Moonrise Over Plum Bay

Plum, bay leaf & lime mocktini. Put your pinkie rings up to the moon!

Moonrise Over Plum Bay

Some days you just wake up in an understated mood. No polyester negligees, pom-pom slippers or putting your hands up to Miley’s ‘Party in the USA’ for you today. No ma’am. You just want some public radio, silk pyjamas and the New York Times crossword in bed.

This is a perfect day to mix up a Moonrise Over Plum Bay. Smooth, tart and complex, you will use more bay leaves for this recipe than you have ever used for anything in your life. I mean, is there any spice more bougie than a bay leaf? No. And today you are going to celebrate those aromatic little buggers because today is the day you are going to own your over-educated inner yuppie. Go ahead… you have my full permission to finally say things like “Foucault’s theory of discourse is just so obvious” or “I think it’s time we got a second sous-vide”.

Ingredients

Plum Bay Leaf cordial:

2 cups water
2 ripe plums, pitted and quartered
1/4 cup blueberries
5 bay leaves
5 peppercorns
1/3 cup honey

Moonrise Over Plum Bay

1.5 oz plum bay leaf cordial
1 oz water
3/4 lime, juiced
1/8 tsp (2-3 shakes) Orleans-style bitters (I use Scrappy’s)

Method

Add fruit, bay leaves and peppercorns to water, bring to a boil, then reduce to simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat, mash fruit with a potato masher and stir in honey while still hot. Steep for at least an hour if you have time, then strain and chill. To make drink, add cordial, water, bitters and lime juice to an ice-filled shaker and stir instead of shaking (because foam is too new-money for your mood today). Strain into a martini glass and enjoy, you fabulous bougie bastard.