Tides Fruit Salad
► by Bartender Delano Small of The Tides Restaurant
So named because it uses nearly all the fruit flavours behind the bar, this layered cocktail should be served in a tall glass, so that you end up with a choose-your-own-adventure type of experience based on how deep you plunge your straw.
— Photography: Kenneth Theysen
“You get a cocktail with a variation of colours, tastes and flavours”, says bartender Delano Small, as whisps of green melon liqueur sink slowly into the sunset hues of the blended pineapple and apple juice on top and strawberry and passion fruit purées on the bottom.
Your cocktail adventure also depends on when you decide to bite into the crunchy, caramelised local cane sugar that enrobes a garnish of diced pineapple, apple and strawberries, carefully balanced on a skewered slice of lemon above the glass.
Thanks to the layering and the variety of juices, you don’t get a rush of alcohol, says Small, who’s been working at The Tides for almost three years. “I always tell people you shouldn’t have to drink alcohol like it’s medicine. It’s something you should enjoy.”
Small enjoys the freedom given to the bartenders at The Tides, where the cocktail menu is a collaborative effort. They come together each fall to create the seasonal drinks menu for the prestigious restaurant, known for its top-notch service, quality food and panoramic view.
More than just a delicious drink, this sippable fruit salad is also fun to watch Small make – there’s a frying pan and kitchen torch involved. It’s also the kind of drink that guests see passing by their table, barstool or lounge sofa and suddenly everybody wants one. If you don’t have a kitchen torch at home, you can melt the sugar over the diced fruits on the stove, but if that still seems like too much effort, better to just come to The Tides and let a professional handle it.
Tides Fruit Salad
Makes 1 cocktail
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Ingredients
¾ oz. strawberry purée
¾ oz. passion fruit purée
½ oz. fresh lime juice
1 oz. vodka
2 oz. pineapple juice
1 oz. apple juice
½ oz. each diced pineapple, green apple and strawberries
1 tbsp. coarse cane sugar
1 wedge each of orange, pineapple and strawberry, to garnish
1 slice lemon
1 capful melon liqueur
Instructions
Pour the strawberry purée into your tallest glass then fill it with ice.
Add the passion fruit purée and lime juice followed by the vodka, pineapple juice and just enough apple juice to top.
Using a long spoon, stir the ice gently to blend the colours a little.
Place the diced fruits for the garnish in a small skillet or heatproof dish and sprinkle with cane sugar.
Use a kitchen torch to caramelise the sugar on top of the fruits, until it’s golden brown. Or, heat the skillet over medium-high heat and stir until the sugar melts and caramelises, about 1 to 2 minutes.
Skewer the orange, pineapple and strawberry wedges onto a small bamboo skewer followed by a circular slice of lemon so that the lemon creates a bed for the caramelised fruits. Place the sugar-coated fruits on top of the lemon.
Pour a capful of melon liqueur into the drink, then balance the skewer of caramelised fruits on top of the glass.
Add a (compostable) straw and enjoy!
BARTENDER’S TIPS
The trick to making this cocktail is to build it from the bottom up, adding one ingredient at a time to create the layered effect.
Don’t rush the cocktail sunset by stirring too much after adding the apple juice.
Ice helps keep the thicker red purée on bottom and the golden juices on top.
You can buy frozen purée, which comes sweetened, or make your own by muddling or blending strawberries or passion fruit seeds with sugar and water. Strain out the fibrous passion fruit seeds before using.
