Slytherin House Cocktail — Chinese Food & Other Stuff

When I first thought of making these Harry Potter themed cocktails I wanted to incorporate smoke as a fun element to a drink. For a green drink like this, I wanted to pair gin with apple and melon. It seemed like smoke would be a natural pairing because those two fruits pair easily with something smoky such as smoked salmon.

One thing about this cocktail is that to keep the same green color as this, you have to have a cold press juicer. Regular juicers work similarly to blenders and will oxidize apple juice very fast. However, of all the HP themed cocktails I've made so far, this was the fastest to make since I came across very few problems (unlike the Gryffindor) and I just had a lot of fun making this.

I know a people who are serious about cocktails might look down at using an ingredient such as Midori. However, given how sweet it is I thought it could be used in lieu of simple syrup and to give a boost to the vibrant green color without it looking too artificial. Honeydew juice is also quite mild so Midori helps bring out a little bit more of the melon flavor when paired with the brightness and tartness of granny smith apples and lemon.

Since each apple can yield different amounts of juice based on size, I haven't made this in large enough batches to get a good average. However, I tend to notice that 1 large lemon will give enough juice to be enough for about 3 granny smith apples.

RECIPE: 4 drinks

6 oz granny smith apple/lemon mixture
(Granny smith apples)
(Freshly squeezed lemon juice)
3 oz gin (Plymouth)
1 oz Midori

Juice and strain lemon juice and set this aside. It's best to place them in 2 tbsp increments.

Split and core granny smith apples and slice them so they are in large pieces, about 1/6 of an apple, so they fit in the cold press juicer's feeder. Meanwhile, place the apple pieces in water to slow down oxidation. Start the machine and as you feed the apple pieces, pour the measured lemon juice into the feed so this mixes with the crushed apples to slow down oxidation. I use this ratio of 2 tbsps lemon juice to 1 apple that is juiced. You may want to skim some of the foam off this juice mixture and set aside. This can be done up to 4 hours before serving, I would not do this any earlier.

In a large clear bottle, mix gin, Midori, and apple/lemon mixture. Just before serving, use a smoke gun to pump applewood smoke and let this cold infuse for about 1-2 minutes. Enjoy! This drink is also fantastic served on the rocks.