Midnight Tamarind

01

What you’ll need

• 3/4 cup water
• 3 tablespoons pure date syrup
• 2 tablespoons pure seedless tamarind concentrate, alcohol-free
• 6 thin slices fresh ginger
• 1 small cinnamon stick
• 4 wide strips orange zest, removed with a vegetable peeler
• 1 tablespoon fresh orange juice
• 1 small pinch fine salt
• 1 cup plain sparkling water, well chilled and alcohol-free
• 2 large clear ice cubes
• 2 thin fresh orange half-moons, for garnish
• 4 pieces vegan candied ginger, for garnish

02

Mix the drink

1. Combine the water, date syrup, tamarind concentrate, fresh ginger, cinnamon stick, orange zest and salt in a small saucepan. Whisk until the tamarind and date syrup are evenly dispersed.
2. Bring the mixture just to a simmer over medium heat. Reduce the heat to low and simmer gently for 7 minutes; avoid a hard boil, which will reduce the base too quickly.
3. Remove from the heat, cover and steep for 10 minutes so the ginger, cinnamon and orange can round out the tamarind’s tang.
4. Strain through a fine sieve into a heatproof jug, pressing the orange zest lightly but not crushing the ginger. Stir in the fresh orange juice.
5. Cool the base to room temperature, then refrigerate for at least 30 minutes until thoroughly cold. The chilled base should yield about 3/4 cup.
6. Divide the tamarind base evenly between the prepared glasses. Add 1/2 cup chilled sparkling water to each and stir once, gently, from the bottom upward to preserve the bubbles.