Shaken and stirred

RAISE YOUR Spirits!

Could quarantini hour become one of the world’s great new traditions?

Most of us are currently stuck working from home. And given that heading to the local bar for happy hour is not an option for now, we’re all looking for creative ways to get through the day. Enter the quarantini, a viral drinks trend sweeping the world’s cooped-up communities. The idea is simple – the quarantini is a boozy beverage you make with whatever you have in your cupboard/cellar/ fridge, to share with whomever you’re locked down with. That might mean a vitamin C-laden cocktail to increase your immunity with your hubby; a spritz made using bitter-orange Aperol over ice, topped up with bubbly to share with your housemates; something south of the border with tequila, to enjoy over the fence with your neighbour (try vitamin C powder on the rim of your glass). Or, boost your family’s gut health by combining kombucha and raspberries (add a slug of gin for grown-ups).

Sydney Sling

A citrus-rich reinvention of the Singapore Sling, courtesy of the Fullerton Hotel Sydney. Ingredients Serves 2 • 45ml gin • 45ml blood orange juice • 15ml hibiscus liqueur • 10ml ginger liqueur • 25ml fresh lime juice • 10ml fresh ginger juice • 10ml Grenadine • 20ml sugar syrup • Dehydrated ginger slice, to garnish

Method 1. Combine all ingredients and shake together vigorously for five seconds. 2. Strain into your desired glass over ice, garnish and enjoy.

Apple & Ginger Probiotic Mojito Ingredients Serves 2 • 2 shots white rum • 1 cup Nexba Green Apple and Ginger

Switchel (live sparkling probiotic) • 1 handful fresh mint leaves • 2 tbsp lime juice • 2 handfuls ice cubes • Lime wedges, to garnish Method 1. Combine all ingredients (except ice) in cocktail shaker and muddle using a wooden spoon. 2. Divide ice cubes between two glasses and then pour over the apple and ginger mojito. 3. Garnish with lime wedges and additional mint leaves.

Kiwi Crush Get a vitamin-C hit with this gorgeous green quarantini, imagined by Greenfields at Crystalbrook Collection’s Riley hotel.

Ingredients Serves 2 • 30ml vodka • 30ml Midori • 1 kiwi fruit • Lemon wedges • Soda water and lemonade • Kiwi fruit slice and lemon wheel, to garnish

Method 1. Muddle 1 kiwi fruit and 2 lemon wedges. 2. Add liquids. 3. Shake and dump in

Hurricane glass. 4. Top with ½ soda water, ½ lemonade.

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OF MONK FRUIT Discover the magic

A small melon-like fruit from southern China, monk fruit may hold the secret to quitting sugar – for good.

If you’ve never heard of monk fruit, get ready to – this powerful gourd is gaining global popularity among health-conscious foodies and sugar-free proponents.

The fruit takes its name from the monks who cultivated them centuries ago, growing them in the hills of China’s Guilin province, and consuming them to balance their chi (energy) – they also believed the fruit held the secret to longevity. This part of the world has idyllic conditions for the fruit to thrive: plenty of rain and humidity, misty mountains, clean air and water, a high elevation. The steep growing conditions mean that crops are all hand harvested, while the remote setting dictates sustainable farming practices, free from pesticides.

All this results in fruit rich in healing properties: it’s packed with antioxidants known as mogrosides (rather than fructose or glucose, Click here to watch how Lakanto’s Monkfruit sweetener is grown and harvested in Guilin. which give many other fruits their sweetness). In traditional medicine it’s thought to have anti-bacterial and antiinflammatory qualities.

It’s not tasty to eat raw. But those antioxidants can be extracted and blended with non-GMO erythritol to achieve a 1:1 sugar replacement with 93 per cent less calories and be diabetic friendly.

Take two

Lakanto’s Monkfruit Sweetener comes in two different types: Classic and Golden. The former is extracted from the pulp of the monk fruit and has a clean, crisp sweetness – just like sugar. Golden is extracted from the seeds and skin of the fruit, giving it a more rich, maple flavour, like raw cane sugar. Order yours online, or pick it up at supermarkets and health food stores Australia/NZ wide.

I Quit Sugar approved

Lakanto’s Monkfruit Sweeter was recently given the tick of approval by the I Quit Sugar movement, recognising this all-natural product for the fact that it has no artificial colours or flavours, and no bitter aftertaste, as many artificial sweeteners have. What does this mean for you? A whole new world of tasty yet low-calorie recipes, from drinks and cakes to biscuits and sauces.

Click here to try some of our responsibly sweet recipes at home:

Maple Walnut Keto Balls

Chocolate Mud Cake

SIGNATURE / XXXXXXXXXXX TRIPLE CHOCOLATE PANNA COTTA

Serves: 4 Minutes: 10

A rich indulgent chocolate Panna Cotta layered with chocolate sauce and flaked chocolate awesome dinner party guilt-free dessert.

Panna Cotta

2½ tsp Gelatine, Powdered 3 tbsp Hot Water 1 cup Full Cream (Whipping or Double Cream) 1 cup Whole Full Fat Milk ¼ cup Lakanto Monkfruit Classic Sweetener 1 tsp Vanilla Essence 4 squares Sugar-Free Dark or Milk Chocolate 2 tbsp Cocoa Powder (Woolworth’s 100% Cocoa Powder) 1 cup Cream 1 tbsp Cocoa Powder (Woolworth’s 100% Cocoa Powder) 1 tbsp Lakanto Monkfruit Classic Sweetener 8 squares Sugar-Free Dark or Milk Chocolate

Chocolate Sauce

Method

In a small pot add the cream milk chocolate Sweetener and vanilla bring this mix to the boil. Note: Immediately remove from the stove.

Dissolve the gelatine powder in the hot water in a small bowl or cup.

Add the gelatine to the Panna Cotta mixture and allow to cool to room temperature before pouring into your glasses or moulds. Pour into your desired glasses and put into the fridge, it should take a couple of hours to set properly.

The Sauce

Make the sauce simply add all the ingredients into a small pot heat and bring to the boil set aside, once the Panna Cotta has set pour in the cooled chocolate sauce and top with the grated chocolate and serve.

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Tips

Want to bake with an Italian nonna? Or turn your home into a luxury hotel? Here’s how.