Lyric Fest presented Love with a Twist: For those lucky at cards, unlucky in love—a program of great song and opera featuring the daydreams, denials, and disasters of love. To highlight our performance and Valentine’s Day celebrated mixologist Katie Loeb created an original Love with a Twist cocktail for us. And, just like romance, it shows the many sides love expresses: the joy( Blue Coat gin), a taste of the exotic (orange cardamon syrup) and just a wee touch of bitters.
The cocktail was unveiled after the concert on Sunday, February 16, 2014. Blue Coat gin donated the gin. In keeping with our Love with a Twist concert theme, our signature Lyric Fest cocktail symbolizes the joy of love (the gin), the exotic moments (orange cardamom simple syrup) and, of course, a dash of bitters.
Here’s the recipe
- 2 oz. Bluecoat gin
- 1 oz. Pom Wonderful Pomegranate juice
- 1 oz. fresh lime juice
- .5 oz. Cointreau
- .5 oz Orange-Cardamom syrup
- Dash Orange bitters
- Garnish: Orange twist
Add all ingredients to an ice filled shaker. Shake until well chilled and strain into a martini glass. Garnish with a strip of orange zest removed from an orange with a vegetable peeler that’s been squeezed over the surface of the drink to release the oils, then dropped into the drink.
Orange-Cardamom syrup from Katie Loeb’s cocktail book, Shake, Stir, Pour Homegrown Cocktails
- 3 cups (710 ml) water
- 3 cups (710 ml) sugar
- Zest of one large orange, removed with a vegetable peeler, orange part only, no white pith
- 10 cardamom pods
Bring water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add sugar and stir to dissolve. Lower heat and add orange zest and cardamom pods. Simmer for 5 minutes to soften orange rinds and cardamom pods. Cool slightly and add syrup, orange zest, and cardamom to blender.
NOTE: Hold down the top of the blender with a kitchen towel so it doesn’t explode!! Puree gently and allow to cool to room temperature. Strain carefully to remove orange zest and cardamom pieces. Transfer to a clean glass bottle and refrigerate. This syrup keeps for approximately 1 month.
Yield about 3 cups