Tamarind Whiskey Sour

If you’ve never tried tamarind before, it’s difficult to describe.  It’s a thick, sticky substance inside a long, brown pod.  You can buy it in the pod in some grocery stores, or in block form and it sort of resembles a block of quince paste.  You can also buy it in a liquid concentrate which is what you need for this cocktail.  The recipe for this comes from Pok Pok, and was printed in Bon Appetit.  I always get so jazzed when I read about Portland in national magazines.  I remember when Bon Appetit and Sauveur only talked about New York and LA.  Anyhoo, when I read it I nearly jumped up and down because I have had a bottle of tamarind concentrate in my cupboard (bought at the spice shop months ago because it looked intriguing) but I haven’t used it for anything, mainly because I didn’t know what to use it for.  I know that real Pad Thai uses tamarind, and I had filed that away in my brain for a later recipe.  Long story short, if you like whiskey sours, try this!  It’s tartness is deep and dark, not bright like a lemon.  The original recipe calls for palm sugar or brown sugar.  I used brown. It also calls for maraschino cherries, which I skipped. Makes 4

• 1/3 C. brown sugar
• 6 oz. bourbon
• 4 oz. freshly squeezed lime juice (about three limes)
• 1-2 oz. liquid tamarind concentrate(click the link to purchase)
• mandarin orange wedges for garnish

First make a simple syrup by combining the sugar with 1/3 C. of water and bringing it to a boil.  Stir until the sugar is dissolved- this should only take a minute. Let it cool a bit while you juice the limes.  Fill a cocktail shaker with ice.  For each cocktail, pour 1 1/2 oz. of bourbon, 1 oz. of lime juice, 1 oz. of the brown sugar syrup, and 1/4-1/2 oz. of tamarind concentrate into the shaker.  Shake vigorously and pour into a rocks glass filled with ice. Garnish with an orange wedge.  This would be easy to double or triple and make a pitcher for a party.

 

 

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