Noosa Cocktails

Cocktails for Noosa Yoghurt

Every once in awhile I get hired to create cocktails for brands and events. One of my recent clients was Noosa Yoghurt. As such, this page is sponsored by Noosa, but the opinions are completely and absolutely my own. First off, no, these drinks do not contain yogurt. They were served at a launch party commemorating Noosa's new line that features two yogurt flavors side-by-side in a split cup. This allows people to, in Noosa's words, “choose their own adventure”. You can check them out here.

I was tasked with incorporating this theme into cocktails. In some ways, it was a natural fit since I tend to think fresh flavor combinations in cocktails should usually be limited to two ingredients. Otherwise, the drink becomes muddied. But just combining flavors wasn’t enough for this project. They needed to be isolated so people had the option of tasting them separately or together. So I had to get creative, it was lots of fun. The finished products are below. As you can see, each drink has two straws that correspond to a flavor. So you can sip from one straw or the other, or both at the same time.

I admit, this is a bit of gimmick, but I actually found it to be pretty revealing. Tasting the isolated flavors first enhances the experience of tasting them together because you have a better understanding of what each flavor is bringing to the table. So if you recreate these, I definitely recommend drinking from each straw separately and then both together. From there, you can embark on the flavor adventure of your choice.

Berry Berry Bramble

rye whiskey, social hour, tom macy, cocktail, classic cocktail

The Berry Berry Bramble is inspired by Noosa's Blueberry and Raspberry flavor. Like a classic Bramble, it has a base of gin - though vodka works too - lemon juice, simple syrup and is served over crushed ice with an additional ingredient floated on top. Here, in place of the traditional blackberry liqueur, I used raspberry and blueberry syrup - naturally - drizzled on opposite sides of the drink.

Their differences are subtle. But tasting them together really exemplifies what each flavor is offering. Blueberries have soft dark fruit notes, while raspberries are brighter with more acidity. The drink is great with just one of these syrups, but together it's much more satisfying, not to mention a whole lot prettier.

Recipe

1½ oz gin
¾ oz fresh lemon juice
¾ oz simple syrup
¼ oz raspberry syrup
¼ oz blueberry syrup

In a shaker, combine the gin, lemon and simple syrup.
Fill with ice, shake and strain into a rocks glass over crushed ice.
Top with more crushed ice until it’s just over the rim of the glass.
Float the raspberry and blueberry syrups over opposite sides of the glass.
Garnish the raspberry side with a raspberry and the blueberry side with a blueberry.
Serve with 2 straws, one on each side.

Blueberry Syrup

½ cup blueberry preserves
2 tablespoons water

Stir until combined. Strain and refrigerate.

Raspberry Syrup

1 cup raspberries
2 cups sugar
1 cup water

In a small pot or bowl crush the raspberries with a muddler.
Add the sugar stir to combine.
Let the mixture sit for 30 minutes to an hour, add the water and stir to dissolve any remaining sugar.
Strain and refrigerate.

Double in Pair-adise

The Double in Pair-adise (get it?) is modeled after Noosa’s Pineapple & Coconut pairing, which in cocktail terms we know as a Piña Colada. This one was more of a challenge. I realized in order to adequately separate the flavors, I needed to serve two drinks in one glass. At first, I thought about putting two smaller glasses inside a larger glass over a bed of crushed ice - needlessly to say I quickly scrapped that idea. Instead to decided to split the glass in half with a wall down the middle - made of pineapple of course - so I could fill each side with a different cocktail. I've dubbed this the pineapple barrier.

From there, the recipes practically wrote themselves. They’re simply a Pineapple Daiquiri and a Coconut Daiquiri. Each is excellent on its own, but tasting them together gives you a tremendous appreciation of just how brilliant the combination of coconut and pineapple is. My advice, once you've tried them separately and together, pull out the pineapple barrier and enjoy it as a snack while sipping your freshly mixed Piña Colada.

Recipe

Pineapple Daiquiri

2 oz white rum
¾ oz fresh lime juice
¾ oz fresh pineapple juice
¾ oz simple syrup

Coconut Daiquiri

1½ oz white rum
¼ oz High proof Jamaican Rum - such as Smith and Cross
½ oz fresh lime juice
¼ oz demerara syrup
heaping tablespoon (about ¾ oz) Coco Lopez

Make your pineapple barrier, see below, and place it in the center of a rocks glass.
In separate shakers, combine all ingredients for each of the two drinks.
Fill each side of the glass with crushed ice.
Fill the shakers with ice, shake and strain the drinks on opposite sides of the barrier, and place a straw on either side.

How to Make a Pineapple Barrier

Cut a ¼-½ inch wide slice off of the end of a pineapple.
Measure, or eyeball, the diameter of the top of your glass as well as how deep it is.
Using these as guidelines, cut the pineapple slice into a large wedge that fits perfectly into the glass with as few gaps as possible.
Make sure the outer skin is facing up and err on the side of too big. That will give you a better seal and you can always trim it down.
Tip: If you’re making multiple drinks, once you’ve made one barrier, use it as a stencil to cut the others.