Why we love this haunted swamp water drink
The original swamp water cocktail was created in the 1970s by a marketing committee to get the younger crowd to drink Chartreuse. It was basically just pineapple juice and the herbal liqueur, but you needed a lot of Chartreuse to make it – like 2 1/2 ounces per drink.
Now that it’s hard to find, I don’t want to waste a single drop of it, so I reimagined the swap water cocktail and elevated it to today’s cocktail culture standards by pairing it with a homemade green juice and a little gin.
To make this a little spookier, and much more fitting for Halloween, I muddied up the cocktail with a hit of matcha powder and served it with dry ice to create a beautifully spooky effect.
Here’s what you’ll need to make it
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Equipment
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- Gin
- Cucumber apple mint juice –
- Green chartreuse – Green chartreuse is a French liqueur made with a blend of 130 botanical ingredients, made by Carthusian monks. This strong liqueur is loved for its sweet, herbal, and spicy flavors.
- Simple syrup – We have made this with both simple syrup and agave nectar, either works great but we preferred the simple syrup.
- Matcha powder – This is vibrant green powder made from green tea leaves, which helps add a cloudy, swamp like appearance to this cocktail.
How to make a swamp water cocktail
Make the green juice. Combine the juice ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Then, strain the juice using a fine mesh strainer. You can save the pulp for smoothies, or you can discard it – totally up to you.
Once the juice is made, you can go ahead and make your cocktails or refrigerate it until you’re ready to drink.
Mix the drink. Fill a cocktail shaker with ice and add the green juice, gin, Chartreuse and simple syrup. Shake until cold.
Serve with dry ice. Drop a small (1/4″) piece of dry ice into your glass and strain the cocktail over it. Be sure to choose a glass that will accommodate extra space above your cocktail. This helps the dry ice smoke collect and creates a more intense fog effect.
Be sure to allow the dry ice to completely dissipate before consuming your cocktail.
To serve without dry ice, simply shake the cocktail and strain into an short glass filled with ice. Garnish with fresh mint.
Everything you need to know about swamp water
What is swamp water made of?
The exact proportions and ingredients used in a swamp water cocktail, some variations include different liqueurs or juices. It will depend on what kind of result you are looking to achieve – for this recipe we wanted a haunted, green swamp.
What is in matcha powder?
Matcha powder is a vibrant green powder made from specially grown and processed green tea leaves. Matcha powder contains fiber and a variety of vitamins and minerals, but it also contains caffeine.
What does Green Chartreuse taste like?
Green Chartreuse is a French liqueur known for its complex and unique flavor profile. It’s made from a secret recipe of over 130 different botanical ingredients macerated and distilled into the liqueur. Green Chartreuse is named for its vibrant green color but is known for its herbal, sweet, spicy, floral, citrusy, and earthy flavors.
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Haunted Swamp Water Cocktail
Ingredients
For the green juice:
- 5 green apples, cored
- 2 small English cucumbers
- Small bunch of mint
- 3/4 cup lime juice
For the cocktail:
- 1 1/2 ounce gin
- 1/2 ounce green Chartreuse
- 1/2 ounce simple syrup
- 2 1/2 ounces green juice
- 1/2 teaspoon matcha powder
- For serving: dry ice, optional*
Instructions
- Combine juice ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Strain juice into a storage container and store for up to 3 days, or until ready to serve. Makes about 2.5 cups – enough for 8 cocktails.
- In a cocktail shaker, combine gin, Chartreuse, simple syrup, juice and matcha powder. Cover and shake until cold.
- Place a small piece of dry ice into a cocktail glass and strain cocktail over it. Allow dry ice to dissipate before drinking cocktail.*
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