My New Favorite Kumquat Mocktail Recipe

Last week, FruitGuys staff had the pleasure of participating in nearly a dozen different Earth Day events across the country. We brought a dancing banana man to an office lobby, ran a local honey tasting, hosted Sumo Citrus ® tastings in eight cities, and more. 

Kumquat Wonder

For me, there is nothing more fun than working at tasting events. I got the chance to do it last week when I flew to Nashville for an Earth Day sustainability event hosted by FruitGuys client AllianceBernstein (AB). I took part in a panel discussing all of the great work AB is doing around sustainability. After the event, the culinary team whipped up delicious snacks and fruit-forward mocktails. The mocktail line was pretty long, so I decided to hand out kumquats for the employees to try. Oh man, was it entertaining!

My favorite part was watching the surprise and delight on the workers’ faces as they tried something new. Some of them had never had a kumquat before, so their eyes went wide at the sweet-tart flavor. Others couldn’t believe it when I told them to eat the whole fruit, skin and all. I showed a few people how to roll the kumquats between their hands (it brings out the oils in the skin), and they were blown away when they looked down to find that there really was oil on their palms—and it smelled amazing. 

I can’t stop thinking about last week’s events and how lucky we are at The FruitGuys to connect with so many different people while we work. I don’t consider myself an extrovert but I love interacting with people through food. Even if we don’t all have the same tastes, it’s still something we can share and discuss. After feeling so isolated during the pandemic, the power of connecting with others face-to-face is even more poignant to me.

My New Favorite Kumquat Mocktail

If we weren’t able to see you in person last week, you can still recreate some of that event magic at home or in your office. Grab some kumquats, roll them between your hands, and eat them whole with friends. Or, try the mocktail/cocktail recipe below. It’s very similar to the one that the amazing Chef Eddie made at AB. Instead of slicing and muddling the kumquats, Chef Eddie blended them, then ran that mixture through a fine mesh strainer and stirred the puree into his cocktails to make a slightly thicker drink. 

Here at The FruitGuys, my team and I are always trying to bring smiles to people’s faces, and we talk about that goal all the time. I’m grateful that so many of our Fruit Family had the opportunity to make it happen last week. Thank you to our clients who invited us into their spaces, thank you to the FruitGuys team who made these experiences so much fun, and thank you for reading. 

Kumquat Mint Mocktail

Adapted from The Mom100

INGREDIENTS 

8 kumquats, sliced

2 sprigs fresh mint

1 tsp honey

3 oz/6 tbsp vodka (optional)

Ice

Extra kumquat slices and mint sprigs (for garnish)

4 oz/½ cup ginger beer

PREPARATION

1. In a cocktail shaker, muddle the kumquats, mint, and honey. 
2. Add the vodka and ice to the shaker and shake until chilled. 
3. Add the garnishes to the bottom of two glasses. 
4. Pour the cocktail into the glasses, dividing it evenly. 
5. Top each glass with 2 oz ginger beer. Serve chilled.

Serves 2. Prep time, 10 minutes.

Cook’s note: Feel free to substitute agave or simple syrup for honey. If you don’t have a cocktail shaker, add the kumquats, mint, and honey to a large glass or pitcher and muddle them there. Then, add the vodka and ice and stir with a spoon before proceeding to step three. 

Find more fun fruit recipes in the recipes section of our blog.

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