I'm a Game of Thrones fanatic and my favorite character is Daenerys Targaryen because she is The Mother of Dragons. I've been obsessed with dragons since I started reading Anne McCaffrey's Dragonriders of Pern series more than 4 decades ago. I even got a pair of mated cockatiels because they reminded me of the fire lizards in the series, that's pretty dragon obsessed!
I wasn't all that interested in Game of Thrones until I saw the dragons, then I had to binge watch the entire series, get HBO and read all the books. Now I'm hooked and I love it for more than just the dragons, but the dragons are what drew me in so my first Game of Thrones cocktail has to be all about the dragons.
I'm sure you can guess where I'm going from there? Yes, you guessed it, Dragon Fruit*!
The
DRAGON'S BREATH
Cocktail
INGREDIENTS:
2 Oz. Spiced Rum
2 Oz. Coconut Rum
1 C. Dragon Fruit, Cubed
1/2 C. Coconut milk
Juice of One Lime
2 Tbsp. Pineapple Simple Syrup
1/4 Tsp. Fresh Ginger, Zested
Lime Disc
Ginger Sugar Crystal Swizzle Stick
Ice
TOOLS: Knife, Large Spoon, Measuring Cups and Spoons, Blender, Cocktail Shaker, Jigger, Zester.
DIRECTIONS:
To prepare your dragon fruit cut the top off with a knife, then slice off a quarter inch disc from the fruit itself. put both aside as a garnish. Then slice off a bit of the bottom to create a level base.
Take your spoon and gently scoop out the meat from the inside of the fruit leaving enough shell to create a cup.
Add the dragon fruit meat to a blender and pulse until pureed. Add the pureed dragon fruit to your cocktail shaker then fill shaker with ice.
Pour in the spiced rum, coconut rum, coconut milk, lime juice, pineapple simple syrup and the zested ginger and shake until chilled.
Pour into your hollowed out dragon fruit, garnish with a slice of lime and the ginger sugar crystal stick and serve.
VIDEO RECIPE:
I've used the Hylocereus Undatus variety which has a deep pink skin with white meat. There is also a variety called Hylocereus Costaricensis which has a deeper red skin with a brilliant purplish red meat, as well as a white skinned, yellow meat variety called Hylocereus Megalanthus. All varieties are speckled with tiny, edible black seeds in the meat.
Just so you aren't shocked when you go to buy your dragon fruit, I paid $5.99 a pound and my fruit weighed a little over a pound and a half!
*DRAGON FRUIT, aka Pitaya or Pitahaya, is the fruit of a variety of cactus (Hylocereus) originally native to Mexico. One variety, the Stenocereus, is native to my own locale here in Tucson and it's fruit, the sour pitaya or pitaya agria, which is found in the Sonoran Desert, was an important food source for Native Americans and is still harvested by locals in the Northwestern portion of Mexico.
The Pitaya Dragon Fruit was transplanted to Central America, then introduced throughout the Old World by travelers who brought it back after exploring the Americas. It is now primarily cultivated in East Asia, South Asia and Southeast Asia though it's cultivation is extending beyond those borders as it's popularity increases. The Hylocereus cactus blooms at night, producing a fragrant, white flower called a moonflower which is also known as The Queen of the Night.
"When my dragons are grown, we will take back what was stolen from me and destroy those who wronged me! We will lay waste to armies and burn cities to the ground!" ~ Daenerys Targaryen
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