Danielle Harris 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.
Ingredients
- 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
Instructions
- 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.
Notes
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.
