Bird of Paradise
Since we’re right in the middle of January, we’re still in the middle of Tiki the Snow Away; an event that happens every January in the Instagram cocktail world. The whole point of the event is to make tropical cocktails that make you feel like you’re on a warm, tropical island. Last week I made the Honolulu because Hawaii is… well a warm, tropical island. This week, instead of a cocktail named after a place, I went with a flower: the Bird of Paradise.
See, whenever I see this flower it automatically makes me think of warmer places. There are a few scattered around southern California as well as tropical islands and its birthplace, South Africa. The quintessential tropical flower, the Bird of Paradise has been grown at the Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew, South Africa since 1773. So, since the flower’s been around since the late 1700’s, and is considered one of the ultimate tropical botanicals, I couldn’t think of a better cocktail to take away the chill of those snowy, winter nights. (The fact that I found the drink in my 1935 Mr. Boston bartender’s guide, makes it even more perfect for my blog.)
Unlike most tiki cocktails, this one doesn’t contain an ounce of rum. Then again, the cocktail I made last week didn’t have rum in it either. I don’t know why, but for some reason all the cocktails that are named after tropical places or tropical flowers don’t seem to have rum in them. They have other tropical flavors like citrus and simple syrups, but no rum. This drink is no different. Instead of rum, it’s base is gin, making for a lighter drink that’s full of herbal flavors.
While the drink doesn’t have rum, it does have lemon juice and a touch of grenadine, two ingredients that put it firmly in the tiki category. But that’s where the tiki ends. See, the Bird of Paradise isn’t a very sweet drink. You’re probably thinking “but there’s grenadine!” While that’s true, it’s not enough to make the cocktail sweet. The grenadine’s pretty much just there for color. So I added a little simple syrup just to balance the flavors, but that’s the only addition I made to this 1935 recipe. The rest of the drink, including the last two ingredients, are all original.
Those last two ingredients are egg white and soda. They may not be classic tiki, but they add a little extra something. The egg white adds a nice froth which makes the drink even lighter, and the soda adds a great sparkle that always makes me think of summer drinks. Drinks that are perfect for imbibing during warm weather… on a tropical island.
Ingredients
- 1-1/2 ounces gin
- 1/2 ounce lemon juice
- 3/4 ounce simple syrup
- 2 teaspoons grenadine
- 1 egg white
- 3-4 ounces soda water
Instructions
- Pour the gin, lemon juice, grenadine and egg white into a cocktail shaker. Shake vigorously without ice for 15 seconds. Add ice and shake again until chilled.
- Strain into a collins glass. Add the soda water, garnish with a lemon peel and serve.
