Nik Sharma’s Grapefruit Soda With Chai Masala
Recipe: Reprinted from The Flavor Equation by Nik Sharma with permission by Chronicle Books, 2020.
Photo: Nik Sharma
Grapefruit comes alive with a classic chai spice combination.
In this recipe from Nik Sharma’s The Flavor Equation, the bitterness of Ruby Red grapefruit comes alive with a classic chai spice combination. “I infuse whole spices rather than ground into the simple syrup to get a lighter flavor that delicately complements the citrus,” he writes of the recipe.
Ingredients
Yield:8 glasses
- ½ cup sugar
- 2-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and cut into thin slices
- 1-inch piece cinnamon stick
- 10 whole black peppercorns
- 2 whole green cardamom pods, lightly cracked
- 1 star anise
- 2½ cups fresh grapefruit juice (from 2 to 3 large pink grapefruit)
- One 1-Liter bottle club soda, chilled
Preparation
Combine 11/2 cups of water and the sugar in a medium saucepan. Add the ginger, cinnamon, peppercorns, cardamom, and star anise. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and immediately remove from the heat. Cover with a lid and steep for 10 minutes. Strain the simple syrup through a fine-mesh sieve placed over a bottle or jug. Discard the spices. You should have 1½ cups of simple syrup. Refrigerate the syrup until chilled.
In a large pitcher, combine the chilled simple syrup and grapefruit juice. Fill eight tall glasses with ice. Pour ½ cup of the syrup mixture into each glass, top with ½ cup of the club soda, and stir. Store any leftover syrup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.