The Gin Guava-tini Cava Cocktail: Our First Signature Cocktail!

HAPPY LABOR DAY! This long weekend has been all about perfecting our first Sweet and Sabroso signature cocktail: the Gin Guava-tini Cava Cocktail. Our goal was to create a cocktail that embodies the essence of our blog in a glass. Our Gin Guava-tini Cava Cocktail combines a Pinch of Spain with a Dash of Cuba to make a deliciously refreshing, mouthwatering and not-too-sweet sparkling cocktail that will put a smile on your face with every sip. 

A Pinch of Spain: Spanish Sparkling Wine (Cava)

As the name suggests, our Gin Guava-tini Cava Cocktail is topped off with Cava, a sparkling wine from Spain, the vast majority of which comes from vineyards in Cataluña (Catalunya) centered in and around the municipality of Sant Sadurní d’Anoia. The traditional grape varieties used to make Cava are Macabeo (Viura), Xarel-lo and Parellada for white Cava and Garnacha and Monastrell for rosé Cava. Cava is produced using the traditional method of sparkling wine production (also referred to as the Champagne method). However, most Cava is non-vintage, generally lower in acidity than Champagne and made in an approachable, easy-drinking style that is perfect for enjoying alone or in a cocktail. 

The Cava we used is produced by the Carbó family-owned Cavas Blancher as a tribute to their founder, Antoni Capdevila Pujol:

Non-Vintage Capdevila Pujol Reserva Brut Natural

Grape Varieties: Macabeo (Viura), Xarel-lo and Parellada

Region: Cava DO 

Alcohol by Volume: 11.5%

Average Price: $13.00

Aging: Minimum 20 months

Alcohol by Volume: 11.5% 

Tasting Notes: Easy to drink, golden yellow in color with delicate bubbles and subtle flavors of green apple and grapefruit.

A Dash of Cuba: Guava (Guayaba)

Guava Fruit Photo Credit: Ned Napa/shuttershock.com

If Cuba had a national fruit, it would undoubtedly be guava! In addition to being consumed fresh, it is used to make a myriad of desserts, pastries, jellies, jams, cookies, cakes, juices and more. Guavas vary in size, shape and color. They can be as small as a plum or as large as an apple, round or pear-shaped and red or greenish-white in color. They have a very unique sweet-acidic flavor when ripe, which some consider similar in flavor to strawberry mixed with pear. Depending on where you live, finding good quality fresh guava fruit on demand can be challenging, so for our Gin Guava-tini Cava Cocktail we opted to use store bought, Kern’s Guava (Guayaba) Nectar, an excellent substitute!

Gin Guava-tini Cava Cocktail Recipe

2017-09-04 15:47:05

Serves 2

a Pinch of Spain, a Dash of Cuba in a glass!

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Ingredients

1. 3 ounces gin
2. 2 ounces store bought guava nectar
3. 1 ounce fresh squeezed grapefruit juice
4. 1 ounce fresh squeezed lime juice
5. Crushed ice
6. 4-5 ounces Cava
7. Superfine sugar for cocktail glass rims
8. Lime wedges for garnish

Instructions

1. Prepare two cocktail glasses with sugared rims.*
2. Add gin, guava nectar, grapefruit juice and lime juice to a cocktail shaker. Add crushed ice and shake until chilled. Strain into prepared cocktail glasses.
3. Top off each glass with Cava.
4. Garnish with lime wedges.

Notes

1. * To sugar the rims, pour sugar onto a plate. Holding cocktail glass upside down, use a lime wedge to moisten the rim of the glass. Press the moistened rim into the plate of sugar and gently shake off any excess.

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Enjoy and thank you for visiting!

!Salud!