Iced Sugared Apricot Drink - An Elegant Sweet and Sour Northern Taste

The Summer Love Song of the North

The South has Iced Tamarind; the North inevitably harbors a jar of Sugared Apricots in the kitchen corner every passing summer. Fresh green/yellow apricots with velvety fuzz are soaked for months, fermenting to leak out a shockingly sour yet profoundly throat-pleasing syrup. The mild apricot aroma mimics vintage aged wine—incredibly addictive.

Secret to Marinade Plump, Unshrunken Apricots

• Fresh Moc Chau Apricots: 1kg (Choose golden ones, unbruised). Wash gently, soak in light salt water. VITAL TRICK: Use a sharp toothpick to pry off the hard black stem nub atop each apricot (this prevents astringent leaching and helps sugar penetrate the crevice). Wipe each fruit completely bone-dry.
• Rock sugar chunks: 1kg. Layer sugar, then apricots consecutively in a sterilized glass jar. Top off the final layer completely with sugar then seal. Usable spectacularly after 3 months.

Mixing the Fatigue-Smashing Apricot Brew

Scoop 30ml of the thick apricot syrup, fish out 3-4 wrinkled fruits, and pulverize them at the bottom of the glass. If you prefer extra sourness, squeeze a wedge of lime. Afterwards, heap generously, extremely generously, Clean King Ice cubes and pour 50ml cold filtered water to stir. Why King Ice? With the highly sensitive aroma of fermented apricot extract, utilizing impure ice (tainted with chlorine or fridge food odors) instantly ruins the drink. King Ice thoroughly preserves that rustic, heavenly fragrance, dragging the sweet-sour thrill straight down your freezing throat unparalleled by anything else!