Ice Cold Tamarind and Limoncello Cocktail


The first word that I made sure I learned in French and Italian after the phrase thank you was "ice". You know why? Because the first time I traveled around Europe with my dependable backpack, it was in the middle of summer. It was hot and since I loved relaxing with a clinking drink full of ice in the cafès, it was imperative that I get to order a drink with ice properly. Ice wasn't automatically included in drinks even in the hottest days of summers so I had to learn how to indicate that I wanted them in my drinks. I later learned why while living in Italy. Ice is not needed in most drinks because they are already chilled to the right temperature, it waters down the flavor, it is not the healthiest thing you can do (too cold for the throat) and there are only some drinks that are really served with ice - cocktails (and I include soda to that category too)!



The drinks getting watered down does make sense so I reformatted my tropical country-born mentality where ice is used to cool down everything in glasses. I keep the ice in my drinks only when needed and try to enjoy most drinks without diluting them.

In summer, one of the nicest things to do is to relax with an ice cold drink in hand before dinner. So, after a busy afternoon of working, when time permits, sometimes I mix together something that my husband and I can sit down to even for just a few minutes. Tamarind is a sweet and sour Asian (and African) fruit that is so used in Asia as candies and souring agent in cooking savory dishes. I loved eating them fresh and in every way they are used. You can also drink them (they are now available in bottles of syrups or juice) which is wonderful because it's a cross between sweet and tart. It's a strange fruit to drink if you are not used to its taste but it grows in you because every sip becomes even better. So that I don't modify the taste of the tamarind so much in my cocktail, I just added some limoncello to give it a bit of alcohol with the lemony sweetness of the lemons. You can also make your own using my Homemade Limoncello recipe. I love the taste and I also love the fact that I was able to put together something from two worlds that merged deliciously well.

For the Ice Cold Tamarind and Limoncello Cocktail recipe, get it at She Knows, a site where I create recipes. 

More Summer Cocktail Recipes:

Hugo Cocktail
5 Disaronno Autumn-Themed Cocktails  
Rosè & Elderflower Cocktail with Wild Strawberries