Like many of you, I love a good cocktail. However, we think of them as “party“ drinks for special occasions, so we rarely have them. And let’s not forget the calories… I would rather use my allowance of calories on cheeses or cream sauces.
On occasion, I have mentioned my blogger friend Valentina from Cooking on the Weekends. She often posts recipes that call for passion fruit. I have wanted to make several of those recipes, and told her so in my comments, adding that finding passion fruits in Tucson is impossible.
The other day, a mysterious package arrived from California. Valentina had sent me a box with seven perfectly ugly passion fruits! (They are pretty ugly when they are ripe…). Per Valentina’s instructions, I immediately juiced them, and strained the pulp to get 1/3 of a cup of passionfruit juice.
It was just enough to make two Maracuya Sours (maracuya is Spanish for passion fruit), which I had sipped on several occasions when staying at Explora Rapa Nui (Easter Island) four years ago. The bartender, Tersa, shared her recipe with me and now I am sharing it with you, in the hope that you can find passion fruit in your grocery store.
~ David
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Kate Maguire Jensen
January 28, 2023 at 6:45 amI became obsessed with passion fruit when I discovered them in Sydney. Some times of the year you can find them at Sprouts.
Cocoa & Lavender
January 31, 2023 at 9:30 amKate —mIf you ever see them again at Sprouts, please let me know! I once saw them at AJs, but it was many, many years ago.
Mad Dog
January 28, 2023 at 7:33 amThat looks delicious and so kind of Valentina!
Cocoa & Lavender
January 31, 2023 at 9:29 amIt really was so kind, and so unexpected! It’s a great cocktail, Mad Dog. I imagine you can get passionfruit easily where you are?
Chef Mimi
January 28, 2023 at 7:41 amWow! what a wonderful surprise. Hey Valentina! I’d like to try passion fruit too! Great sounding drink. It would be perfect to start off a spring or summer party.
Cocoa & Lavender
January 31, 2023 at 9:29 amIt does have a wonderful summery feel to it, Mimi!
Karen (Back Road Journal)
January 28, 2023 at 8:41 amHow nice of Valentina to share the passion fruit. Equally nice is you sharing your recipe from another part of the world.
Cocoa & Lavender
January 31, 2023 at 9:28 amThanks, Karen! I do love sharing things with blog friends around the world — this one was such a nice surprise.
Jeff
January 28, 2023 at 10:25 amLooks amazing. We’re off today to buy the ingredients. Hopefully we’ll be sipping tomorrow. We’re thinking of traveling to Easter Island this fall.
Cocoa & Lavender
January 31, 2023 at 9:27 amWere you able to find fresh passion, fruit, Jeff? Let me know if you did! I have found a sweetened passion fruit cocktail purée in Total Wine, and it works pretty well. But you need to leave out the sugar.
Fran @ G'day Souffle
January 28, 2023 at 1:54 pmThose passion fruit don’t look quite so ugly when they’re photographed on that lovely tapestry fabric! I usually see passion fruit sold in supermarkets in both Australia and San Diego but they’re not my favorite due to all those seeds. However, I note your recipe uses strained passion fruit so I might give this one a try. My favorite cocktail now is ‘Tequila Sunrise’, using tequila, orange juice and grenadine. It goes down really easily, but as you say, you gotta watch those calories!
Cocoa & Lavender
January 31, 2023 at 9:26 amFran – even when I was in South America, I didn’t enjoy the passion fruit seeds in my drinks. I very much prefer them strained out… I haven’t had a tequila. Sunrise since 1977! They were very big when I was in college and I was a bartender. I’ve had plenty for my lifetime…
Eha
January 28, 2023 at 2:52 pmHow lovely of Valentina to send the passionfruit . . . since she did – are they not so common in Arizona? We have them in huge piles in every supermarket . . . at the same time, we have to search for your other ingredients – geography again 🙂 ! As you may remember I am not big on cocktails – somehow to most of us they are ‘an American thuing’ . . . I do eat lots of the fruit, seeds and all, usually over the kitchen sink or piled high over a pavlova with strawberries . . . . beautiful photos!
Eha
January 28, 2023 at 5:57 pmI love posts which teach! Have taken some time this morning to look up ‘passionfruit’ and ‘fruits in Australia’ and am so grateful to you and Valentina in teaching me that a fruit so commonplace here perhaps was not quite so in other parts of the world . , ,
Cocoa & Lavender
January 31, 2023 at 9:24 amI have to say that it’s especially rare in Tucson, as we have such a dry climate. Passion fruit does enjoy the humidity offered by Los Angeles.
Cocoa & Lavender
January 31, 2023 at 9:24 amIt is funny how each country or region has its own specialties. Well, you are munching on burgers with beet root, we are sipping on our cocktails north of the equator!
Eha
January 31, 2023 at 3:19 pmTo me learning of differences such as this is probably one of the most fascinating features of blogging! In this case remember 80% of the population lives within a 2-hour drive of the coastline and most of that is warm>hot and too humid for comfort . . . ‘Cocktails’ is a big-city term in international hotels and certain ‘flashy’ suburbs – we do have mixed drinks naturally, but they are called just that !
sherry
January 29, 2023 at 1:50 amhow kind of her! that’s funny to see this recipe here as a friend has just given me half a dozen passionfruit from her vine. She says it drops about 20 per day!
Cocoa & Lavender
January 31, 2023 at 9:23 amHow lucky is your friend? I have so many passion fruit recipes that I want to try, that I wish I live next-door to your friend.
Jeff the Chef
January 29, 2023 at 8:37 amNice! And what a nice gift!
Cocoa & Lavender
January 31, 2023 at 9:23 amIt really was so nice of her to send these!
wattoote
January 29, 2023 at 11:35 amwonderfull I would love this cocktail
Cocoa & Lavender
January 31, 2023 at 9:22 amIt’s really refreshing and quite wonderful! I’m glad you like the post.
Christina Conte
January 29, 2023 at 10:26 pmOh my goodness, what a star Valentina is! We’ve been messaging all weekend about lupini, so it was funny to see you mention her here, too!
I LOVE passion fruit and don’t buy them nearly enough! I actually has Pisco, so its time to get some passion fruit to make this delicious cocktail! YUM!
Cocoa & Lavender
January 31, 2023 at 9:21 amOh, Cristina, if you already have the Pisco, you really need to make these! You won’t regret it. And, yes, Valentina a rockstar!
Pauline McNee
January 29, 2023 at 11:19 pmHow lovely to receive a special foodie gift in the mail. There is no shortage of passionfruit here, wish I could send you some too, wouldn’t get through customs though. I love them, but not the seeds. We drank quite a few Pisco Sours in South America, Chile and Peru, which were very nice. We don’t make many cocktails either, but I would love to try your recipe David, so Summery. Cheers.
Cocoa & Lavender
January 31, 2023 at 9:21 amMark and I aren’t really cocktail people, either. But every once in a while, a special evening comes around and this is my new cocktail of choice! I hope you get to try them sometime, Pauline. Pisco sours were very popular on Easter Island, as well. But once I had the Maracuya sour, I fell in love.
Valentina
January 30, 2023 at 10:43 amHi David! The fruit looks so pretty on that embroidered fabric – you made the ugly pretty! 😉 So happy you could use them in this delicious sounding cocktail, which I will definitely be trying it very soon. ~Valentina
Cocoa & Lavender
January 31, 2023 at 9:19 amI know you will like this cocktail, Valentina, is it really showcases the passion fruit beautifully. Thank you again for such a lovely gift, and I’m glad you like the photographs!
Ronit
January 30, 2023 at 9:09 pmThis is such a nice gift! Passion fruit are so delicious and aromatic, so this much be very delicious. 🙂
Cocoa & Lavender
January 31, 2023 at 9:17 amIt was truly kind, and I’m very grateful to Valentina! I love the fragrance of passion fruit.
Inger
February 2, 2023 at 6:16 amPositively decadent with all that passionfruit. The color is amazing! My Florida vacation spot (Captiva) where for the past 4 years (less the pandemic) we got our fix, was sadly devastated, so no tropical experiments for me this year.
Cocoa & Lavender
February 6, 2023 at 8:17 amAnd, by some miracle, one of the vendors at the farmers market had passion fruits yesterday. His price was high but I did but some…
2pots2cook
February 9, 2023 at 5:08 amHow nice to have such a people around, right? Bravo for Valentina and for your cocktail!
Cocoa & Lavender
February 12, 2023 at 11:59 amThanks, Davorka. I’m very lucky to have so many wonderful blog friends in the world.
Raymund
February 13, 2023 at 3:26 pmSounds delicious! The passion fruit adds a unique twist to the classic sour and it’s great to hear about the personal story behind the recipe. I love when drinks have a special meaning. I’ll definitely be trying this recipe soon.
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