Towerwater Guava Liqueur

Guava time is preserving time, because there are only so many fresh guavas a person can eat. A fresh guava doesn’t like lying around, and it certainly doesn’t like travelling. You only have to look at it sideways and it’s bruised. The best thing is to eat it straight off the tree, before it even knows it has been picked.

By late autumn, the whole kitchen and house smell of guavas ripening further in the bowl on the kitchen table. It has become a ritual to go out in the late afternoon and pick the guavas before the mousebirds, Cape white-eyes and bulbuls get to them early the next morning. Guava time in the Towerwater orchard is competition time, with every bird and bug vying to get its beak, pincers or ovipositor into this exotic fruit first.

The harvest in the bowl on the kitchen table grows quickly with every evening’s picking, and before you know it, you have to find a way of dealing with them so that the goodness lasts a little longer than late autumn.

The old favourite is to preserve them in syrup, because what could be better than preserved guavas with custard? You eat them cold in summer and warm in winter, with just a little hint of cinnamon for that cosy feeling.

Guavas and custard are such a simple South African treat, but somehow the nostalgia settles right there, just this side of your heart, before you’ve even taken the first bite. You can almost feel your eyes start to swim when you see that bowl of pink and yellow coming towards you, because you’ve already tasted it in your mind.

No guava season at Towerwater goes by without making a few jars of preserved guavas. It is an unpretentious dessert that asks so little and gives so much. This year I wanted to try something a little different as well, so I decided to make a guava liqueur based on a recipe I came across in my book Maak Jou Eie Likeur by Jean Dickson.

I replaced the cane spirit with witblits to give it that extra bit of local flavour. Because I used witblits, I decided not to peel the guavas because the skin holds the highest concentration of the fruit's natural aroma, giving one a bolder, more authentic guava flavour. I reasoned that, because witblits has a very high alcohol percentage (55% ABV) and a fiery, rustic character, leaving the guava skin on was actually the better approach.

What could be better than a sweet little tot of guava on a cold winter’s evening, or a guava spritz over ice in summer?

Towerwater Guava Liqueur

Ingredients:

500 g guavas

4 whole cloves

1 piece of cinnamon stick

750 ml witblits or cane spirit

500 g (625 ml) sugar

600 ml water

Method:

Peel the guavas and cut them into small pieces for cane spirit, but consider leaving them in the peal for witblits.

Place the guavas, cloves and cinnamon stick in a clean, dry glass or earthenware container with a lid. Add the witblits, seal tightly and shake well. Leave to infuse for two weeks in a warm place. Shake at least twice a day.

First strain the mixture through a clean, dry sieve and then strain it again through two layers of fine cheesecloth. Set aside.

Mix the sugar and water in a heavy-based saucepan and stir until the sugar has dissolved. Bring to the boil and boil for one minute. Remove the syrup from the heat and allow it to cool. Add the infused witblits to the cooled syrup.

Pour the liqueur into a dry, sterilised bottle, fit the stopper, seal and label. Store for one month.

And so I could add a tropical fruit liqueur to the ingredients for the unique Towerwater cocktails.

Some cocktail suggestions using the Towerwater Guava Liqueur,

The Karoo Sun (Refreshing & Tropical)

This is a bright, easy-drinking cocktail where the lime and passion fruit complement the intense guava aroma.

40 ml Guava-infused Witblits

25 ml Fresh lime juice

15 ml Passion fruit cordial (or fresh granadilla pulp)

15 ml Simple syrup (1:1 sugar and water)

Method: Shake all ingredients vigorously with ice, then double-strain into a glass filled with fresh ice. Top with a splash of soda water if you want to lengthen the drink.

 

The Witblits Mule (Fiery & Bold)

The natural spice of ginger beer perfectly matches the rustic, fiery character of the witblits while letting the earthy guava notes shine.

50 ml Guava-infused Witblits

20 ml Fresh lemon juice

Top up with a fiery, high-quality ginger beer (Think classic Stoney Ginger Beer, approx. 150 ml)

Method: Build this drink directly in a tall glass or copper mug filled with crushed ice. Stir gently to combine and garnish with a lemon wheel or a slice of fresh guava.

🥂

The Boland Blush (Elegant & Spritz-Style)

A sophisticated option where the sparkling wine opens up the heavy aromatics trapped by the high-proof alcohol.

30 ml Guava-infused Witblits

15 ml Simple syrup

Top up with dry MCC (Methode Cap Classique) or sparkling wine

Method: Pour the infused witblits and simple syrup into a champagne flute, stir gently, and top slowly with the chilled sparkling wine. Garnish with a twist of lemon peel