Danielle Harris is head bartender at Nanbu Noodle Bar in Santa Rosa Beach, FL.
Here in the South, Mardi Gras is almost as anticipated as Christmas; it’s a Southern tradition dating back hundreds of years. It’s a loud, colorful and boisterous celebration involving parades, festivals and, of course, lots of alcohol. One of the most iconic beverages of Mardi Gras is the Hand Grenade: a lime green-colored beverage served in an obnoxious container designed for one purpose in mind…
At Nanbu I wanted to celebrate this iconic, traditional Mardi Gras cocktail while also giving it a small, refined tweak. This cocktail is light and citrus forward; it has that floral, melon undertone all while still boasting the fun and funky green color you would expect to see in an actual Hand Grenade on Bourbon Street.
Hand Grenade
Ingredients
- 2 oz. Filtered sake
- 1 oz. Kiwi/honeydew puree*
- ½ oz. Pineapple juice
- ¼ oz. Lemon juice
- ¼ oz. Agave
- Green and gold sprinkles and lime wheel for garnish
Instructions
- Rim a glass with a citrus juice and agave mixture.
- Dip glass into green and gold sprinkles.
- Fill glass with ice and set aside.
- Add ingredients to shaker with ice and shake hard.
- Strain mixture into rimmed glass.
- Garnish with a lime wheel.
Notes
Take 1 lb. of kiwis; cut into 4 segments and remove the fuzzy peel. Add these to a food processor/blender and blend down with a 2 tbsps. of agave or honey. Then cut honeydew into small chucks (removing the skin but make sure to leave the middle) and add to the food processor. Blend mixture to a nice puréed consistency and then filtrate with a fine mesh strainer/sieve.
