They may be ugly but they go great with rum!
Thanks to Oakley over at Frieda's, I had some fun rambutans to play with for a happy hour treat this week. Native to Southeast Asia, rambutans remind me of lichees having a bad hair day:
Rambutans are very juicy with a sweet, mildly nutty flavor and just a tiny hint of tartness. I didn't want to completely drown that nuttiness but I did want to add a bit of an Asian accent so I zested in the smallest touch of fresh ginger for a little complexity and some zing.
To achieve the dusky pink color which is similar to the unpeeled fruit*, I added Grenadine, then chose a
special reserve dark rum for its mellowness and smoky tones. The last
component was a bit of lime to pop it all up and balance the sweetness
of the added Grenadine.
The
ROSY RAMBUTINI
INGREDIENTS:
1 Oz. Dark Rum
10 Rambutans, Peeled, Seeded
1/4 Oz. Lime Juice
1/16 Tsp. Zested Fresh Ginger
Splash of Homemade Grenadine
1 Rambutan, Sliced in Half
1 Lime Slice
ROSY RAMBUTINI
INGREDIENTS:
1 Oz. Dark Rum
10 Rambutans, Peeled, Seeded
1/4 Oz. Lime Juice
1/16 Tsp. Zested Fresh Ginger
Splash of Homemade Grenadine
1 Rambutan, Sliced in Half
1 Lime Slice
SPECIAL TOOLS:
Blender, Fine Metal Strainer, Zester
Blender, Fine Metal Strainer, Zester
DIRECTIONS:
Chill your glass in the freezer. Blend the rambutans, lime juice and the ginger until smooth and strain into an ice filled cocktail shaker. Add the rum and Grenadine, shake until chilled, pour into a martini glass then garnish with the half rambutan and the lime slice.
Chill your glass in the freezer. Blend the rambutans, lime juice and the ginger until smooth and strain into an ice filled cocktail shaker. Add the rum and Grenadine, shake until chilled, pour into a martini glass then garnish with the half rambutan and the lime slice.
Here's a fun bit of rambutan trivia, "rambut" is Malay for "hairy". I guess we know how they got their name...
*Yes, my rambutans are more brown than pink. It took me a day or two to experiment with flavor combinations.
Updated 8-2018