Makes 1 Martini
Prep time: 5 mins
A widely held custom of Simchat Torah is to imbibe alcoholic beverages, not to the excesses of Purim, but enough to bring extra joviality and Simcha to this day of celebration. Our Israel themed Simchat Torah menu is completed with a final tribute to Israeli food culture by way of a cocktail.
Tahini paste, or tahina, is a bedrock of Israeli cuisine. The average Israeli consumes almost 5kg of sesame every year, much of it in the form of tahina. To quote celebrity chef Michael Solomonov, “Israelis love tahina like Americans love Doritos and wrestling – unconditionally and a little bit irrationally. The country doesn’t run without it.” Infinitely versatile, the sesame-based condiment is at once savoury, bitter, sweet, nutty and creamy, and therefore comprises an almost perfectly balanced flavour profile without any help. A little lemon for sourness, and a little water to dilute the intensity, and you have a beautifully well-rounded dip or drizzle. Add it to chickpeas to add creaminess and bitter notes to hummus. The sweeter notes lend themselves to delicious desserts and snacks, such as halva.
It therefore seems only fitting that our Israeli Simchat Torah menu should be rounded off with a delicious, bittersweet Tahini Martini. We drink a L’Chaim, to life, as we dance through the tears.
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp tahini paste
- 1 tbsp silan (date honey)
- 2 shots oat milk
- 1-2 shots vodka
- Ice
For the garnish: (optional – as pictured here)
- Sesame seeds (optional)
- Extra silan (optional)
N.B. You will also need a cocktail shaker, and, ideally, a martini or coupe glass.
Method
- Start, if desired, by chilling the glass in the fridge for 30-60 minutes, and then, optionally, garnishing the rim of the glass with sesame and silan. Pour a little silan onto a plate, and a generous sprinkling of sesame seeds onto another. Upturn your glass into the silan, to coat the rim. Twist it through the date honey to ensure even coating. Then dip the coated rim into sesame seeds which will stick to the silan, twisting the glass again to ensure even coverage. Set aside.
- Into a cocktail shaker add the tahini paste, 1 tbsp silan, 2 shots oat milk and 1-2 shots vodka (to taste/desired booziness). Top with ice.
- Ensure the lid is tightly on the shaker, and shake very vigorously for 30 seconds. (The outside of the shaker should get very cold and damp with condensation, so you may wish to use a tea towel to hold it.)
- Strain the cocktail into your chilled (and rimmed) glass, serve and enjoy.
(Image by Sophy Weiss Photography)
