You know what day it is? It’s Wednesday! And today I get the lucky opportunity to feature Dan Magro (@danmagro), author of ‘Suck It Up: Extraordinary Cocktails for Everyday People‘. Dan is an incredibly talented mixologist on the gram, and I feel honoured to whip up his ‘Exotic Marigold Bombshell’ for you today!
The concept of the #LCFeature is very simple; tag Liquid Culture in any of your drink posts (or hashtag #LCFeature) that you would like me to recreate or duplicate. My favourites are then featured on Liquid Culture’s socials and on the website, plus you also get my undying love. This time around, I caught the eye of Dan, who tagged me in a post called the Exotic Marigold Bombshell. Now you have to know, I’ve been a Dan Fan for a long time now. He has one of the best personalities in our little #Drinkstagram community, and I’m sure we all feel as if he’s our spirit animal through his stories. This talented mixologist is always stepping out of the normal comfort zones AND I ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT! So Dan, all this love is for you and I hope I make you proud!
The Bombshell
At first, I had no idea what marigold was. I’m serious. If there is one thing you need to know is that I’m TERRIBLE with names, especially the obscure names for flowers. I’ve seen and used marigold before in my bouquets at home, but I never really knew it was a common dried ingredient, typically found in teas. So thank you Dan for making me do a little bit of research on this one! It turns out that marigold is one of those not-so-secret, remedies for pretty much everything. From inflammation, soothing sun burns and wounds, and a way to help with menstrual cramps, this is an all-in-one elixir! Sometimes I think I’m in a Harry Potter potions class, but you have to know that this is what Liquid Culture is all about. It’s all about stepping out of your comfort zone and into a new world that you never knew existed! Moral of the story is, this cocktail is officially good for you and prescribed by my not-so-evident doctors degree (I’m kidding, please don’t take my webMD conclusion seriously, just enjoy this very tasty imbibe).
With marigold having that slight lemon zest, with cinnamon notes, I completely understood why Dan brought all these flavours together. Now I do have to mention, I could not find an OFFICIAL recipe online, so I constructed this cocktail as I would with all his ingredients in mind. He’s combined this cocktail with Gin, fresh lemon, with Grand Marnier and bubbles. The structure of this cocktail is completely sound. It has the herbs, it has the acid, it has the sweetness to balance and then there’s the effervescence to bring it all together. This is an absolutely stunning serve by Dan, and if you aren’t following him already, make sure you do so…now!
Now I do have a few notes when it comes to this cocktail:
- If you don’t want Gin, swap it out for H by Hine Cognac – Think of a Sidecar or a classic Champagne Cocktail – Cognac for the Win!
- I’d also recommend infusion the marigold into the Gin! It won’t need much for it to go a long way, so keep it in a bath for approximately one hour or more, depending on your preference
- Be mindful of the sugar levels in your sparkling wine. Skip on the Baby Duck and pick up a dry local style. I typically always pick up half bottles for cocktails so no alcohol is wasted.
The Exotic Marigold Bombshell
A bubbly, sparkling cocktail inspired by Dan Magro (@danmagro) that combines Gin, Fresh Lemon, Marigold Tea, Grand Marnier and Bubbles!
- Difficulty: Intermediate
Ingredients
- 2/3 oz Beefeater Gin
- 1/3 oz Grand Marnier
- 1/3 oz Lemon Juice
- 1/2 oz Marigold Tea
- 1.5 oz Sparkling Wine
Instructions
In a shaker, combine all the ingredients (except sparkling wine), fill with ice and shake.
Double strain into your favourite coupe glass and top with sparkling wine
Garnish with Marigold Leaves
Recipe Notes
To make the Marigold Tea - Simply place 1 tbsp of Marigold Tea Petals in 1/2 cup of boiled water with 1/2 tsp of Honey. Let this steep for 4 Minutes before straining. Wait for it to cool before use.
