Recipe

Creema di Leema Cocktail

by Paul Adams

In her young-adult novel The Homeward Bounders, Diana Wynne Jones’s grimly wandering protagonists have a brief respite in a blithe, carnivalesque land they call Creema di Leema, after the local tipple. “It was like a sort of creamy orange juice. It never made you really drunk—just happy and bubbly.”

As I started exploring the possibilities of augmenting citrus juices with powdered pure acids, as Camper English finds bartenders around the world are doing, my mind went back to that happy-go-lucky land and its eponymous beverage. It sounded to me sort of like a refreshing Ramos Gin Fizz but with sweet orange instead of harsh lime and lemon. A fizz made with straight orange juice would taste insipid because of the lack of acid, but what if I used orange juice with acids added to give it the acidity of lime juice? Perfect. As in a Ramos fizz, I balanced the gin and citrus with a rich froth of cream and soda water, stabilized with a touch of raw egg white to create a lasting foamy head. And a hint of vanilla, in lieu of the perfumy orange-blossom water that lends a Ramos its sultry exoticism, gives the Creema di Leema a nostalgic creamsicle-like note. 

Photography by Steve Klise

Yield
2 cocktails, plus enough lime-strength orange juice for a dozen more
Ingredients

Lime-Strength Orange Juice

500 g orange juice (about 8 oranges)
14 g citric acid
7 g malic acid
0.25 g succinic acid (optional)

Creema di Leema

90 g gin
60 g heavy cream
45 g simple syrup
30 g egg white (1 large egg white)
1 g pure vanilla extract
160 g ice cubes
30 g plus 30 g seltzer or club soda, divided

Lime-Strength Orange Juice

2 cups orange juice (about 8 oranges)
2 teaspoons citric acid
1½ teaspoons malic acid
0.25 gram succinic acid (optional)

Creema di Leema

3 fluid ounces (6 tablespoons) gin
2 fluid ounces (¼ cup) heavy cream
1½ fluid ounces (3 tablespoons) simple syrup
large egg white
¼ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup ice cubes
1 fluid ounce (2 tablespoons) plus 1 fluid ounce (2 tablespoons) seltzer or club soda, divided
Essential Equipment
Instructions
    • 500 g orange juice (about 8 oranges)
    • 14 g citric acid
    • 7 g malic acid
    • 0.25 g succinic acid (optional)
    For the Lime-Strength Orange Juice: Stir orange juice, citric acid, malic acid, and succinic acid, if using, in pitcher or airtight container until acids are fully dissolved. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use. (Juice can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.) 
    • 90 g gin 
    • 60 g heavy cream 
    • 45 g simple syrup 
    • 30 g egg white (1 large egg white) 
    • 1 g pure vanilla extract 
    For the Creema di Leema: Stir gin, cream, simple syrup, egg white, and vanilla together in cocktail shaker.
    • 60 g lime-strength orange juice
    • 160 g ice cubes
    Add orange juice to shaker. Close tightly and shake until frothy, at least 30 seconds. Add ice to shaker, close, and shake for 2 minutes.  
    • 30 g plus 30 g soda water, divided
    Strain evenly into 2 large wine glasses. Add 30 grams soda water to each glass, and stir gently to combine. Serve immediately.  
Instructions
    • 2 cups orange juice (about 8 oranges)
    • 2 teaspoons citric acid
    • 1½ teaspoons malic acid
    • 0.25 grams succinic acid (optional)
    For the Lime-Strength Orange Juice: Stir orange juice, citric acid, malic acid, and succinic acid, if using, in pitcher or airtight container until acids are fully dissolved. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use. (Juice can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.) 
    • 3 fluid ounces (6 tablespoons) gin
    • 2 fluid ounces (¼ cup) heavy cream
    • 1½ fluid ounces (3 tablespoons) simple syrup
    • 1 large egg white
    • ¼ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
    For the Creema di Leema: Stir gin, cream, simple syrup, egg white, and vanilla together in cocktail shaker. 
    • 2 fluid ounces (¼ cup) lime-strength orange juice
    • 1 cup ice cubes
    Add orange juice to shaker. Close tightly and shake until frothy, at least 30 seconds. Add ice to shaker, close, and shake for 2 minutes.  
    • 1 fluid ounce (2 tablespoons) plus 1 fluid ounce (2 tablespoons) soda water, divided
    Strain evenly into 2 large wine glasses. Add 1 fluid ounce (2 tablespoons) soda water to each glass and stir gently to combine. Serve immediately.  
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