the salted lady;
A sweet and tart burnt orange cocktail with aperol and vodka, garnished with a dehydrated orange.
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Equipment
- mandolin (recommended, kitchen knife can be used in a pinch)
- dehydrator (optional, oven alternative also described)
- blowtorch (optional, gas-stove alternative also described)
- cocktail shaker + strainer
Ingredients
(optional) dehydrated orange garnish;
- ½ orange thinly sliced
charred orange syrup;
- 2 whole oranges juiced, with rinds and juice separated and set aside
- sugar (equal parts to the juice, approximately ½ cup)
the salted lady cocktail;
- 45 ml vodka (2 parts)
- 20 ml aperol (1 part)
- 20 ml fresh squeezed lemon juice (1 part)
- 20 ml charred orange peel syrup (1 part)
- pinch of coarse salt
- sugar or salt for rimming (optional)
Instructions
(optional) dehydrated orange garnish;
- Slice half an orange with a mandolin. It's possible but very hard to manually slice by hand slices as thin as you want. Thicker slices will work fine, but may take longer to dehydrate and may not float in the cocktail as well as thinner orange slices.
- Lay the thin sliced oranges in a single layer in your dehydrator and turn to fruit setting. Without access to a dehydrator, lay the slices in a single layer on a pan making sure to space out the fruit as much as possible. Try to leave 2 inches between each slice. Turn the oven to 200° and bake 2-2½ hours, rotating occasionally, or until dried through.
- Store in an airtight container until ready to use for the salted lady cocktail.
charred orange syrup;
- Slice oranges in half and juice the orange, reserving both the rinds and the fresh squeezed juice.
- Keep the orange peel to one side and burn the hell out of it. Use a blowtorch or a gas stove to get charred bits on the peel and release the natural oils. For a gas stove, remove the burner plates and turn the heat to medium high. Using tongs or heat resistant utensils, slowly roast the skin side of the orange peels until charred. Set aside and repeat until all 4 halves are charred.
- In a medium pot, weigh the orange juice, and add equal parts sugar. Add the burnt orange peels, peel side down into the mixture and heat gently on low for 15 minutes. Ensure the mixture does not boil, but the sugar dissolves. Use a spatula to stir and check no sugar grains remain (be careful tasting as it will be extremely hot).
- (Optional) Leave the mixture overnight with the peels in the syrup for extra potent orange flavor.
- Pour into an airtight container like a mason jar and seal tightly. Keep in a cool space out of direct sunlight for future use.
the salted lady cocktail;
- (Optional) if you prefer to rim your glass, do so by dipping the edge of your glass in a sticky substance. You can use some of the charred orange syrup or corn syrup. Water can be used as well, but the sugar probably won't stick quite as well.
- Add to a shaker: 45 ml vodka, 20 ml aperol, 20ml fresh squeezed lemon juice, 20 ml, charred orange peel syrup, and a pinch of salt.
- Add ice to the shaker and shake vigorously.
- Pour into your rimmed glass with a strainer. Garnish with dehydrated orange.
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