With our orange tree in full bloom, I’ve been struggling to come up with the perfect way to use the fruit. A classic mimosa felt too boring for our weekend brunch, while a spiced orange cake felt like far too much work to bake on a lazy night in. I finally settled for a cocktail, blending in the fruit with a cardamom {fun fact: cardamom is known as the queen of spices} simple syrup and an {optional} splash of gin. The sweet oranges juxtaposed the spicy cardamom perfectly, and for those who wanted to make their drink a little more adult, I added in a splash of gin to finish off the flavors perfectly. And to further elevate the drink, I rimmed the glasses with cardamom sugar to add to the sweet and spiced flavors.

Ingredients
1 Orange, juiced
6 Cardamom Pods, crushed, or to taste
1 Tablespoon Water
1 Tablespoon Sugar
Cardamom Sugar, to taste
Crushed Ice, to taste
1 Ounce Gin {or to taste}, optional

Recipe
1. Heat the tablespoon of sugar, water, and the crushed cardamom over a low flame to make the simple syrup.
2. Using the orange, rim the glass with the fruit juice, then dip it into the cardamom sugar.
3. Add the cardamom simple syrup, orange juice, and gin to the glass. Top with crushed ice
4. Enjoy!

x Paris