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The Camellia





Total Time
15 mins

Stephani Smith, founder and creative director of Garnish Craft Cocktail Catering in Maui, turned to chamomile flowers to flavor this delicate cocktail. For a garnish, she created a tiny camellia look-alike from coiled pink grapefruit zest.

the camellia cocktail




Erin Kunkel
 1/4 cup mild-flavored honey, such as kiawe*, orange blossom, or clover
 1 teaspoon loose chamomile tea leaves
 1 pink grapefruit, preferably ruby
 2 ounce vodka
 1 to 2 ounces sparkling wine
Step 1
1

Make chamomile honey syrup: Put honey, 1/4 cup water, and tea in a small pot over low heat until hot, but not boiling, about 2 minutes. Stir, remove from heat, and let sit 1 hour. Strain and cool.

Step 2
2

Meanwhile, with a Y-type vegetable peeler, remove a long strip of zest from the grapefruit’s circumference; repeat. Roll each into a tight coil, then push up from bottom to create a bud; skewer through middle with a cocktail pick.

Step 3
3

Juice grapefruit to yield 2 oz. juice. Pour into a cocktail shaker with 1/4 to 1/2 oz. chamomile honey syrup and vodka. Add ice; shake well. Add sparkling wine.

Step 4
4

Set zest flowers in coupe glasses. Cover shaker and strain cocktail into glasses.

5

 

6

*Creamy, pearl-white kiawe honey is produced from the flowers of Hawaii’s kiawe tree, a type of mesquite (from $7.50; for an 8-oz. jar; rarehawaiianhoney.com).

Nutrition Facts
Amount Per Serving
Calories 262Calories from Fat 1.4
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 0.2g1%

Saturated Fat 0.1g1%
Cholesterol 0mg
Sodium 140mg6%
Total Carbohydrate 47g16%

Dietary Fiber 1.6g7%
Protein 0.8g2%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily value may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.