🫐 Jamuntini

Gin, fresh jamun (java plum), lime & a chilli-salt rim

London Dry Gin
8 min
Shake & Fine-Strain
Martini Glass
~22%
Ingredients
  • 60ml (2 oz) London Dry gin (or Indian gin — Stranger & Sons, Hapusa)
  • 7–8 ripe jamun (java plums / kala jamun), pitted
  • 15ml (½ oz) fresh lime juice
  • 10ml (⅓ oz) simple syrup
  • 1 tbsp coarse salt + ½ tsp Kashmiri chilli powder — for rim
Method
  1. 1
    RimMix coarse salt and Kashmiri chilli powder on a plate. Wet the rim of a martini glass with lime. Dip in the chilli-salt.
  2. 2
    MuddleMuddle the pitted jamun firmly in the base of a shaker — you want the juice fully extracted.
  3. 3
    ShakeAdd gin, lime juice, simple syrup, and ice to the shaker. Shake hard for 15 seconds.
  4. 4
    StrainDouble-strain through a Hawthorne strainer + mesh sieve into the prepared martini glass.

About This Cocktail

Jamun (Syzygium cumini) — known as Java plum, black plum, or Indian blackberry — is a beloved monsoon fruit in India. Deep purple-black, tart, slightly astringent, with a flavour somewhere between blackberry and plum with a hint of tamarind. Indian food bloggers began making Jamuntini recipes around 2017, taking advantage of the fruit's extraordinary colour (a natural anthocyanin-rich deep indigo) and its pleasantly tart astringency that pairs naturally with gin's botanical profile. The chilli-salt rim is the final flourish.

Variations

Jamun MargaritaReplace gin with blanco tequila — the earthiness of tequila echoes the jamun's astringency perfectly
Jamun FizzAdd 60ml soda water to the above recipe and serve tall over ice — a longer, more refreshing summer version
Spiced JamuntiniAdd ¼ tsp chaat masala to the muddle — the amchur and cumin take the drink to another level of Indian complexity
Bartender Tips

Jamun season is the Indian monsoon (July–September). Fresh jamun is available at Indian grocery stores during season. Outside season, frozen jamun and jamun concentrate are available year-round at larger Indian grocery stores. Kashmiri chilli powder (deep red, mild heat, excellent colour) is ideal for the rim — regular chilli powder works but lacks the colour. The staining purple juice will coat your shaker, hands, and mouth — this is authentically, gloriously Indian.

The Specs
Spirit Base
London Dry Gin
Method
Shake & Fine-Strain
Glass
Martini Glass
ABV
~22%
Where to Find It
Restaurants
Seasonal menu staple at Indian restaurants; popularised online through Sneha's Recipe and Indian food blogger community; featured at bars in Mumbai and Delhi during monsoon season
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