fragrance beloved by Japanese cooks.
Yuzu
zest can be found in a soy sauce called
ponzu,
and it also flavors miso soup. People bathe with it as well; a traditional Japanese solstice bath features
yuzu
fruit floating in hot water.

Yuzu
is an enchanting addition to flavored sake and
shochu
-based liqueur. A Korean
yuzu
syrup called
yucheong,
available at Asian grocery stores, is mixed with hot water to make tea but also happens to be a fantastic cocktail ingredient.

Because
yuzu
trees are hardy to 10 degrees Fahrenheit, they survive in mountainous regions where no other citrus can be found. Gardeners in England and colder regions of the United States who are determined to grow citrus outdoors might have luck with
yuzu
if other citrus have failed to thrive.

Orgeat
(pronounced or-ZHA, although many americans pronounce it or-ZHAT): A sweet, often nonalcoholic syrup made with almonds, sugar, and orange flower water, sometimes in a base of barley water. Orgeat is an essential ingredient in a Mai Tai, although it is left out all too often.

ALMOND

Prunus dulcis

rosaceae (rose family)