Apartment Cleaning Cardamon Cocktails
I live in this totally cute apartment in a super lovely part of town that I love. Guys, I love my apartment. I’ve been there for six years. It’s the best.
What I don’t love, is my jerky landlord who doesn’t fix anything. So this morning I was on the phone with my amazing godfather, asking him how to properly bleed my radiator. It’s a quick job; you turn a knob at the end to let out any air that has somehow gotten there over the summer months. It’s not hard, and I do it every year, but I only do it once a year and that is just long enough for me to forget how to do it. So I break out my pliers, I’m ready to go. My god father has graciously walked me through the process for the 6th time. I’m feeling good. I’m an adult. I can do this.
And then something terrible happens.
I turned just a bit too far, the whole knob falls off and suddenly I am completely covered,head to toe, top to bottom, in black sludgy water that is gushing out of my radiator. I manage to push it back in, but guys. It was a disaster.
A total disaster.
There was black sludge everywhere.
So after a major clean up, a long bath, and coffee that may have had something a bit stronger than milk in it, my cute little apartment is looking cute again.
But it does not smell cute. It smells awful.
It smells like the sludgy black water that spewed out of my radiator, that had been in my radiator for god only knows how long. It smells tinny and a bit like an burnt electrical wires. It ain’t good.
My grandma had this great trick if you forgot to take the garbage out, or the smell of yesterdays curry was still steeped into the walls. She put a slice of orange and a cinnamon stick in a pot of water and let it boil for a couple hours until everything smelled fantastic again. And I love this trick, but sometimes it seems like a bit of a waste. So today, as I sifted through my pantry trying to find something to cover up the acrid smell of my living room, I decided to take a pear (because I had one handy) and marry it to some cardamon (possibly my favourite ever spice) and add some sugar to the mix, to make a tasty simple syrup.
And when I was done, and my house smelled fabulous, I thought I could put this on pancakes, I could soak a cake with it, I could put it in my tea for a fruity chai latte.
And I thought I should put it with some vodka instead.
So here is not only a delicious drink, but also one that will result in your house smelling like it has been kissed by angels, no matter how what shape it was in before.
Apartment Cleaning Cardamon Cocktails
- 10pcs green cardamon
- 1 Bosc pear, cut into chunks.
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 1/2 cup water
- 4oz vodka
- 2 cups bubbly, or bubbly water in a pinch.
Take the green cardamon pods and lay them on a cutting board.
Place a knife on it’s side on top of a pod and use the weight of your palm to push down and crack it open.
Continue doing this with all the cardamon pods.
Warm up a small frying pan over medium-low heat.
Toast the cardamon pods in the frying pan, stirring often and never letting them smoke. They should be nicely fragrant, it will take about 6 minutes.
Meanwhile mix the water, sugar and pear in a small saucepan. Bring it up to a boil.
Turn the heat down and let it simmer for 10 minutes.
Add in the cardamon pods and cook for another 10 minutes.
Remove from heat and cool.
When the syrup is totally cold pour in 1/2 oz into the bottom of a champagne flute.
Top with an oz of vodka, and then top with the bubbly.
Drink immediately.
