Date-Palm Cocktail

From Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman

Happy New Year! Lots of exciting things happening in 2020. I’m happy to announce two special editions of The Geeky Chef cookbooks! One will focus solely on food and include recipes from both The Geeky Chef Cookbook and The Geeky Chef Strikes Back. The other will focus on drinks (of both the alcoholic and nonalcoholic variety) and include recipes from all three of the current cookbooks! These books are absolutely beautiful, inside and out, and will make fantastic gifts. Either for the geeky chef in your life, or, you know, yourself. Available for preorder now!

I’ll admit, 2019 brought some great new geeky things to obsess over, not the least of which was the Good Omens adaption. I could not be happier to see one of my favorite books so wonderfully adapted. Now, I know you probably got most of your drinking done last night but you may crave a little hair of the hellhound named Dog, and that’s where this beauty comes in. In Good Omens the novel, Crowley and Aziraphale have just discovered their little blunder in misplacing the Antichrist. They are arguing about what sort of punishment each could expect from heaven and hell respectively and Aziraphale asks Crowley if he remembers Gomorrah. Crowley, missing the point, reminisces about "a great little tavern where you could get these terrific fermented date-palm cocktails with nutmeg and crushed lemongrass-"

 

 

Ingredients

 

• 2 ounces Arak or Date Brandy*
• 1 tbs. Lemongrass Paste (premade or make it yourself)
• 1/2 ounce Date Syrup (or to taste)
• 1/2 ounce Lemon Juice
• Pinch of Grated Nutmeg

 

Directions

 

1. Add the arak, lemongrass paste, date syrup, and lemon juice cocktail shaker and fill with standard ice.
2. Shake for 10 to 15 seconds until well-chilled.
3. Strain into a serving glass and sprinkle with grated nutmeg.
4. Await divine judgement.

 

 

 

* Date-Infused Rum (alternative)

I know arak and date brandy can be tricky to find, so here’s an alternative base liquor. If you go this route, you might not need to add date syrup, so adjust it to taste depending on how sweet you like your drink. 

Ingredients

• 10 to 15 Medjool dates, halved
• 2 cups Aged Rum

 

Directions

1. In a sealable glass container, such as a mason jar, combine the dates and rum.
2. Seal tightly and store in a cool, dark place at room temperature for at least 2 days, or up to 2 weeks. The longer it sits, the sweeter it becomes.
3. Give the jar a shake every so often to help infuse the flavors.
4. When ready, strain out the dates using a fine-mesh strainer, then pass the liquid through a coffee filter for extra clarity.
5. Transfer to a sealed bottle or jar and store until ready to use.