July is kiwi season, and Spec’s has all the best mixers to quench your thirst for the small, sweet fruit. A couple of these recipes even include the seeds for an added dimension to your kiwi drink!
Piki Sparker
1 oz peach liqueur
¼ oz freshly squeezed lime juice
1 medium kiwi, peeled and cut into large chunks
1 ½ oz vodka
1 ½ oz dry sparkling wine
Muddle the peach liqueur, lime juice, and kiwi in a cocktail shaker. Add the vodka and ice to the shaker, shake until blended. Strain into a rocks glass filled with ice, top with the sparkling wine, and stir to combine.
Kipepper Kick
½ cup vodka
1 scotch bonnet pepper
1 cup frozen mango cubes
2 skinned kiwifruits
Infuse the vodka with the pepper overnight by pricking the pepper with a fork, adding it to a jar with the vodka, and straining. Alternatively, you can use pepper-flavored vodka.Puree the kiwis and mango in a blender until smoothly blended, add the vodka, and puree again. Add water as needed for drinkability. Pour into a tall glass and sip – carefully!
Juniper Junction
4 thin slices kiwi
2 oz gin
¾ oz elderflower liqueur
½ fresh lime juice
½ oz simple syrup
soda water
Muddle three of the kiwi slices in a cocktail shaker until broken down into chunks, then add the gin, elderflower liqueur, lime juice, simple syrup, and shake until blended. Fill a tall glass with ice, pour the mixture over the ice and top with soda water. Garnish with a kiwi slice.
Cukiwi
2 oz cucumber-infused vodka (see recipe; regular vodka will work too!)
½ chopped cucumber
1 kiwi, sliced and peeled
juice from ½ lemon
½ tsp sugar
¼ cup water
2 ice cubes
Puree all ingredients in a blender or food processor until blended. You can either strain into a tall glass or simply pour directly in if you like pulp. To make cucumber-infused vodka, thinly slice an English cucumber, place in a large bottle, and add a 750-ml bottle of your favorite vodka. Let sit for a couple of hours to three days, then strain into the original bottle and label.
Triple Threat
½ kiwi fruit, cut into chunks and peeled
3 shredded basil leaves
1 ½ oz gin
¼ oz fresh lime juice
¼ oz simple syrup
Muddle the kiwi, basil, lime juice, and simple syrup in in a cocktail shaker until the kiwi gives up its juice. Add the gin and some ice, shake until blended. Strain into a rocks glass filled with ice and garnish with a kiwi slice and basil leaf.
