White Crème de Menthe Stinger Sous Vide
| I have two distinct memories of Crème de Menthe. The first was color, that vivid “Green Lantern” neon seemingly glowed in the bottle and secondly, how impossible it was to open after I snagged it from my father’s well stocked liquor cabinet. Copious amount of its sugar from cocktails long gone by had crystalized, sealing the cap shut. Dreaming of the fancy drinks that beckoned to me like, Grasshoppers, Shamrocks and Naughty Girl Scouts I eventually prevailed. For a teen growing up in the 70’s when the drinking age was a mere 18, the color was cool and it was loaded with sugar, what more could you ask for? |
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So, Crème de Menthe translates from the French as mint cream, that being said there is no cream in it. Minty cool and traditionally sweet, Crème de Menthe was a regular on the teen party circuit, yet quite a few of my teenage chums after their first swig were surprised at the absence of cream in their crème. Turns out that this classic cordial is given the distinction of being a crème liqueur but not because it has cream or any dairy product added to it, no, the crème moniker is due to the thick, luscious sugary texture that coats your tongue and mouth. |
| Available in two styles you can buy Crème de Menthe in the classic neon green or the more unusual white. The only difference I can discern between the two is color, but even in the original forms the color was created not by its natural ingredients but by using dyes. Now the white version, well, at least the homemade version isn’t actually white but when using fresh mint, the result is a light amber-ish color and dare I say delicious? Forget your preconceived notions or the bad Crème de Menthe trips of your youth, a well-made Crème de Menthe is strong, bursting with minty flavor and with just enough sweetness to go down smoothly as is or polish any harsh edges on your way to the perfect cocktail. |
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| Speaking of homemade, it turns out that most DYI versions takes weeks and even months to complete. So why make it? Well, even at that lengthy gastronomic gestation period my answer is, why not? Seriously, just about anything you can make at home with the proper ingredients and techniques is infinitely better than its commercial counterpart. More importantly for you, our sous vide version is easily completed and ready to enjoy all in one day! |
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Stinger Ingredients:
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White Crème de Menthe Directions:
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