Sweet-stall Memories Cocktail

Ingredients

Salted peanut water:

Makes 800mL
300g raw peanuts
100g caster sugar
10g salt
1.5L water

Coconut water, milk and cream:

Makes 150mL coconut water, 300mL coconut milk and 150mL coconut cream
1 coconut
300mL hot water

Sweet-stall Memories cocktail:

30mL salted peanut water
20mL whiskey
20mL curacao
20mL coconut water
10mL sugar syrup
2 dashes of aromatic bitters
1 egg white
Ice cubes for shaking
Raspberry lollies to serve

Method

Coconut water, milk and cream:

Holding the coconut steady with a tea towel, gently hit it with a hammer, rotating the coconut until it splits. Make sure you only go as far as cracking it so you can drain the water (don’t break it open completely).

Drain off the coconut water and set aside, then give it a few more whacks to break up the shell. Using a clean chisel, separate the white flesh from the brown husk.

In a food processor, blitz all the flesh into fine pieces. Add hot water and blitz again.

Pass the coconut through a fine mesh sieve and leave to sit in the fridge for 2 hours. The cream will sit on top and the milk will sink to the bottom. To separate, simply scrape the cream off the top.

Set the pulp aside, dry it out or toast it in the oven and use to texture a fantastic chicken salad.

All three elements will last for 3 days in the fridge. If you are short on time, you can use dessicated coconut mixed with water to make just the coconut milk. Use 50g coconut to every 300mL water.

Salted peanut water:

Dry roast peanuts in a saucepan for 5 minutes over medium heat. Combine with the rest of the ingredients and water in a saucepan and simmer for 30 minutes.

Strain through a piece of muslin, then pour into a sterilised glass bottle and refrigerate for up to a week.

This water can be used to cook bananas, serve with ice cream, or use as the base of a satay sauce by adding coconut cream and chilli paste.

Sugar syrup:

Dissolve two parts sugar in one part water in a saucepan over a gentle heat. Caster sugar works best, but you can experiment with different sugars, such as brown or fructose for different effects.

Sweet-stall Memories cocktail:

Combine all the ingredients, except the ice and raspberry lollies, in a shaker and dry shake vigorously to combine the egg whites. Add ice and shake again.

Strain into a cocktail glass and serve with a side of raspberry lollies to complete the rocky road theme.

Credits: This is an edited extract from All Day Cocktails by Shaun Byrne & Nick Tesar, published by Hardie Grant Books, RRP $34.99 and is available in stores nationally.