The Soul Train, A Tequila And Cardamom Cocktail
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The Soul Train is a tequila and cardamom cocktail that yields an unexpected but astoundingly refreshing combination. A perfect summer drink to enjoy and garden party cocktail.
The Soul Train is a tequila and cardamom cocktail that yields an unexpected but astoundingly refreshing combination. During these last warm days of…. well, it’s technically Fall, however here in Charleston, South Carolina, we are still experiencing VERY hot, humid days….so, during these last warm days of ‘summer,’ I gravitate toward tequilas and gins when mixing libations.
The Soul Train Tequila And Cardamom Cocktail is so refreshing because it calls for fresh grapefruit juice which tends to be less sweet than say orange or cranberry. This cocktail gets is sweetness from a simple syrup, so you needn’t worry if the grapefruit produces a bitter taste as grapefruit sometimes does. This works well in that you control just how sweet you go based on how much simple syrup you mix with.
My tips for this being a super successful drink? Plan ahead and be certain that both your simple syrup and your grapefruit and lime juices are super well chilled.
I whipped this cocktail up a few weeks ago after we decorated the house for Fall. I’d nearly pooped out after putting finishing touches on a seriously spooky fireplace mantle and an eye-catching fall tablescape, the last of a slew of seasonal clean-up chores and decorating we accomplished around the house. I wanted something different, and this certainly fit the bill.
I experimented a few times before getting it right, as my final ratios differed slightly from other recipes for a Soul Train found online. My tips for this being a super successful drink? Plan ahead and be certain that both your simple syrup and your grapefruit and lime juices are super well chilled.
A common ingredient in Indian cooking, cardamom has a robust, unique taste, with an intensely perfumed, resinous fragrance.
Cardamom is the world’s third-most expensive spice, surpassed in price per weight only by vanilla and saffron. A common ingredient in Indian cooking, cardamom has a robust, unique taste, with an intensely perfumed, resinous fragrance. It is also often used in baking in the Nordic countries, in particular in Sweden, Norway, and Finland, where it is used in traditional treats such as the Scandinavian Jule bread Julekake, the Swedish kardemummabullar sweet bun, and Finnish sweet bread pulla.
Today however, I plan to wrap a handful of slightly crushed pods and their seeds in cheesecloth, and steep in sugar water for a conspicuous compliment to tequila. If you have never tasted cardamom, you are truly in for a treat with this simple recipe.
Ingredients for the Cardamom Simple Syrup
Sugar, 1 1/2 cups
Water, 1 cup
Cardamom pods and their seeds slightly crushed, 1 tablespoon (about 30 to 35 pods)
Cheesecloth and kitchen twine for a steeping sachet
The Method for Cardamom Simple Syrup
Use a mortar and pestle or spice grinder (1 pulse) to crush the cardamom pods to release their aromatics. Wrap cardamom in cheesecloth and tie with kitchen twine into a tight sachet and set aside. Combine sugar and water in a 1-qt. saucepan over medium-high. Cook, stirring occasionally, until sugar is dissolved, 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat and add cardamom sachet. Let syrup cool completely before removing sachet and pouring into a small carafe and chill for several hours or overnight. Ideally, the sachet should steep in the syrup for 2 to 4 hours.
Ingredients for One (1) Soul Train Tequila And Cardamom Cocktail
Good tequila, 2 oz.
Freshly squeezed grapefruit juice, 2 oz. or to taste
Cardamom simple syrup, 1/2 to 3/4 oz. or to taste
Lime juice, 1⁄2 oz. or to taste, plus lime slice for garnish
The Method for A Soul Train Cocktail
Combine tequila, syrup, and juices in an ice-filled shaker. Strain into a Marie Coupe and garnish with lime slice. Adjust simple syrup and juices to taste.
Tequila and Cardamom Cocktail
Equipment
- Cocktail Shaker
Ingredients
- 2 oz Good tequila
- 2 oz Freshly squeezed grapefruit juice
- ½ oz Cardamom simple syrup or more to taste
- ½ oz Lime juice plus lime slice for garnish
Cardamom Simple Syrup
- 1 ½ cups sugar
- 1 cup water
- Cardamom pods (and their seeds slightly crushed, 1 tablespoon (about 30 to 35 pods))
Instructions
- Combine tequila, syrup, and juices in an ice-filled shaker.
- Give it a good shake for 10 seconds.
- Strain into a Marie Coupe and garnish with lime slice.
- Adjust simple syrup and juices to taste.
Cardamom Simple Syrup
- Use a mortar and pestle or spice grinder (1 pulse) to crush the cardamom pods to release their aromatics. Wrap cardamom in cheesecloth and tie with kitchen twine into a tight sachet and set aside. Combine sugar and water in a 1-qt. saucepan over medium-high.
- Cook, stirring occasionally, until sugar is dissolved, 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat and add cardamom sachet. Let syrup cool completely before removing the sachet and pouring into a small carafe and chill for several hours or overnight. Ideally, the sachet should steep in the syrup for 2 to 4 hours.