The Dude Imbibes

Loquats: The Cocktails

Posted on 20 May 2009

I’ve been wanting to incorporate the loquats in my backyard into cocktails for a while now.  Since they are in season, now is my chance.  Although slightly high in acidity, they are also high in sugar and and have a nice, sweet crisp taste.  Here’s the first one.

Loquat Mojito

1/2 lime (quartered into wedges)

4 loquats (seeded and halved)

2 teaspoons of sugar

10 mint leaves

2 oz light rum

club soda

Muddle the lime wedges, sugar, loquats and mint in a mixing glass until the sugar is completely dissolved and all juice extracted.  Add ice and rum to mixing glass.  Shake and double strain into a collins glass filled with crushed ice.  Top with club soda and add 1-2 mint sprigs for the garnish.

I found this drink to be incredibly refreshing.  The sugar along with the sweetness of the loquats combined well to offset the limes for a clean flavor allowing the mint to express itself in good form with the rum.  A bit more subtle than the usual mojito with the addition of the loquat juice, but with an added taste and a slightly different texture (along with a lovely orange color).  Perfect for an afternoon cocktail in the backyard.

I continued along a similar path for the next cocktail…using Dale DeGroff as an influence here while staying with the mint to help move things along.  Loquats just seem destined to be paired with whiskey…and so be it.

Whiskey-Loquat Smash

6-8 mint leaves

5 loquats (seeded and halved)

1/2 lemon (quartered)

1 oz Orange Curacao

2 oz Bourbon Whiskey (used Maker’s Mark)

Muddle the loquats, mint, lemon and Curacao in a mixing glass.  Add ice and Bourbon and shake well.  Strain into a double old-fashioned glass filled with crushed ice.  Garnish with a mint sprig and half of a loquat.

I found this to be one hell of a drink.  The multiple flavors just really fly at you from the first sip.  The curacao and lemon work together well giving a base balance while the loquat adds a taste and texture that works spectacularly with the sweetness of the bourbon.  The mint is always a pleasure, elevating the drink both in taste and scent.  This is definitely on my list of go to cocktails (at least until the fall when my tree becomes dormant for another six months).