Try this seasonal, plummy spin on the classic sundowner
A lovely, zingy twist on my favourite cocktail. Don’t bin the drained fermented plums – they’ll keep for about a week, and can be used in a variety of ways: serve them on toast with soft cheese, put some in a salad dressing or store them in vinegar to preserve them for even longer and use throughout the winter.
Fermented plum negroni
Serves 1
For the plums
250g pitted plums
10g fine salt
375-500ml London dry gin – you don’t want anything with too much flavour, because you’re going to add this with the plums
For the drink
25ml plum-infused dry gin
25ml Campari
25ml red vermouth – we use a natural one, but any will work
1 twist orange peel, to finish
Mix the plums with the salt in a bowl, then put them in a jar and top with a weight. Seal the jar, put in a cool spot and leave for a week, so the salt can get to work on fermenting the plums and the resulting liquid covers the fruit solids; you should end up with a lovely and not-too-salty fermented plum mix.
Strain the plums, then pour the liquid – you should have roughly 100ml – into a large jar. Add the gin, screw on the lid and leave to infuse for at least 24 hours – the longer you leave it, the more the flavour will develop. (After 24 hours, put the jar in the fridge, where it will stay good for three months.)
To build the drink, fine-strain a measure of gin into a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Add the measures of Campari and vermouth, stir gently to combine (negroni should never be shaken under any circumstances), then strain into a tumbler or similar filled with large ice cubes. Run a lighter or gas flame over the surface of the orange peel, give it a quick squeeze over the drink to release the essential oils, drop it in and serve.
Source: The Guardian
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