Foraging Plenty, The Magic Hour
In the early morning magic hour when the sky is watercolor pink, I pull on my muck boots, gather my snips, a basket plus a few jars and head off to hunt for violets in the wild. Common blue violet (Vi...
Willa Van Nostrand, Little Bitte & World’s Fair Gallery
Sunrise and sunset are my favorite times of day for their dramatic skies and golden light. Violet cordial suits cocktail hour with its pretty purplish-pink color and mystical floral fragrance. It’s wonderful in a gin cocktail or topped with bubbly.
Ingredients
- 1½ ounces genever (or your favorite gin)
- ¾ ounce lemon juice
- ¾ ounce violet cordial* (or substitute Crème de Violette)
- 2 ounces Champagne, Cava or prosecco
- Fresh violets for garnish (or pansies or Johnny Jump Ups)
Violet Cordial
- 6 cups loosely packed violet flowers, stems and leaves removed
- 2 cups boiling water
- 2 cups organic granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons fresh-pressed lemon juice
- 2 cups vodka
Preparation
Combine genever, lemon and violet cordial in a bar shaker and add ice. Shake vigorously for 10 seconds, strain into a cocktail glass or flute, top with bubbles and garnish.
Makes 1 cocktail.
*Violet Cordial
Harvest violets, rinse petals, place in a sterilized heat-resistant jar and cover with boiling water. Infuse at room temperature for 24 hours. Strain the liquid into a nonreactive pan, discard solids, add 2 cups granulated sugar, heat and stir frequently to dissolve the sugar. Cool to room temperature, add lemon juice and vodka. Let rest 2 weeks and decant into clean sealable bottles. Best if used within 1 year.
Yield: 4 cups
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