Passion Fruit Cocktails for the Passionate Drinker

Passion fruit has been blessed with a name that’s nothing short of magic, from a marketing standpoint. In the context of distinctively sweet, tropical and tangy flavor, it just seems natural that the hard-rind fruit with pulpy, juicy seeds be named for romance. It evokes sun-kissed white-sand beaches, lying out with an attractive someone by your side and sharing sips of something strong served with crushed ice in a coconut shell. It is indeed the fruit of passion, yes?

Well, no.

It can be those things, sure, but the passion fruit is named for the flower it comes from, and the passion flower – an eye-catching beauty of a bloom – got its name from the Passion of the Christ. The three pollen-receiving stigmas in the center of the flower are said to represent the trinity or the three nails of the cross; the five pollen-producing anthers, the five wounds of Jesus; the 10 petals, the 10 faithful apostles at the crucifixion; and the ring of (usually) purple-and-white filaments that make up the flower’s corona, the crown of thorns. It’s said to be a profoundly symbolic plant, producing a fruit that’s as round and hard – and as filled with sweetness – as the world itself.

Passion fruit is called a few different names with less religious overtones: maracuya in Latin America, grenadilla in South Africa and maypop across the warmer parts of rural America. For many, it’s a rare and exotic treat. For the Biscayne Tippler, it’s a delicious mystery meant to be enjoyed, whether eaten fresh off the vine, mixed into the frosting of a kid’s lemon cake or served as a delicious ingredient in any number of grown-up beverages.

Miami is a good place for those who love passion, and those who love passion fruit. It’s grown commercially in the Redlands – there’s even a passion fruit wine botted by Schnebly Redland’s Winery – and passion fruit syrups and liqueurs have become a familiar flavor in many of the best bars in the Biscayne Corridor.

Ben Potts, bar director at Beaker & Gray (2637 N Miami Ave., Miami, 305.699.2637) and The Sylvester (3456 N Miami Ave., Miami, 305.364.5635), likes his passion fruit balanced with a bit of savory spice.

“At Beaker & Gray, we’re quite fond of a delicious cocktail that seems to be a huge hit with our guests, the Spicy Maracuya. While the name isn’t particularly creative, it tells you what it is – maracuya is Spanish for passion fruit. We’ve run through a number of variations of recipes, but we’re really into this one. It’s spicy, smoky, sweet, tart and has that wonderful agave flavor – it’s basically the No. 1 seller on every menu and a fantastic summer drink.”

SPICY MARACUYA

INGREDIENTS

·      1 1/2 ounces tequila

·      1/2 ounce mezcal

·      3/4 ounce passion fruit liqueur

·      1/2 ounce Thai chili syrup

·      1/2 ounce lime juice

·      Togarashi (Japanese spice blend available at specialty stores or online)

·      Kosher salt

METHOD

·      Shake ingredients, then strain into a rocks glass with a togarashi and kosher salt rim.

At Stiltsville Fish Bar (1787 Purdy Ave., 786.402.5254) just off the Venetian Causeway in Miami Beach, they pour a tropical, tiki-style cocktail called a Purdy Lil’ Thing that gets a special twang from Chinola, a liqueur made from passion fruit that grows in the town of Majagual in the Dominican Republic.

PURDY LIL’ THING

INGREDIENTS

·      1 ounce Grey Goose vodka

·      3/4 ounce Chinola passion fruit liqueur

·      1/4 ounce St. Germain elderflower liqueur

·      3/4 ounce lemon juice

·      1/2 ounce vanilla syrup

·      3/4 ounce pineapple juice

·      2 dashes Angostura bitters

·      Crushed ice

·      Soda water to top

·      Pineapple leaves

METHOD

·      Build by adding all ingredients except soda water to tiki glass.

·      Add crushed ice halfway up and stir with bar spoon; top with soda, add more ice and garnish with pineapple leaves.

The popular Brazilian churrasco house Fogo de Chāo (2801 Ponce de Leon Blvd., 786.297.8788) in Coral Gables serves a caipirinha worth sampling that’s got an extra special something from passion fruit.

PASSION FRUIT CAIPIRINHA

INGREDIENTS

·      1/2 whole lime

·      2 tablespoons white sugar

·      2 ounces cachaça

·      1 ounce passion fruit purée

METHOD

·      Slice lime in half, remove bitter inner core, and slice thinly against the direction of the core.

·      Put sliced lime in rocks glass, add sugar and muddle together.

·      Fill glass to brim with ice and add cachaça and passion fruit purée.

·      Top glass with bar shaker and shake until all sugar dissolves then serve.

Those are sophisticated cocktails where passion fruit flavor shines. But because passion fruit tastes so much like something tropical – a stroll under a shady forest canopy among flowering ginger, a day at the beach under a hot sun with a cool breeze coming off the breakers – one of the best ways to show it off is in a frozen drink.

When using fresh passion fruit, lots of people make the extra effort to try to separate the seeds from the pulp by pressing them through a strainer. Some of us, though, don’t mind a little crunch while we’re sipping. People pay extra for chia seeds in their store-bought smoothies, after all, and this is essentially the same thing. The fiber’s good for you, and the little guys are small enough that they don’t get stuck in the straw.

On the other hand, peeling ginger is always worth it; it’s easier to do if you use a teaspoon rather than a knife.

WICKED PASSION SMOOTHIE

INGREDIENTS

·      2-3 medium-sized passion fruits, ripe enough that the rind has started to wrinkle

·      2 frozen bananas

·      1/2 inch ginger root, peeled

·      3 ounces rum

·      Juice of 2 lime wedges (about 1/2 teaspoon)

·      8 ounces orange juice

·      5-8 ice cubes

·      Honey, optional

METHOD

·      Mix ingredients in blender, adding orange juice and ice cubes gradually to reach your desired consistency.

·      If your passion fruit is too tart, add a bit of honey.

This summer, keep an eye out for fresh passion fruit at local produce stands or international groceries (it almost never shows up at Publix). The best way to get it, though, is to know someone who’s got a vine that decided to go into overdrive this year. A passion vine can be a fickle plant to cultivate in the backyard – it really wants to grow on trellises or up trees, and requires cross-pollination between flowers with a cotton swab if you haven’t got a lot of bees doing their business in your neighborhood. But when it decides to set fruit, it does so with a vengeance – a sweet, seductive, soulful vengeance. Cheers!