Have you ever heard of a mattress drink? Well, chances are that the person who was talking about it was actually referring to a madras drink, which is a refreshing cocktail that many enjoy during the summer months. I recently had one of these drinks, and I enjoyed it so much that I wanted to learn more about it so that I could create the drink at home.
Madras Drink Origin
As I was looking into the drink, I discovered that the madras drink is a variation of a Cape Codder, which is a Grey Goose and cranberry juice drink. It originated in 1945, and after a while, other ingredients started being added to the cocktail. The traditional madras is simply a Cape Codder with orange juice added to the cocktail. This gives the drink more of a citrus flavor that has come to be loved, especially when it is garnished with a slice of lime.
Vodka, Cranberry, and Orange Juice Maddress Recipe
Here is a vodka cranberries recipe that I use for the drink that is a slight twist on what you would get when you order a madras. I like to use a tall eight-ounce glass for my cocktails, but you can use whatever you have available.
In the glass, mix two ounces of vodka, two ounces of cranberry juice, and two ounces of orange juice. Stir the cocktail to mix it, and then add a few cranberries into the drink. I like to add in about a tablespoon. Then, add in three to four ice cubes to ensure that the drink is chilled. Garnish with a slice of lime and enjoy.
Mexican Recipe
I enjoy the taste of vodka, but if I were to choose an alcohol to enjoy in my cocktail, it would most likely be tequila because of the bold flavor that it adds to the drink. I like the taste of gold tequila because it is a little smoother, which makes it more enjoyable as a sipping beverage. To create a Mexican madras, you will need to mix together about an ounce of gold tequila, three ounces of cranberry juice, and about half of an ounce of orange juice.
I prefer my tequila to be shaken, so you will need to fill a shaker with ice and pour the ingredients over the ice if you want your drink shaken as well. Shake well for a few seconds, and then pour the mixture into a tall glass. This drink can be served straight or on the rocks, but always garnish it with a lime or an orange.
Gin Madras Drink Recipe
If you prefer gin, try making madras version that uses gin instead of vodka. You will need one ounce of gin, two ounces of cranberry juice, two ounces of orange juice, and ice. This drink tastes best when the ingredients are shaken together to be mixed, so you will need to put the ingredients in a shaker, and then shake, strain, and garnish it with an orange.
Madras Cocktail
I love a cocktail on the rocks, but a frozen drink is something that calls to me when the weather is hot. So I decided to create a madras slushy that my friends and I could enjoy. For this drink recipe, which is enough for four, you will need:
- 12 ounces of vodka
- Eight ounces of blood orange martini mixer
- Eight ounces of cranberry juice
- Two ounces of Grand Marnier (this is a delightful orange liquor that is great for sipping)
- Two fresh limes (one for the juice, one for a garnish)
- Four cups of ice
- Cosmopolitan rimmer (I prefer to add a bit of salt or sugar to the rim of my glass)
Start by coating the rim of the glass, and set it aside. Then, combine all of the other ingredients into a large blender. Pulse the mixture slowly to crush the ice, and then thoroughly blend it. When the slushy is the right consistency, divide it between the glasses, and garnish them with a slice of lime. If you need more drinks, you can always double the recipe.
Food that Pairs Well
Of course, a lot of different food options go well in combination with this drink, but I really love the drink with Indian food. Let’s take a look at some of my favorite dishes to pair with a madras cocktail.
Butter Chicken
This is a delightful Indian dish that will be a perfect dish to pair with madras. It is chicken that has been marinated, covered in sauce, and served over rice. The dish has a bit of spice, but it is not overwhelming.
Ingredients
½ of a cup of Greek yogurt- Four cloves of garlic
- One tablespoon of finely grated ginger
- Two teaspoons of salt
- Two pounds of chicken ( boneless and skinless works best in this recipe)
- ½ of a cup of butter (unsalted)
- One cinnamon stick
- Five green cardamom pods
- Four cloves of garlic
- Two medium, sliced onions
- Two Serrano chiles
- Salt to taste
- One tablespoon of garam masala
- One teaspoon of paprika
- ½ of a teaspoon of turmeric
- 56 ounces of whole, peeled tomatoes
- ½ of a cup of heavy cream
- Chopped cilantro
Instructions
Start by making the marinade for the chicken. To do this, you will need to whisk together the yogurt, four cloves of grated garlic, the ginger, and two teaspoons of salt. Add the chicken to the mixture, mix to coat the chicken, and cover. Place the chicken in the refrigerator for a period of two to three hours.
When the chicken is ready, start creating the sauce by melting four tablespoons of butter into a large saucepan. Reduce the heat to medium, and add in the cinnamon and the cardamom pods. Continue to cook the mixture for about a minute or two, and then add in the onions so that they can caramelize in the butter mixture. This should take about eight minutes to complete.
When the onions are the desired texture, add in the garlic and the ginger and continue to cook it until the ginger is golden brown, which should only take about two to three minutes. Then, add the garam masala, the paprika, and the turmeric; cooking for an additional minute. At this point, the combination of the ingredients in the pot should be very fragrant.
Add the tomatoes and make sure to stir them so that you break them up a bit. Once broken, continue to cook the mixture until most of the liquid from the tomatoes has evaporated. Then, use a large spoon to smash the tomatoes even more so that you can simmer off the juice and thicken the sauce. This should take about 45 minutes, but when the dish is ready, the sauce will be the consistency of pasta sauce.
When the sauce is the correct consistency, it is essential to remove the cinnamon stick and any large spices that you do not want to remain in the sauce. Pour the sauce into a large blender, and then puree it until no vegetable lumps are remaining in the sauce. Add in the remaining four tablespoons of butter, and blend it until it is fully incorporated into the sauce.
This should give the sauce a bit of a creamy texture. Then, season the sauce with a bit of salt. Return the sauce to the saucepan, and continue to simmer it until the chicken is cooked.
To cook the chicken, you will want to preheat the boiler. Cook the chicken for about seven to eight minutes per side. You do not want the chicken to be fully cooked. When it cools a bit, cut the chicken into bite-size pieces, and add them to the sauce. Simmer the chicken and the sauce for another 10 minutes.
Garnish with cilantro and serve over rice. If you are planning to prepare this meal for guests, the chicken can be prepared up to three days before you plan to serve the dish, which can save you a lot of time at your dinner party.
Chile and Yogurt Marinated Chicken
Another recipe that I love to enjoy with this cocktail is one that takes a lot of spices to get the flavor, but it is easy to create after the chicken is marinated.
Ingredients
- Seven dried Kashmiri chiles that are broken into small pieces (you can also use guajillo chiles, but remember to remove the seeds)
- A portion of ginger that has been peeled and coarsely chopped ( the ginger should be about an inch and a half in length)
- Four cloves of garlic
- ½ of a cup of yogurt (not Greek yogurt)
- Three tablespoons of chopped cilantro stems
- Three tablespoons of freshly squeezed lime juice
- Two tablespoons of mustard oil
- One tablespoon of coriander
- One tablespoon of smoked paprika
- One tablespoon of dried mango powder
- 1 ½ teaspoons of dried fenugreek leaves that have been crushed
- 1 ½ teaspoons of garam masala
- 1 ½ teaspoons of cumin
- Two tablespoons of oil (vegetable or canola)
- 1 ½ pounds of boneless, skinless chicken ( I prefer the juiciness of chicken thighs with this recipe)
- Salt to taste
Instructions
Start by placing the chiles in a bowl of hot water to soften. The chiles should be covered and left that way for 30 minutes. When the chiles become soft, drain them, and add them to a blender. Also add the ginger, the garlic, the yogurt, the cilantro, the lime juice, the mustard oil, the coriander, the smoked paprika, the mango powder, the fenugreek leaves, the garam masala, the cumin, and the vegetable oil. Mix until smooth.
If you have a smaller blender, you can mix the ingredients slowly so that the motor does not struggle with making the marinade smooth. I like to let my chicken marinate in a large storage bag or a Tupperware bowl that I will not need any time soon, but no matter which container you use, just make sure that it is sealed tightly.
Add the marinade to the container. Season the chicken with salt, and then add the chicken to the bag as well. Make sure the chicken is completely coated, and then chill it in the refrigerator for a period of two hours or so. Once the chicken has marinated, you will need to prepare the chicken for grilling, which means that the marinated chicken should sit at room temperature for a period of 60 minutes or so.
To cook the chicken, you will want the grill to be roughly on medium heat. If you are using a gas grill, this will be easy to register, but a charcoal grill, which burns hotter, will be more difficult to manage. Grilling the chicken should only take about 10 minutes, but if you don’t have the option to grill the chicken, you can bake it in the oven or the broiler with ease. Before you serve the dish, make sure that the chicken can rest for about five minutes before it is served.
Final Thoughts
Hopefully, you have found a new cocktail that you enjoy with this madras drink. There are quite a few variations that you can try, but if you have never tasted this delightful drink, I’d suggest tasting the original, which is made from vodka before trying different alcohol in the drink. Don’t forget to try the slushy; it’s delightful!
