Clementine Sunset

For this drink, I wanted to create something light and fruity, that really showcased all of the refreshing aspects of Mionetto. I decided on using clementine, honey, thyme, and apricot as my main flavours, as they all compliment Mionetto very well. I made a clementine cordial by using fresh clementine juice, 30% sugar, and 5% citric acid, which I then clarified to make sure the cocktail looked clear and elegant. I made a honey and thyme cordial, by mixing 2 parts honey, with 1 part water, and sous viding with 1% of the weight of thyme, at 60 degrees for 2 hours. I selected a brandy that had a strong apricot note, as well as being from Northern Italy, about 2 hours away from where Mionetto is made! I decided to balance the sweetness with a verjus made from chardonnay grapes, to give the cocktail a little bit of added complexity, while still keeping all of the wine flavours at the forefront. When I was experimenting, I found that throwing the cocktail really brought forward all of the complexity of the honey and brandy, and gave the cocktail a rich flavour that just couldn’t be matched by shaking.