I definitely wasn’t looking for turmeric liqueur when it came into my life. Turmeric, the root that functions like a reverse Tide stick, staining everything in its path with that relentless goldenrod hue, is very popular right now. You already know this, though, because you’re reading a site called Healthyish. You probably also know that it can reduce inflammation and cure whatever else you want it to. (There have been studies about the inflammation thing, but the rest is just centuries of practice.)
So along comes Tamworth Distilling, a New Hampshire-based company that makes beautifully packaged specialty booze (I’m a fan of their Sweet Lips Cherry Bounce in Manhattans), with a turmeric liqueur. Turmeric, which has an earthy, bitter flavor, is often blended with a ton of other spices like in a curry or a nighttime beverage. Let’s just say it hasn’t been made into a Jelly Belly for a reason.
In the liqueur, it’s blended with rose petals, coriander, lemon, and cane sugar. The nose hits you hard: floral and a little musty, like a recently renovated friend’s basement. Notes of “alcohol” are strong. The taste is lemony, sweet, and a little tea-like. But it’s a liqueur for mixing, not for taking shots of in a dark bar, wasting your money on a jukebox that turns out to be a large cactus. It would be nice in a hot toddy with ginger and lemon, or in a gin and tonic, pool-side at a spa you snuck into.
And, like children’s birthday parties, it’s even better with tequila. I made a margarita. I mixed 1 ounce of the liqueur with 1.5 ounces of reposado tequila, 2 Tbsp. of orange juice, and a squeeze of lime. Then I shook and poured it over ice. The result (with salted rim, why did you even ask?), was a glowing, sunrise-colored cocktail. It was delicious, though not as sour as I typically like ‘em. Instead, the turmeric brought complexity and a sophisticated depth, while the cane sugar tempered any bitterness. It wasn’t medicinal at all, which surprised me, and it was more fragrant than your usual pitcher of booze. I could easily see someone paying $19 for this drink in a vintage-wallpapered vegan speakeasy. And that someone would be me.
Tamworth’s Turmeric Cordial is available at the distillery’s website and ships nationwide from Warehouse Wine and Spirits.
Read the article here: http://www.bonappetit.com/story/turmeric-liqueur-healthy-drinking