The Golden Geisha cocktail

In honor of this special puzzle box, and for my mother, I present the “Golden Geisha” cocktail.  She would have gotten a kick out of this blog as well, and I think she would have liked this drink.  Credit is due to Wesley Wolfe, a Chapel Hill, NC area mixologist whose “Red Geisha”, which was featured as Imbibe’s cocktail of the week a few years ago, helped inspire this version.  In the “Golden Geisha”, I use a golden rum as the base spirit, and add fresh lime juice muddled with ginger and pineapple.  To sweeten the drink I made a syrup using plum wine, which imparts a uniquely Japanese flavor element.  If anyone recognizes this as another variation on the classic daiquiri, all I can say is, I’ll drink to that.  Cheers to those who inspire us to marvel at the beauty in life, which is truly a puzzle with many steps, and so worth opening.  I miss you, Mom.

Plum wine syrup adds a uniquely delicious element

The Golden Geisha

2 oz golden aged rum

1 oz fresh squeezed lime juice

1-2 small cubes fresh ginger

1-2 large cubes fresh pineapple

½ oz plum wine syrup

Muddle the pineapple and ginger with the syrup in a shaker tin.  Add the lime juice and rum, shake over ice and strain into a favorite glass.  Garnish with pineapple wedge and lime wheel.

Plum wine syrup:

Heat ½ cup plum wine with ½ cup sugar in a saucepan to dissolve the sugar.  Simmer for 5 minutes, then cool and store up to 1 week.

Cheers from this pair of sentimental geishas