Roasted Persimmon Cardamom Paloma

This roasted persimmon cardamom paloma recipe came to me on a whim. The fuyu persimmon tree in my backyard has been especially abundant this year. As you can imagine I’ve been on the look out for creative ways to use up my sunset-colored treasure trove. I intend to dehydrate a lot of them, but first wanted to explore roasting them doused in honey, vanilla, lemon and cardamom. Let me tell ya, the flavor of deeply roasted persimmons is pure magic. The day after roasting them I thought I’d experiment with the left-over fruit in this cocktail concept.

Once you roast the fruit this drink comes together in a snap. You make a blended persimmon honey syrup and combine with tequila (or white rum), then top with sparkling water for a delightfully seasonal sip.

You can makes this into a mocktail by subbing out booze for plain kombucha or apple cider vineger. ACV gives it more of a “shrub” quality, which I personally love.

Roasted Persimmon Cardamom Paloma Recipe

Prep time: 65 mins (includes roasting time) - Makes: ~ 3 servings

Notes: FOR MOCKTAILS sub out tequila for 2 oz plain kombucha or apple cider vinegar in each glass. 💫

Ingredients

Roasted Persimmons

• 8 medium Japanese fuyu persimmons, peeled, de-seeded and quartered

• 1/4 cup honey

• 1 tsp vanilla extract

• 1/2 tsp ground cardamom

• juice 1 lemon

• 4 tbsp warm water

• pinch salt

Paloma

• 1 cup roasted persimmons

• juice 1 lemon

• 4 tbsp honey

• 1/2 cup water

• 6 oz best quality tequila (white rum would also work)

• carbonated water

• optional garnish: more honey, star anise pods for each glass

Method

1. Preheat oven to 375F.

2. Spread quartered persimmons out into a rimmed baking dish.

3. Make a slurry of 1/4 cup honey, 1 tsp vanilla extract, 1/2 tsp cardamom, juice 1 lemon and 4 tbsp warm water. Pour the slurry over the persimmons and toss to coat. Roast 1 hour, stirring the persimmons every 15 mins and spooning the honey mixture over the fruit.

4. Let cool. Set aside one cup of the roasted persimmons for cocktails and reserve the rest for eating with yogurt, ice cream or coconut cream.

5. For the palomas: Blend 1 cup roasted persimmons with juice 1 lemon, 4 tbsp honey and 1/2 cup water.

6. Pour the blended persimmon into 3 serving glasses. To each cup add: two large cubes ice, 2oz tequila (aka one jigger) and plain fizzy water to top. Stir.

7. Drizzle tops of glasses with honey and serve with one star anise per cup.