Plums

Plums have been with us humans for most of civilization, and are likely one of the first fruits humans ever domesticated. There are many different species of plum, but the ones the west are most familiar with are the Japanese or Chinese plums; this is due to this version of plum being big and juicy, with a long shelf life. How do these relate to sugar plums?

Sugar plums are considered ubiquitous with Christmas, but historically there wasn't a plum to found in them. They came to fame from the 17th to 19th centuries as a luxury confectionary, due to the time it took to make them (multiple days), as well as the amount of sugar involved in their creation. Typically, they were a caraway or cardamom seed or an almond covered in layers of hardened sugar. When finished, they looked like plums, which is where the name comes from. True sugar plums take a long time to make at home, but if you want to have a taste of history without the hassle, Jordan Almonds (or almonds with a sugar shell) are the closest you can get. On the other hand, if you actually want a plum-flavored dessert, candied plums are a real treat.

A Cocktail in the Making

This cocktail was created two years ago, back when Winsome Ginsome was just a TikTok account. We were brainstorming some ideas for holiday cocktails and “Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy” from Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker came up. As lovers of classical music, it seemed like the perfect source of inspiration for a Christmas cocktail, and so this cocktail began as a name. Of course, we wanted to include plums in this cocktail (though, we've since learned that sugar plums have no plums), and we decided that a syrup would provide the most prominent flavour, as well as a gorgeous colour. From there, we needed to decide what base spirit we wanted to use and what kind of cocktail we wanted to make with it. The two main contenders for the base spirit were gin and bourbon. Gin would bring some herbal and citrus flavours to the drink while bourbon would impart a spicy sweetness that pairs so well with plums. In truth, either would have worked beautifully, but something about gin seemed to match with the magical elements of the original ballet. From there, a classic gin sour seemed like a great choice for a balanced crowd-pleaser cocktail, and a sugar-rimmed glass was the perfect visual callback to the name. However, there was just something missing- a bit of magic. We discussed maybe adding some edible glitter, a red wine float, or sparkling wine to the mix, but none of these had exactly what we were looking for. That’s when we had the idea to include an absinthe rinse: a classic cocktail-making technique that involves rinsing the inside of the glass with a small amount of absinthe. Due to its strong flavour, even this small amount of absinthe provides a subtle anise flavour. Additionally, absinthe was colloquially referred to as “The Green Fairy” in the 19^th century, making it the perfect choice for the Sugar Plum Fairy.

How to Make It

Make the syrup

This syrup is made just like any simple syrup, but with the addition of chopped plums. Simply bring your water to a boil, add the sugar and plums, reduce the heat, then simmer for 10 minutes.

The syrup should be slightly thickened. Remove the saucepan from the heat and allow the syrup to cool before straining it to remove the solids. The leftover plums are delicious and are perfect over some ice cream or as an addition to baked goods. The syrup should last in the fridge for 2-4 weeks, and adding a neutral spirit like vodka can extend the life of your syrup even further. If you need a lot of this syrup, the recipe scales up perfectly.

Prep your glass

We like to start every cocktail by prepping our glassware, which usually means putting the glasses in the freezer while we mix the drinks. In this case, rim the coupe with sugar by dipping the rim in water and then sugar before placing it carefully in the freezer. Just before you pour your cocktail, remove the coupe from the freezer and rinse it with absinthe. You can do this by swirling a small amount of absinthe in the glass and then discard it. However, our favourite method involves adding the absinthe to a small spray bottle and spraying the inside of the glass. This way, there is less waste and you get the perfect amount of absinthe every time.

Make the cocktail

Add your gin, lemon juice, and plums syrup to a shaker with ice and shake until it’s well-chilled.

Strain the cocktail into your absinthe-rinsed coupe and enjoy!

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