Collins Preserve Recipes

FIG PRESERVES

Steps:

• Place the orange zest and orange juice in a medium (10-inch) heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven, such as Le Creuset. Add the sugar, vanilla bean, and figs to the pot. Cover and bring to a full boil over medium heat. (Don't worry; it may look dry.) Stir the mixture and boil hard for 1 minute, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Lower the heat, and cook uncovered at a full simmer for 50 minutes to 1 hour 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. You want the little bubbles to be throughout the pot, not just at the edges. After 45 minutes, refrigerate a small amount of the liquid to see if it becomes syrupy. It should be like a soft fruit preserve. Keep cooking just until the liquid starts to gel when cold. If the liquid is too firm, add a little orange juice or water, cook for a minute, and test it again until it's right. Depending on how ripe the figs are, they will probably keep their shape, but it's fine if they don't. Discard the vanilla bean and serve or refrigerate.

RAMSEY COLLINS

Steps:

• Ginger simple syrup: Bring water to a rolling boil. Meanwhile, use the edge of a spoon to scrape the skin off the ginger. Cut into chunks and place into the boiling water. Bring back to a boil and continue boiling for 10 minutes. Add sugar and stir to dissolve; reduce heat to low and simmer uncovered, 10 minutes. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature, 30 minutes. Strain ginger and store in a lidded container; it will keep indefinitely in refrigerator. (Note: Orta makes an extra big batch in the video. You can adjust the amount of ginger simple syrup you make by using a 1:2:2 ratio of ginger to water to sugar.)
• Ramsey Collins: In a cocktail shaker, add lime juice, ginger simple syrup, watermelon juice, and vodka. Pull and rip mint sprigs to release oils and add to the cocktail shaker. Fill shaker with ice cubes, cover, and shake, about 10 seconds.
• Assembly: Line the interior of a tall cocktail glass with a very thin slice of watermelon. Fill glass with crushed ice and strain cocktail into it. Garnish with additional mint sprigs, insert straw, and serve.

TOM COLLINS WITH BLACK PEPPER AND CHERRIES

Steps:

• Add the cherries, sugar, peppercorns and 1 cup water to a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, then allow that to cook until syrupy and glazed, 10 to 15 minutes. Let come to room temperature. Store any leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
• Combine some ice, the gin, lemon juice, a couple dashes of bitters and 2 ounces of the cherry-pepper syrup in a large cocktail shaker. Shake vigorously and pour over ice-filled Tom Collins glasses. Top each glass with some club soda. Garnish with the cherries and a crack of black pepper.

TOM COLLINS

Steps:

• In a cocktail shaker, add lemon juice, simple syrup, and gin. Add ice, cover, and shake. Remove cover and strain into a Collins glass filled with ice cubes. Top with club soda and stir with a bar spoon. Garnish with an orange wheel, a cherry, and a cocktail straw.