PURPLE JESUS~~THE SECOND COMING

It's makeover day!

We're taking another much maligned cocktail and giving it new life.

The Purple Jesus.

I know you've had this one in some form or another.

Recipes I found range from grape juice and ginger ale with Everclear grain alcohol, all the way down to purple Kool Aid and Vodka...in a bathtub. I even read one recipe that suggested garnishing the bathtub full of "punch" with sliced citrus fruits, fancy!

My two year old pooped in the tub yesterday...so perhaps not.

There was a video of someone describing their "family recipe" (stop a moment and ponder this family) it had cranberry juice from the gun and blue stuff to make it purple. While this one was super tempting I just don't have soda gun at home.

I really wanted to create something fun this week and the idea of giving this drink an overhaul was a perfect fit. It was actually suggested by one of my Instagram followers after I posted this lovely picture.

                  

I picked these up at the farmers market (I had hoped to forage some wild grapes but I came up empty handed) and they are real, Ontario Concord. They're the perfect balance of sweet, sour and tannic. I'm thankful now that I chose the large basket. I decided to juice them and it takes more than a few to get a good amount of juice after straining. I also threw in a chunk of fresh ginger before I buzzed it in the Vitamix. The fresh ginger brightens the flavour of the juice and reinforces the grape/ginger combination which is spectacular, one that I won't be leaving behind.

Concord grapes make terrible wine so they often get used for other products and are sold as table grapes. It's the grape used by Welch's to make their juice, jams and Jellies.

Before you ask, yes, you may use an already prepared juice, fresh is best but next would be 100% real grape juice. Not grape drink and definitely nothing with added sugar.

I wanted to remove all traces of bathtub from the drink but leave the fun.  I turned it into a Fizz by adding egg whites and rounded out the spirits by adding some local brandy, an under served category in Ontario. The lime adds a second layer of acidity, don't let the proportion of syrup to lime juice fool you, the grapes are acidic as well. The ginger syrup has black pepper in it that lends some bite. It's still very easy to make at home and has a showy element for your guests, you will be shaking this drink for a very long time.

The Second Coming
1 1/2 oz vodka (left coast hemp vodka)
1/2 oz brandy
2 oz fresh concord grape juice
1 oz ginger syrup
1/4 oz fresh lime juice
1 egg (whites only)
or
1 oz pasteurized egg whites


Method
In a blender or food processor, buzz two cups of fresh grapes with one inch of fresh ginger, strain through cheesecloth for clear juice.
Add all ingredients to a shaker, dry shake (no ice) for 3 mins. The mixture should be thick and very foamy. Fill shaker 3/4 with ice, shake again for another 30 seconds. Strain into a highball, garnish with fresh grapes.

I can't believe how tasty this drink is. I can't think of ever having used grape and ginger together in the past but I really loved it. The fragrance of the grapes is also incredible, definitely evokes a happy childhood feeling. You're going to be surprised by this one, I was.

Have you ever imbibed from a bathtub? Please tell me it was garnished with fancy fruit!