Fruit Kompot

Kompot, not to be confused with the American ‘compote’, is a traditional Eastern European way of preserving fruit in a flavored beverage, without actually pressing or juicing it. This method actually allows for a much longer shelf-life allowing you to enjoy the juice for a couple of weeks rather than a couple of days.

It can be used in both warm and cold drinks and a variety of fruits can be used. Spices are also a wonderful way to enhance your kompot for extra complexity. Cinnamon, for example, is a great way to spice up a warm drink in the Winter months.

This recipe is very simple and really allows for you to play around and be creative and utilize extra produce. Whether you are lucky enough to have a surplus from your backyard, or took advantage of the ripest, and hopefully low priced fruit, at the local farmer’s market.

This wonderful cocktail addition is unlike a simple syrup, it’s more bright and fresh and everyone should have it!

Making a kompot is begun by preparing your fruit by first washing and cutting it into pieces. You then simmer the fruit with slightly sweetened water for a short period of time to draw out it’s flavor. The kompot mixture can be put into a jar and saved in the refrigerator for a couple of weeks or can be served immediately!

Apricot Kompot Recipe:

• 6-7 organic apricots (Use 1 lb of another fruit if desired)
• 3/4 cup organic sugar
• 4 cups water

Begin by washing the apricots and slicing them into halves.

Place into a large pot and top with sugar. If the pits are whole and unopened you can leave them in. They will actually bring a lot more flavor to the kompot!

Add in the water and bring to a boil. Once mixture is boiling reduce the heat and allow to simmer for approximately 15-20 minutes, length will depend on what fruit you’ve used. A hearty fruit will need to simmer longer whereas a more delicate fruit, like a raspberry, will not need as long.

Make sure you don’t simmer too long, you don’t want to break the fruit down, like when making a jam. Rather, you want to simmer it only long enough to pull out the flavor.

Now remove from heat and allow to cool completely. Then strain to separate the liquid from the fruit pulp. Remove any pits you left in and discard.

Put most of the fruit pulp aside with enough liquid to submerge it (I’ll talk about what to do with that later…) if you use the fruit remains immediately you do not need to reserve it with the kompot liquid.

Pour the rest of the kompot and a few pieces of the fruit into a storage jar and keep in the refrigerator for a up to a couple weeks or put into a pitcher and serve immediately!

Leaving some of the fruit in with the kompot will make it more flavorful if you plan save it.

Making it a Cocktail

Now, the best part, turning it into a cocktail! Once it’s finished you can either make it into a refreshing non-alcoholic drink or add your favorite spirit. To see how I used the apricot to make a delicious pre-batched party cocktail look at the recipe and watch the video below.

To make a single cocktail I suggest using 2-3 oz of the kompot with 1.5-2 oz of your chosen spirit. For a delightful Summer drink try a strawberry or cherry kompot mixed with silver tequila, light rum or vodka and top with a splash of club soda to give it a nice brightness. Or warm up in the Winter by spicing up a citrus, plumb or apple kompot with cinnamon sticks or fresh vanilla bean and mixing with an aged rum or beautiful bourbon.

Utilize this recipe which has been used for hundreds of years to get more out of your fresh fruit! Have fun experimenting with your own creations and let us know what flavors you’ve made and recipes you’ve used by commenting below. I’d LOVE to know what you’re mixing.

Remaining Fruit Pulp

Our philosophy at The Natural Mixologist is not just about healthy conscious drinking but sustainability and having fun with all the different ways to fancy up a cocktail. Using your remains kompot fruit pulp not only will leave you waste free but can be made into another fabulous treat!

You can simply eat it along side your recently created beverage or turn it into a dessert. It can easily be thrown into a pie, homemade ice cream, or to top a sundae. You can return it to the pot, wiht a bit of pectin and maybe a bit more sugar… and heat it into a jam or use it to flavor your homemade kombucha. The options are endless, let us know how you’ve used it.

Or reach out, we would love to talk to you about what you have created and come up with exciting ideal with you personally 🙂

Check out how I used the apricot kompot in this wonderful 4th of July pre-batch cocktail!

Cheers!

For more great nutrition info and recipes visit: https://www.positivehealthwellness.com/