After a long, dark Rochester winter, the arrival of spring is a welcome new beginning. This year spring will also bring a total solar eclipse that will be visible from Texas to Maine on April 8. A total solar eclipse occurs when the moon is directly between the sun and the Earth, casting a shadow on Earth. “The Moonshadow” is a cocktail inspired by this spring’s total eclipse.
The recipe contains mezcal, plum liqueur, a blood orange simple syrup, Campari, lemon juice, and aquafaba. Aquafaba is the whipped cooking liquid from chickpeas, though it doesn’t have a “bean” flavor. It’s a great alternative to using uncooked whipped egg whites.
The visual phenomenon of the solar eclipse was something I wanted to replicate when developing this cocktail. I chose plum, campari, and blood orange to create red and blue tones similar to those seen during a solar eclipse, while the addition of aquafaba serves as a thickening agent that will replicate the atmospheric appearance of clouds.
The smokey taste of mezcal emulates the dark shadow cast by the moon. Don’t like mezcal? No problem. The mezcal in this recipe can be replaced with your spirit of choice for your own personalized take on the cocktail.
UME is a light, acidic, and slightly sweet liqueur that’s primary flavor and element is plum. Combined with the blood orange simple syrup this liqueur helps balance the flavor of the cocktail and gives it a nice color.
To make the blood orange simple syrup, puree blood oranges and then cook the puree with a one-to-one sugar to water ratio. The acidity of the blood orange will help balance the sweetness of the simple syrup.
Campari is one of my personal favorite spirits to add to any cocktail. Its dry and bitter flavor serves as the perfect contrast to the sweet elements of any drink.
The Moonshadow
Ingredients:
• 2 oz. Montelobos mezcal
• 3/4 oz. lemon juice
• 1/2 oz. UME plum liqueur
• 1/2 oz. Campari
• 1/2 oz. blood orange simple syrup
• 3/4 oz. aquafaba
Directions:
I like to make this cocktail in two parts for a cool visual effect.
Stir the Campari, blood orange, and Mezcal together for the base of the drink.
Next, take the aquafaba, plum liqueur, and lemon juice and shake with ice to create a lemon foam.
Pour the first part in a tall collins glass with ice, then top it with your plum and lemon foam. Garnish with an orange peel twist or, in the spirit of the eclipse, cut an orange into half-moon slices for the rim.
