There is something very comforting about the frothiness of a cocktail made with egg whites. This cocktail from Jeff Faile, the wine and spirits director of Washington D.C.’s Neighborhood Restaurant Group, takes that idea once step further and incorporates yogurt instead of egg white. I was intrigued when I saw it written up in a magazine, and clearly I had to try it. Spoiler alert: it’s delicious!
THE NICOLAKI
well chilled glasses!
yield: 1 drink
ingredients:
45 ml = 1.5 ounces vodka
30 ml = 1 ounce honey syrup (equal parts honey and water brought to boil then cooled)
15 ml = .5 ounce lemon juice
1 teaspoon Greek yogurt
15 rosemary needles
technique:
1.Combine all ingredients in a shaker filled 1/2 way with ice. Shake. Strain into *well chilled martini glass or coupe.
*before gathering cocktail ingredients, fill glass with ice and top with water. It will be well chilled and ready to go by the time you make the cocktail.
taste: if I had to make sweeping generalizations, I’d say this is the distillation of all things Greek (minus the lamb) in a glass. It is refreshing and creamy with a lovely bitter/sweet ending (from the honey and lemon).
The Savage & The Sage 
Looks yummy!
wow sounds really interesting and delicious!
So, I tried a variation of this, with basil infused vodka and vanilla simple syrup (because somehow, in my apartment, that is more readily available than honey syrup and regular vodka… I’m weird like that). I really liked the results. Question, what would recommend to tame or get rid of the rubbing alcohol taste that vodka can sometimes give? Also, if you had basil infused vodka, what would you make with it?
Oh my- how fun! If I had basil infused vodka I’d muddle some strawberries add in some simple syrup, top with some Prosecco and finish with a couple dashes of balsamic vinegar. Refreshing and delicious. To tame the rubbing alcohol finish of the vodka I’d tinker a bit with the ratios. If the finish on your palate is vodkaesque add in a bit more acid and sweetness and everything should balance out (ie mask the vodka taste). Also, maybe tinker around with different brands of vodka until you hit on one that has a more pleasant finish?
Yeah, I guess I should invest in better stuff. It’s embarrassing enough that Fresh Direct puts a little “Your Fave!” badge over the cheap vodka on their site when I log in.
Augmenting the acid and sweetness worked perfectly. Nice tip. The muddled strawberries with balsamic and prosecco sounds intriguing. I’ll have to give that a try.
I’m SO making this!
Or better yet, I’ll come over and make it for you!