The Pua Nau

Another Bamboo Sam original.

Inspiration comes in many forms and while I'd love to tell you that the inspiration for the Pua Nau was the result of some advanced level of debauchery in a tropical locale, it simply isn't so. I was flipping through a magazine in the waiting room at a doctor's office when I saw a picture of a drink in a Martini glass with a lemon and rosemary garnish. Unfortunately, there was no recipe or name, it was just a pretty picture. But it got me thinking... what drink would earn that garnish?

It took a bit of testing (tough job, but somebody's got to do it) to land on something more than palatable. An another week of daily trials tweaking the proportions (look, these things don't just make themselves!) but I finally landed on a cocktail I was proud to put my name behind. Thus I give you, the Pua Nau.

Pua Nau

Source -Bamboo Sam

• 1/2 ounce fresh lemon juice

• 1 ounce passion fruit syrup*

• 1/2 ounce rosemary syrup¹

• 1 1/2 ounce Gin*

Add crushed crushed ice and shake vigorously. Strain into a chilled coupe or martini glass. Garnish is a lemon wheel floating on top of the drink with a small sprig of rosemary inserted into its middle.

*Bamboo Sam's customizations: As gin is basically herb flavored vodka, there are a wide range of flavors available. In general, I tend to prefer the more botanical varieties as opposed to the heavy juniper berry (as in pine tree tasting) offerings. My recommendation in this drink is Uncle Val's Botanical Gin. While we covered the subject of passion fruit syrup in the post about the Beachbum's Own, I'm still using the BG Reynolds Passion Fruit Syrup in this one.

¹ Rosemary syrup is just a 1:1 simple syrup infused with rosemary. Take a cup of water and add a fresh rosemary sprig or 3/4 tablespoon of dried rosemary. Bring the mixture to a boil and then stir in 1 cup of sugar. Once the sugar is dissolved turn off the heat, cover, and let it sit for about an hour. Strain the mixture into a bottle (I recommend a swing-top type) for easy storage. It will keep in the refrigerator for about a week.