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Recipe Detail Page
Ma-groni
Spring 2022
If you like the complex, sweet, tart and vegetal flavours of beets, you’ll love this fun spring Negroni variation that uses a homemade maple-beet shrub in place of a bitter red aperitivo. Deeper grades of maple syrup (Amber to Very Dark) deliver more robust, pleasantly bitter flavours. We tested the recipe using Dark from Giizhigat Maple Products (giizhigatmapleproducts.ca), a First Nation company on St. Joseph Island in Northern Ontario, which has a beautiful minerally flavour in its syrup.
Makes 2 drinks
2 oz Maple-Beet Shrub (recipe follows)
2 oz gin
2 oz sweet red vermouth
Maple-glazed (recipe follows) or fresh orange wheels, for garnish
1. Chill two rocks glasses. Add maple-beet shrub, gin and vermouth to a mixing glass or pint glass half-full of ice. Stir for at least 1 minute, or until mixture is thoroughly chilled and flavours are well-integrated (sample with a clean tasting spoon), with no single ingredient dominating the mix.
2. Put a large ice cube in each glass and pour half of the mixture into each. Garnish with fresh or maple-glazed orange wheels and serve.
Makes 2 drinks
MAPLE-BEET SHRUB
Alter the flavour balance of this complex shrub (vinegar-enhanced drink) by choosing a darker grade of syrup, which will lend slightly bitter, minerally and earthy flavours to the finished drink. Spritz any extra syrup with soda water for a refreshing, brilliant violet non-alcoholic drink.
1 can (398 mL) beets (not pickled)
1 6-inch (15-cm) piece fresh ginger, peeled
2 tbsp (30 mL) apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup (60 mL) maple syrup (preferably Amber or Dark, or use Golden)
4 to 6 dashes cocktail bitters, such as Angostura
1. Drain the beets and reserve 1/4 cup (60 mL) of beet juice (save beets and additional juice for another use). Add to a jar or squeeze bottle with a tight-fitting lid.
2. Cut the ginger into 1/2-inch (1-cm) slices, place in a garlic press or citrus juicer and squeeze, continuing until you have 2 tbsp (30 mL) of fresh ginger juice.
3. Add ginger juice, apple cider vinegar and maple syrup to beet juice. Add 4 dashes cocktail bitters, close lid and shake shrub thoroughly. Taste and add more bitters if desired. Store in fridge in a tightly sealed container for up to 1 week. Shake before using.
Makes about 3/4 cup (175 mL) shrub, enough for 6 drinks
MAPLE-GLAZED ORANGE WHEELS
Preheat oven to 200°F (93°C). Using a sharp knife or a mandoline, slice an orange into thin slices, about 1/8 inch (3 mm) thick. Place slices on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and brush both sides lightly with maple syrup (any grade or colour). Bake for 2 to 3 hours, flipping the slices after one hour, until slices are crisp and dehydrated without browning. Store slices in an airtight jar or container for up to 2 weeks.
Makes 8 to 10 edible garnishes
