If you are dealing with cocktails on a regular basis, especially with Sours and Tiki drinks, you will inevitably come across a certain group of fruit varieties or fruit juices. One or two of the usual suspects are always involved. A fruit variety, that is however hardly known to many people (and can also very rarely be found in the supermarket) is the common medlar (the German word is “Mispel”).

Like apple or pear, the medlar belongs to the rosaceae, but in terms of taste are more reminiscent of a sour plum or mirabelle. It is rich in vitamin C and ist season is relatively short. I guess that’s enough botany for now. The unique taste profile of medlars makes them very interesting for cocktails because their juice is sour-aromatic, but not as sour as the one of lemons, limes or yuzus.

In today’s cocktail I used the common medlar to offer a different kind of Sour. Since you can not buy medlar juice simply in the supermarket (at least not at the places I know) you’ll have to use a juicer in order to get the juice out of them. When I was thinking about the base spirit for today’s cocktail, immediately the excellent Revolte Rum came to my mind, which in fact offers an aromatic and fruity taste profile that is absolutely perfect in combination with the medlar. A bit of lemon juice emphasizes the acidity of the cocktail and is balanced by some sugar syrup and a little Chartreuse Jaune. The herbal liqueur from the Carthusian order fits perfectly and provides (alongside two dashes of Plum Bitters) that little touch of the forest inside the final cocktail.

Oh, and if you should wonder about the name, I fear it is some kind of German-English pun that is hardly understandable for someone who is not capable of speaking German. Since “Mispel” is the German word for medlar, the name of the cocktail is obviously misspelled…

Recipe:

4,5 cl Revolte Rum
4 cl medlar juice (made using a juicer)
2 cl lemon juice
2 cl sugar syrup
1 cl Chartreuse Jaune
2 Dashes Fee Brothers Plum Bitters

Preparation: Shake all the ingredients vigorously on ice and strain into a glass filled with ice cubes.

Glass: tumbler

Garnish: none

Buying sources: At specialized retailers or online. Medlars are not easy to get: during the season they can be found on (fruit) markets or – with luck – in very well-stocked supermarkets. Otherwise, I bet there is some way to even order them online from a fruit grower.