• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Start Here
  • Calendar
  • The Hands-On Home

Northwest Edible Life

urban homesteading in the pacific northwest

  • Gardening
  • Cooking
  • Food Preservation
  • Animals
  • Productive Home
  • Life & Family

1August 13, 2013Cooking by Erica

Plum Jamtini Cocktail – Pass The Ice, Pass The Shaker!

My friend Theresa is the Co-Executive Producer of Growing A Greener World, a fantastic TV show about all things gardening. She’s also a wicked good urban homesteader, master canner, great writer (check out her personal blog), and a super nice person.

Theresa knows I have a soft spot for combining jam with booze (strawberry jam margarita, anyone?), so when she asked me to participate in a Virtual “Jamtini” Cocktail Party, my answer was, “Pass the ice, pass the shaker! Let’s do this!”

Jamtini4_Final

Right now in the Pacific Northwest the juicy Asian Plums are coming on strong and the fleshier, European types are right behind them. With three plum trees in my yard, I put up a lot of plum jam, plum chutney and plum sauce every year. This year, some of that plum jam is going into this amazing Spiced Plum Jamtini Cocktail Theresa developed.

Spiced Plum Jamtini – A Jam Cocktail

JamtiniPlumClose

You Will Need:

  • 6 whole cloves
  • 1 oz. pomegranate-cherry juice
  • 1 oz. simple syrup (see note)
  • 2 oz. vodka
  • 2 heaping spoonfuls plum jam
  • Ice
  • A ½ pint jam jar (as your serving glass)
  • Club soda
  • A slice of a plum as garnish (optional)
  • Basil blossom as garnish (optional)

Method

In a cocktail shaker, muddle the cloves. Add the juice, simple syrup, vodka, jam and some ice. Put the lid onto the shaker and shake. Shake some more! (You need to distribute the jam.)

Add some ice to a clean jam jar or small glass and strain in the cocktail. (Discard solids in the shaker.) Top off with a splash of club soda if you wish. Garnish with the plum slice and basil. Serve.

Note: Simple syrup is just a boiled solution made of equal parts water and sugar. It needs to be made ahead of time and allowed to cool before using. In a small saucepan, combine at least 1 cup water and 1 cup sugar. Bring to a boil to dissolve the sugar, stirring occasionally. Turn off the heat and let mixture cool completely before making cocktails.

Jamtini In Action

If you are more of a visual learner, you can watch Theresa’s Jamtini creation method below. She’s demonstrating with a Strawberry Jamtini.

Raise a Glass With Friends!

Tonight, invite your friends and neighbors over – raid the pantry and the liquor cabinet. Growing A Greener World has all the info you need to create your own Jamtini recipe (see: Easy Jam Cocktail Recipes).

Plus check out my friends-in-virtual-cocktailing for more great Jamtini ideas.

The Kitchn – sipping on a Lemon Raspberry Jamtini with lemon verbena and fresh raspberries.

Food in Jars – kicking back with a Blackberry Jamtini that captures the flavor of summer with a twist of lemonade.

Learn to Preserve – letting her hair down with a Pear/Pineapple Jamtini with a kick of fresh ginger.

Now it’s your turn – join the party and share how you use your garden produce, herbs and preserves in refreshing drinks, without or without the booze. Everything from cocktails to teas, shrubs, juices and more make refreshing fresh-from-the-garden libations. What’s your favorite?

1

Author: Erica Filed Under: Cooking Tagged With: Friends, Plums, Alcohol, Cocktail, JamtiniImportant Stuff: Affiliate disclosure

About Erica

Hi! I'm Erica, the founder of NWEdible and the author of The Hands-On Home. I garden, keep chickens and ducks, homeschool my two kids and generally run around making messes on my one-third of an acre in suburban Seattle. Thanks for reading!

Previous Post: « Fresh Blackberry Sorbet
Next Post: Can-o-Rama 2013 »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Eileen says

    August 13, 2013 at 10:33 am

    You know, I’ve never thought to use jam in a cocktail before! Now I wish I’d spent the summer making a bunch of jam. 🙂 Oh well–there’s still time!

  2. Rhonda @wine-y wife says

    August 13, 2013 at 10:42 am

    Genius! I’ve never even heard of a jamtini! Who knew? I have shelves full of jam to use and I think this just might be my new favorite way of using it!

    • Theresa Loe says

      August 15, 2013 at 5:30 pm

      Hi Rhonda –
      When we were trying to come up for name for this one, my mom said, “How fun. A martini with Jam…A Jamtini”. We thought it was a winner of a name. LOL

  3. AlleninAK says

    August 13, 2013 at 10:59 am

    So even with all the sweetener in the jam, you still need to add simple syrup? Wow! lotsa sugar…

    • Homebrew Husband says

      August 13, 2013 at 11:06 am

      I’d experiment…probably depends on your jam. Personally I like my cocktails pretty tart, but that’s certainly not the norm.

    • Theresa Loe says

      August 15, 2013 at 5:27 pm

      Yes Allen,

      This is a sweet drink. But no sweeter than a Lemon Drop Martini or Strawberry Daiquiri (which are also very high sugar). However, the beauty of this recipe is that you can change the juice and get very different flavors. In the Plum Jamtini recipe above, the Pomegranate is a little bitter. So, the simple syrup counters that and it has a nice balance. The Strawberry is more like a Daiquiri in sweetness.

  4. thomfoote says

    August 13, 2013 at 2:28 pm

    You may have already tried this but if you haven’t you might try adding strawberry jam to ice cold chardonnay. I make freezer jam so the berries taste better. It makes an awesome summer wine cooler.

    • Theresa Loe says

      August 15, 2013 at 5:28 pm

      Oh, I am SO going to try this! Thanks for the tip with Chardonnay.

  5. Julie says

    August 13, 2013 at 3:18 pm

    I have chickasaw/wild plums on the property and access to more of the same on an unclaimed bit of property nearby. Last year it was salted plums done umeboshi style and this year I thought I’d add umeshu to the list, except that’ll take a year before it’s ready… looks like I’m going to have to make extra plum butter.

  6. g says

    August 15, 2013 at 8:19 am

    i made rubarb simple syrup this year. The cool thing is after u have cooked the rubarb in water and sugar u strain out the liquid for the syrup and u have rubarb butter left over, going to make rubarb weat beer jam with that. I made rubarb mojiotos with the syrup and put it on waffles, but i would think there would b lots of other drinks you could make with it. Going to make mint simple syrup to and freeze some of it for deserts and coctails this winter.I have a recipe for smoked apple butter manhatan i just didnt get arround to smoking apples for the apple butter but my wife got me a smoker at a thrift shop so i need to give that a try this fall.

    • Theresa Loe says

      August 15, 2013 at 5:32 pm

      Well G,
      You will be happy to know that we made a little video on making Rhubarb Syrup too! It will be released in a few weeks. (We have one video a week coming out over the next 12 week.) I use Rhubarb Syrup for sweet tea and for drizzling over fruit or cake or homemade ice cream…or, well you get the picture! And it makes the BEST Jamtini of all when combined with Strawberry Jam.

      • g says

        August 15, 2013 at 7:29 pm

        i made elderflower syrup and fennel frond syrup to i forgot about those. the fennel is good if you put just a splash of it in a vinegret to take the edge off the acid but i havent figured any other uses for it just yet. I tend to experiment with things when i have an excessive ammount. I hate throwing food away. So i tried pickleing fennel stems that is a bust, my son likes to just chew on them so that works to but I found if i steep them cut up with fronds and some toasted star anise then make that into syrup it tastes less vegital.

        • Theresa Loe says

          August 16, 2013 at 6:52 am

          WOW! That is very clever.

          I’m wondering if you could use that fennel syrup to make a bit of a Scrub-type drink? Perhaps just a splash with some fruit juice? Too much would overpower, but make just a small spoonful would add a little zing. It sounds fun to experiment with.

          As for Elderflower syrup, my mom just sent me an article from Acres magazine that talks about the immune-boosting punch of elderflower. I was thinking that a syrup from that would be a ‘sweet’ way to get that punch. I bet it is heavenly!

  7. Beth Rutherford says

    August 15, 2013 at 2:49 pm

    Food & Wine did a piece last summer on jam cocktails and it has been a winner here ever since! (basic recipe: 2 oz spirits -vodka; gin; tequila; whatever; 1 oz citrus juice (lemon, lime, whatever); 1 oz simple syrup; 1 Tablespoon jam. Shake in a cocktail shaker with crushed ice. Strain. Add club soda and/or herbs to garnish (both optional)). Having said all that, I like to make candied ginger, so use the resulting ginger syrup as a base instead of the simple syrup and always add club soda as it is really sweet (it is a sweeter cousin to the simple syrup — almost an invert sugar syrup). So, some nice tequila, ginger syrup and peach jam, garnished with basil or mint and I’m a very happy girl! Give it a try!

    • Theresa Loe says

      August 15, 2013 at 5:36 pm

      I did not see the Food & Wine piece but will look for it. That is almost the same formula as for the Jamtini, except I use fruit juices instead of just citrus and I like to muddle herbs/spices in there with it.

      I love the idea of ginger syrup. I have not tried that. But I do sometimes put a slice of ginger in the shaker (especially for peach or pear jamtinis) and it gives a nice ZING to the mix.

  8. Reddirtmomma says

    August 16, 2013 at 8:10 pm

    We have been making kombuchashine lately. I imagine it may be the first time that the wondrously fermented beverage has been combined with moonshine, but they work well together. Add a bit of mint and it is heaven!

    • Theresa Loe says

      August 19, 2013 at 5:10 am

      Whoa – Kombuchashine? That is a new one to me. It sounds like heaven!

  9. Melanie says

    June 17, 2014 at 5:29 pm

    Just made this and love it. Pushed me to make a last batch of plum jam now that I have such a fun use for it! Thanks.

Primary Sidebar

Start here | About | FAQ | Contact
 

Hello, thanks for visiting! I’m Erica, a professional chef turned gardening and urban homesteading fanatic.

New? Start here.

My book

Homestead Calendar

« March 2023 » loading...
M T W T F S S
27
28
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
1
2

Footer

All Posts By Category

Find What You Need

Start Here
About
FAQ
Contact
Homestead Calendar
The Hands-On Home
Ads and Affiliate Disclosure

Browse By Topic

Gardening
Cooking
Food Preservation
Homestead Animals
Productive Home
Life and Family
All The Posts

Recent Posts

  • What I Tell My High Schooler About College
  • 11 Chicken Coop Features I’ll Never Live Without
  • Rhubarb and Spring Herb Salsa
  • May Gardening Chores For The Pacific Northwest
  • 10 Self-Propogating Herbs and Flowers That Take Over My Garden Every Spring

Copyright© 2023 · Cookd Pro Theme by Shay Bocks