Tropical Citrus Cake

Try your slice of Tropical Citrus Cake with a small glass of Vaione Premium South Pacific Gin - for a double sweet treat on a hot summers day.

3/4 cup sugar
125 grams butter
3 eggs

1 3/4 cups flour
3 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 cup pineapple juice

1/4 cup Vaione Premium South Pacific Gin
1 orange, the skin zested
1 lemon, the skin zested

1. Cream the sugar and butter together.
2. Add the egg and beat to blend.
3. Add the juice, gin and zested fruit skins. Stir to blend.
4. Add the flour and baking powder to the juice and fold the flour through.
5. Pour into a baking tin.
6. Bake at 180 degrees for 35 minutes.

Try your slice of Tropical Citrus Cake with a small glass of Vaione Premium South Pacific Gin - for a double sweet treat on a hot summers day.

Chilli Vaione Prawns

On a tropical day  when the wind is warm and the rain is heavy, add this warm entrée/small main to your menu. Sip on a small glass of neat Vaione Premium South Pacific Gin to compliment the flavours and keep the warmth.


2 cups small cooked prawns, all headed and tailed, except 4 which are tailed only

1 clove garlic, peeled and finely chopped

1 Tablespoon olive oil

1 small sprig parsley, roughly chopped

¾ teaspoon finely diced hot red chillies, add extra or less to suit your taste

3 Tablespoons Vaione Premium South Pacific Gin

Plus extra 1 Tablespoon Vaione Premium South Pacific Gin

½ teaspoon sugar

Salt and pepper, taste

2 Tablespoons lemon juice      

½ small tomato, finely chopped

Salad greens, enough for four small dishes

1 small avocado, mashed

2 large pinches of paprika

Salt and pepper, to taste

Squeeze of lemon

1. Put all of the ingredients from the prawns to the lemon juice, into a small bowl. Stir to mix and put aside in the fridge for 15 minutes.
2. Place the salad greens into four small to medium sized serving dishes
3. Spoon the avocado, paprika and squeeze of lemon into a small bowl and mash. Season to taste.
4. Put avocado mixture evenly into each dish.
5. Put the prawns and marinade into a small pot, then heat over low to warm the prawns right through.
6. Place the prawns evenly into each dish, arranging the one tailed prawn on the top as decoration.
7. To the cooked juice of prawns add the extra Tablespoon of Vaione Premium South Pacific Gin.
8. Pour the juice over the prawns, serve immediately.

On a tropical day  when the wind is warm and the rain is heavy, add this warm entrée/small main to your menu. Sip on a small glass of neat Vaione Premium South Pacific Gin to compliment the flavours and keep the warmth.

Lime and White Chocolate Vaione Truffles

Lime and White Chocolate Vaione Truffles

As the warm Niuean sun sets on another day on this beautiful island, indulge in the delight of these creamy gin chocolate truffles. Accompanied with a shot of Vaione Premium South Pacific Gin over ice, this will complete another dream day in paradise.

2 Tablespoons butter

½ cup cream

250 grams white chocolate, prefer semi-sweet, broken into small pieces

Half a lime, zested

1/8^th cup Vaione Premium South Pacific Gin

½ cup icing sugar, in a small bowl

1 lime, zested, in a small bowl

Into a small sauce pot add the butter and cream.

Heat the cream to a hot heat nearly to boiling point, but don’t boil.

Take off the heat. Add the chocolate and leave for 30 seconds or so to allow the chocolate to melt.

Stir to mix the chocolate and cream together.

Add the Vaione Premium South Pacific Gin and the zested half lime. Stir together.

Pour into a glass bowl. Cover with plastic wrap. Place in fridge.

Once firm, use a spoon to scoop out a spoonful of the truffle mixture. Place into the icing sugar and then gently roll into small ball shapes.

Dab each ball into the lime zest. Place onto a clean dish.

Place in fridge in an airtight container and chill.

As the warm Niuean sun sets on another day on this beautiful island, indulge in the delight of these creamy gin chocolate truffles. Accompanied with a shot of Vaione Premium South Pacific Gin over ice, this will complete another dream day in paradise.

Gin Shortbread

Gin Shortbread

Gin Shortbread, a chilled glass of Vaione South Pacific Gin and a sun lounger overlooking an azure blue sea well warmed by the heat of a hot summer’s day. Take a bite, then have a sip, then relax and close your eyes in the sun. This is what the good life is all about, island time.

250 grams butter, softened
¾ cup icing sugar
½ cups flour
1 cup cornflour
1 lemon, zested and juiced
3 Tablespoons Vaione South Pacific Gin
Pre-heat the oven to 160°c

1.        Clean the outside of the fruit and remove any blemishes, before zesting the lemon and juicing it

2.        In large bowl add the butter and icing sugar and beat together

3.        Add to the butter mixture the flour and cornflour and stir together

4.        Add the lemon zest, juice and Vaione South Pacific Gin

5.        Mix the ingredients together until a dough is made.

6.        Knead the dough out on a clean and lightly floured surface.

7.        Roll the dough until it’s about 1cm thick

8.        Cut into squares

9.        Place onto an oven tray and bake at 160°c for 20 to 25 minutes

10.     Remove and cool

In a small bowl add 2 Tablespoons icing sugar, 1 Tablespoon Vaione South Pacific Gin, ½ teaspoon lemon zest.

Brush over each square of Gin Shortbread.

Gin Shortbread, a chilled glass of Vaione South Pacific Gin and a sun lounger overlooking an azure blue sea well warmed by the heat of a hot summer’s day. Take a bite, then have a sip, then relax and close your eyes in the sun. This is what the good life is all about, island time.

Vaione Gin and Tonic Tartlets

Vaione Gin and Tonic Tartlets

Pre-prepared sweet pastry tartlet cases

3 eggs
¾ cup cream
¼ cup castor sugar
1 lemon, juiced
3 Tablespoons Vaione Premium South Pacific Gin

¼ cup castor sugar

¼ cup tonic
1 lime, juiced
3 teaspoons Vaione Premium South Pacific Gin

1.       Preheat the oven to 180°c.

2.       Put the eggs, cream, lemon juice and Vaione Premium South Pacific Gin into a large mixing bowl.

3.       Whisk together until well combined.

4.       Pour into the tartlet cases.

5.       Put the filled tartlet cases into the oven at bake for 10 minutes.

6.       Remove from oven and leave to cool.

7.       Add the second measurement of castor sugar, tonic, lime juice and Vaione Premium South Pacific Gin into a sauce pot. Heat over a low heat, stirring for about 10 minutes until the sugar has dissolved.

8.       Turn up the heat to a medium heat and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes.

9.       Pour over each cooked tart and decorate.

 

Sweet yet tart, this is a beautiful balance with the Vaione South Pacific Gin custard and the sweet overlay of a refreshing gin glaze. One bite of these tartlets will transport you to the summer sands of the islands.

 

 

Drunken Grapes Poached Chicken

Drunken Grapes Poached Chicken

6 chicken breasts

1 Tablespoon oil
1 ½ cups green grapes, cut into halves
½ cup Premium South Pacific Gin
1 large onion cut into slices
1 cup cream
2 teaspoons powdered chicken stock
Salt, Pepper, Sugar

1. Into the mixing bowl add the grapes and Premium South Pacific Gin. Set aside for at least an hour.
2. In the fry pan add the oil and heat over a medium to hot heat.
3. Add the chicken breasts skin side down. Cook until lightly browned.
4. Turn the chicken breast over. Turn the heat down to medium.
5. Add the Premium South Pacific Gin, grapes and onion to the chicken. Stir to mix and leave to cook for 2 minutes.
6. Add the cream then turn the heat down to low to simmer.
7. Add the chicken stock. Season with salt, pepper or sugar to taste and stir to blend into the chicken stock.
8. Leave to simmer for 20 to 25 minutes or until the chicken is cooked.

This is such a mouth watering, beautifully balanced Vaione South Pacific Gin dish. Best served with boiled rice or fresh fettucine.

Every time I make this, the comments are fantastic - seconds are always served. Need I say more!

Delicious Sweet Tang Vaione Marmalade

Vaione South Pacific Gin Marmalade

 6 oranges

2 lemons
2 limes
4 ¼ cups water
¾ cup Vaione South Pacific Gin
5 cups sugar

Preparation required is 24 hours ahead

Small soup pot
Large sized mixing bowl
Wooden spoon
Glass jar with lids

1.        Clean the outside of the fruit and remove any blemishes, before removing the skin.

2.        Cut the fruit into quarters. Remove the seeds, throw away. Remove the white pith, throw away.

3.        Cut the fruit quarters into chunks. Put into a large bowl

      4.        Cut the white pith away from the fruit skins.
      5.        Cut 3 orange rind, 1 lemon rind and 1 lime rind into fine slivers, no bigger than 2cm long.
      6.        Put the skins into the bowl with the fruit. Add the water and gin. Leave overnight.
      7.        When ready, begin sterilizing the glass jars and lids as below.
      8.        Pour the fruit and water into the pot. Bring to the boil and boil the fruit for around 30 minutes.
      9.        Test the marmalade to see if it’s ready by taking a ½ teaspoon of the marmalade and dropping onto a small plate.
                   Push it gently with your finger. If there is a slight jelly shape when touched it is ready. If it’s not ready continue to cook
                   and test again in another 3 to 5 minutes.
      10.     Pour into the glass jars while hot and screw the lid on immediately.
Sterilizing Glass Jars
Preheat the oven to 160°c.
To sterilize you need to wash and clean the glass jars and lids. Boil water in a large pot and then put the jam jars and lids into the pot. Lightly boil the jars and lids for 5 minutes. Empty the water out of the pot. Put the jars, not the lids, into the oven for at least 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and dry with fresh paper towels while hot. Fill with your marmalade while the jar is hot and screw the lid on while hot.

This is absolutely delicious marmalade!  It has sweet yet tangy bursts of real orange, lemon and lime flavours tempered with Vaione South Pacific Gin. And there is plenty enough to share, you will be amazed at how fast the empty jar will come back to you! Enjoy this delicious Vaione South Pacific Gin Marmalade at any time of the day.