Dragon fruit is a fruit coming from a special type of cactus. And while the white-fleshed dragon fruits are quite common all over the world, the rarer pink dragon fruit is hard to get in many countries. Even in South-East Asia where they're widely grown, the pink version is a lot more expensive than the ordinary white ones.
In the following, I will explain how to make a delicious pink dragon fruit syrup. This syrup has a beautiful, vibrant pink color that's perfect for riffs on classic cocktails. -Replace your ordinary simple syrup in a Gin Sour recipe with this pink syrup to get an extravagant, bright pink Gin Sour.
Pitaya, Pitahaya or Dragon fruit
You might have heard the names Pitaya, Pitahaya, or dragon fruit, but they all refer to the same thing: the exotic, tropical fruit with the pink skin with its slightly sweet taste. I prefer the English term Dragon fruit, but you will see all these names equally often. Its English name derives from the Vietnamese word for it: Thang loy, which literally means words dragon fruit.
Even though the dragon fruit originates in Central America, this delicious fruit became extremely popular in South-East Asia. In Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, and Malaysia, you can find it in almost every market. And because the dragon fruit is so popular there and the climate conditions are perfect, all those countries began to grow dragon fruits themselves.
Different Colors of Dragon Fruit
As the title of my article suggests, I'm going to make a pink dragon fruit syrup. However, as mentioned, the most common variant is not pink but white. But that's not all the color variation the fruit has to offer.
The outer skin of the fruit can either be yellow/green or pink/green. The yellow and green version, not very surprisingly, is called yellow pitahaya or yellow dragon fruit. But only the pink-skinned ones vary in terms of their flesh.
The most common dragon fruit variant is pink and green on the outside and white with black seeds on the inside. The one I'm using for the syrup has a vibrant pink flesh with black seeds. And in Central America, you can even get dragon fruits with a dark red flesh color.
The Taste of Pink Dragonfruit
The taste of all variations of dragon fruit is very mild. You can best compare it to the taste of a mix between a kiwi and a watermelon or a pear. Its slightly sweet taste makes it an excellent ingredient for desserts. Pink dragon fruits, by the way, are usually more on the sweet side than the typical white-fleshed version. With a higher amount of sugar, it has a more fragrant and tasty flesh.
Apart from the different taste, Pink dragon fruits also contain a higher amount of anti-oxidants. That, in turn, has a positive effect on our eyes and skin.
Recipe
Ingredients
- 1/2 Pink dragon fruit cut into small chunks without skin
- 1/2 cup White sugar
- 1/2 cup Water
Instructions
- Put the pink dragon fruit, sugar, and water into a small pan.
- Heat the pan and bring it to a simmer while gently stirring.
- Cook the ingredients until the sugar completely dissolves.
- Take the pan off the heat and let it cool down for some hours. Four hours should usually be enough, but you can also extend it to 6 or 7 hours to get more of that color into your syrup.
- Strain the syrup into a bottle and store it in the fridge.
- The syrup is good to use for up to 4 weeks when stored below 10C (50F).
