Kiss of kiwi: This winter season, add the seasonal fruit to not only your cocktail but also your dessert

The winter season brings with it a variety of fruits and vegetables. While many people make use of carrots, peas and leafy vegetables on a daily basis, fruits are also equally used to not only make drinks but also desserts. While strawberries and oranges are used in abundance to not only make fruit juices, cocktails and desserts, among the less popular fruits, it is hard to ignore kiwis.

The bright green fruit is sweet with a hint of sourness that produces unique flavours on one's palate. So imagine when they are added to different kinds of cocktails? The fruit combines well with not only wine but also with gin and rum.

With the winter season here, mid-day.com spoke to Indian chefs who share recipes for unique cocktails and dishes. They not only tell you how to mix it with gin but also with rum and wine. They also share a recipe for a delicious crumble.

Kiwi Gin Mary
With kiwis in season, Manoj Alphonse, beverage head at Ishaara in Parel and Phoenix Marketcity Kurla, says you should definitely make Kiwi Gin Mary with it.
Alphonse says it has a potent mix of fresh kiwi chunks, puree and lime juice with rosemary. He explains, "The Kiwi Gin Mary is a sweet and sour cocktail that is great for people who like fruity drinks. The sweet and sour taste of kiwi goes well with the sharp taste of Gin creating a flavour which makes the cocktail well-balanced. This recipe is a delightful mix of tropical fruit, herbs, and citrus."

Ingredients:
Gin 55 ml
Fresh kiwi chunks 5 nos
Kiwi puree 20 ml
Lime juice 15 ml
Rosemary 1 nos
Kiwi slice for garnish
Rosemary for garnish

Method:
1. Add fresh kiwi into the cocktail shaker, gently muddle, and other ingredients.
2. Add ice cubes and shake well. Pour it on clear ice into a Collins glass.
3. Top it with tonic water.

Kiwi Tangy Rosemary Shrub
Kiwis are so versatile that they can also be mixed with whiskey, according to Shivkumar Gouda, executive bartender at Bombay High in ITC Maratha in Andheri, to make the Kiwi Tangy Rosemary Shrub. He explains, "The rosemary kiwi cocktail is refreshing and fragrant. It combines the distinct flavours of rosemary and kiwi to tingle the taste buds enough with a play of flavour profile and apt for balmy winter onset in coastline cities like Mumbai."

Ingredients:
Toki whiskey - 45 ml
Kiwi liqueur - 30 ml
Fresh kiwi slices - 2 to 3
Rosemary syrup - 20 ml
Fresh rosemary for garnish
Block ice 1 no

Method:
1. In a cocktail shaker, muddle the fresh Kiwi slices.
2. In the same cocktail shaker, add ice and kiwi liqueur.
3. Shake for a bit and add rosemary syrup.
4. Shake properly and add desired amount of whiskey and shake again.
5. In a pre-chilled old-fashioned glass, serve with ice and garnish with rosemary leaves.

Tropical Kiwi Crumble
Why restrict yourself to cocktails and mocktails when you can also make desserts with kiwis? executive chef Gaurav Parashar, InterContinental Jaipur, Tonk Road suggests making a Kiwi Crumble. He explains, "It is a delightful fusion of seasonal sweetness and comforting warmth. The tartness of fresh kiwi harmonises with a crisp oat topping, creating a culinary symphony that elevates the winter dining experience."

Ingredients:
Kiwi 250 gm
Spong Crume 150 gm
Cardamom 5 gm
Almond powder 100 gm
Butter 100 gm
Flour 100 gm
Brown sugar 100 gm
Oats 50 gm

Method:
1. Crumble all the ingredients in a medium bowl.
2. Combine flour, sugar, cardamom, sponge crumbs and oats.
3. Add cubed butter and, using your hands, combine the butter into the flour mixture until the mixture becomes lumpy and crumbly; do not over-mix. Set aside.
4. Assemble Kiwi crumbles. Evenly divide your golden kiwi into your four ramekins.
5. Press the kiwis gently to the bottom. Then evenly divide your crumble to top the kiwis.
6. Bake for 30-45 minutes or until the tops are golden brown and the juices are bubbling. Take out of the oven and sprinkle with toasted coconut and almonds.
7. Let it cool slightly, top with ice cream, and enjoy.

The Winter Serenade
If you love wine, Omkar Shinde, who is the senior mixologist at Blah! in BKC, says you can make The Winter Serenade, a delicious cocktail with wine, gin and kiwi. He explains, "Crafting this cocktail took me on a journey of intertwining the lively tang of kiwi with the subtle sweetness of Acacia honey. Infusing the vibrant, mixed berry note of Hoegaarden Gin Parisian Romance gave this drink just the depth it needed, creating a symphony with each sip. The outcome is a refreshingly sophisticated elixir, paying homage to fresh, seasonal flavours."

Ingredients:
Hoegaarden Gin Parisian Romance 50 ml
Acacia honey 10 ml
Fresh kiwi 50 gm
Tempranillo Bianco wine 20 ml
Milk for clarification (whole milk or any unflavoured, full-fat milk) 60 ml

Method:
1. Peel and muddle the fresh kiwi in a mixing glass or shaker until it is thoroughly mashed.
2. Add Hoegaarden Gin Parisian Romance, Acacia Honey, and Tempranillo Bianco wine to the muddled kiwi.
3. Stir or shake the mixture well to ensure the ingredients are combined.
4. In a separate container, pour the milk over the mixed ingredients. Let it sit for about 30-40 minutes to allow the milk to clarify the mixture. As it sits, the milk will curdle, separating the solids from the liquids.
5. After the clarification process, strain the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve or cheesecloth-lined strainer into a clean container. The clarified liquid that passes through will have a clearer appearance.
7. Pour the clarified cocktail into a chilled glass over ice or serve neat, enjoying the nuanced and clarified flavours of this unique concoction.

Kiwi Cracker
Love tequila? Then Stanley Fernandes, who is the corporate bar manager, at Butterfly High says you can make a potent Kiwi Cracker with the mezcal and seasonal fruit. He explains, "The Kiwi Cracker with its vibrant blend of tequila mezcal, fresh kiwi, and mint, captures the essence of winter in a glass. The effervescence and subtle sweetness make it an ideal beverage to savour during the chilly months."

Ingredients:
Tequila Mezcal 60 ml
Kiwi chunks
Mint leaves
Lime Juice 20 ml
Honey 5 ml
Glassware: Coupe glass
Garnish: Kiwi slice and Maraschino cherry

Method:
1. In a shaker, muddle kiwi chunks and mint leaves.
2. Add Tequila Mezcal, lime juice and honey to the shaker.
3. Fill the shaker with ice and shake the ingredients well.
4. Strain the mixture into a coupe glass.
5. Garnish with a kiwi slice and a maraschino cherry.

Cocowi Fizz
If you are one who loves rum, then Akshay Sail, mixologist of The Westin Mumbai Garden City, says you should definitely make the Cocowi Fizz, which has an interesting and heady mix of spirits. He explains, "The Tropical Kiwi Breeze, a delightful variation of the classic Pina Colada, brings together the tropical notes of Malibu with the sweet and sour balance of fresh kiwi cordial. As a nod to the discovery of kiwi post-World War 2 in North America, this cocktail is a refreshing winter-based concoction that offers a tropical escape in every sip, perfect for those laid-back afternoons."

Ingredients:
White Rum 45 ml
Malibu (Coconut Rum) 15 ml
Fresh Kiwi Cordial 45 ml
Lime Juice 15 ml
Garnish: Kiwi Slice
Glassware: Highball

Method:
1. Fill a highball glass with ice cubes.
2. Pour in white rum and Malibu (Coconut Rum).
3. Add fresh kiwi cordial and lime juice to the glass.
4. Stir gently to combine the ingredients.
5. Top up the glass with fresh soda, created by making a quick soda in the glass.
7. Garnish with a slice of fresh kiwi.