| WHAT I ’ M DRINKING NOW |

IS HEAD BARTENDER AT NANBU NOODLE BAR IN SANTA ROSA BEACH , FL .

Here in the South , Mardi Gras is almost as anticipated as Christmas ; it ’ s a Southern tradition dating back hundreds of years . It ’ s a loud , colorful and boisterous celebration involving parades , festivals and , of course , lots of alcohol . One of the most iconic beverages of Mardi Gras is the Hand Grenade : a lime green-colored beverage served in an obnoxious container designed for one purpose in mind …

At Nanbu I wanted to celebrate this iconic , traditional Mardi Gras cocktail while also giving it a small , refined tweak . This cocktail is light and citrus forward ; it has that floral , melon undertone all while still boasting the fun and funky green color you would expect to see in an actual Hand Grenade on Bourbon Street .

HAND GRENADE

2 oz . Filtered sake 1 oz . Kiwi / honeydew puree * ½ oz . Pineapple juice ¼ oz . Lemon juice ¼ oz . Agave Green and gold sprinkles and lime wheel for garnish

Rim a glass with a citrus juice and agave mixture . Dip glass into green and gold sprinkles . Fill glass with ice and set aside . Add ingredients to shaker with ice and shake hard . Strain mixture into rimmed glass . Garnish with a lime wheel .

* For Kiwi / honeydew puree : Take 1 lb . of kiwis ; cut into 4 segments and remove the fuzzy peel . Add these to a food processor / blender and blend down with a 2 tbsps . of agave or honey . Then cut honeydew into small chucks ( removing the skin but make sure to leave the middle ) and add to the food processor . Blend mixture to a nice puréed consistency and then filtrate with a fine mesh strainer / sieve .

WWW . CHEERSONLINEATHOME . COM CHEERS @ HOME • SPRING 2023 | 5