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Cocktail History
The Sleeping Lotus is a tiki cocktail that was created by Sierra Kirk at Hale Pele in Portland, Oregon. Reminiscent of a tropics-inspired cross between the Army & Navy and Southside, the recipe combines a dry gin, lemon, and citrus bitters with tropical orgeat syrup and refreshing mint.
Cocktail Ingredients
To make this cocktail, you’ll need the following ingredients:
Gin: This is a spirit made with juniper berries, botanicals, alcohol, and water. I used Bombay Sapphire Gin.
Orgeat Syrup: This is a sweetener made with roasted almonds, orange blossom, sugar, and water. I used Liber & Co. Almond Orgeat Syrup.
Lemon Juice: This is the liquid juice of a lemon. I used freshly squeezed lemon juice.
Orange Bitters: This is a food product made with oranges, botanicals, herbs, and alcohol. I used Angostura Orange Bitters.
Mint Leaves: This is an herb. I used Mojito mint leaves.
Orchid Blossom: This is the flower of an orchid plant.
Mint Sprig: This is an herb. I used Mojito mint.
Bartending Tools
To make this cocktail, you’ll need the following bar tools:
Jigger: This is used to measure and pour ingredients. I used the Japanese jigger from the A Bar Above 14-Piece Silver Bar Set.
Muddler: This is used to muddle ingredients. I used the HQY Stainless Steel Cocktail Muddler.
Boston Shaker: This is used to shake ingredients. I used the Boston shaker from the A Bar Above 14-Piece Silver Bar Set.
Hawthorne Strainer: This is used to strain out ice and solid ingredients after the cocktail is shaken. I used the A Bar Above Hawthorne Strainer.
Paring Knife: This is used to cut ingredients. I used the OXO Good Grips 3.5 Inch Paring Knife.
Juicer: This is used to juice citrus. I used the ALEEHAI Manual Fruit Juicer.
Tasting Notes
This cocktail has the following flavor profile:
• Appearance: Transluscent pale yellow
• Aroma: Mint and botanical gin
• Taste: Soft, crisp gin flavor that transitions into the sweetness of orgeat syrup, zesty citrus, and a cooling mint presence
• Finish: More bright botanicals and a hint of almond
Kendall’s Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Kendall’s Take: “I’m always intrigued when I come across a tiki-inspired cocktail that calls for a spirit other than some sort of a rum. At first taste, this reminded me a lot of one of my go-to gin drinks, the Southside. It’s essentially the same recipe, after all; it just adds in orgeat and stretches the format into a tall drink by serving it over ice instead of strained and up. As delicious as it was, it didn’t really scream ‘tiki’ to me, so I wouldn’t rank it among the greats in that genre necessarily, but I did really like it.”
Recipe
This cocktail recipe was adapted from Easy Tiki: A Modern Revival with 60 Recipes by Chloe Frechette.
This post contains affiliate links, meaning we make a small commission each time you purchase a product using our links. Product images sourced from Amazon Product Advertising API. Amazon affiliate links last updated on 2024-10-12.
Sleeping Lotus
The Sleeping Lotus is a tiki cocktail that was created by Sierra Kirk at Hale Pele in Portland, Oregon. Reminiscent of a tropics-inspired cross between the Army & Navy and Southside, the recipe combines a dry gin, lemon, and citrus bitters with tropical orgeat syrup and refreshing mint.
Ingredients
Method
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Add gin, orgeat syrup, lemon juice, mint leaves, and cubed ice to shaker.
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Shake for 10-20 seconds.
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Strain into a hurricane or tiki glass filled with fresh cracked ice.
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Garnish with orchid blossom and mint sprig.
