Sergeant Pepper (Pineapple-Gin Cocktail With Cumin) Recipe

By
Maggie Hoffman
Maggie Hoffman is a contributing writer at Serious Eats.
Maggie Hoffman
Maggie Hoffman is a longtime food and drink expert whose recipes and cocktail-making tips can be found on her newsletters What to Drink and The Dinner Plan. She is the author of  The One-Bottle Cocktail and Batch Cocktails, both published by Ten Speed Press.
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Updated April 01, 2025
20160608-sargeant-pepper-cocktail-vicky-wasik-1.jpg
Vicky Wasik

Why It Works

  • Toasting the cumin for the simple syrup gives it a bolder, more vibrant savory flavor.
  • Shaking the cocktail with a large ice cube amplifies the foamy, rich texture, while smaller ice cubes added to the tin make sure the drink gets proper dilution.

Warm-weather drinks made with pineapple are often one-note, and that note is sweet. But this cocktail, adapted from a recipe created by the MINA Test Kitchen bar team for an Indian-themed pop-up series in San Francisco, is mellow, earthy, tart, and fruity. Orgeat, a rich almond syrup, mixes with the pineapple to give a creamy, tropical touch without making the drink heavy the way that coconut would. The MINA Test Kitchen team rims the glass with a mix of cayenne, cinnamon, and sugar, but it's much less fuss to simply add a pinch of the hot stuff to the cocktail before shaking.

Recipe Details

Sergeant Pepper (Pineapple-Gin Cocktail With Cumin) Recipe

Prep 5 mins
Cook 15 mins
Active 10 mins
Cooling Time 5 mins
Total 25 mins
Serves 2 servings
Cook Mode (Keep screen awake)

Ingredients

For the Cumin-Pepper Syrup:

  • 1 tablespoon (6 g) whole cumin seeds

  • 1/2 cup (120 ml) water

  • 1/2 cup (112 g) sugar

  • 5 whole peppercorns

For the Cocktails:

  • 1 1/2 ounces (45 ml) fresh pineapple juice from about 1/4 of a medium peeled pineapple (see note)

  • 1 ounce (30 ml) high-quality orgeat (such as Small Hand Foods)

  • 1 ounce (30 ml) fresh juice from 1 whole lime

  • 1 ounce (30 ml) Cumin-Pepper Syrup

  • 4 ounces (120 ml) gin, such as Calyx (see note)

  • Pinch cayenne pepper

  • 1 large and 2 small ice cubes, or standard ice cubes

Directions

  1. For the Cumin-Pepper Syrup: In a small saucepan, toast cumin seeds over medium heat until fragrant and just beginning to darken. Add water, sugar, and black peppercorns, stirring to dissolve sugar. Simmer for 15 minutes, strain, and let cool before using.

  2. For the Cocktails: Add pineapple juice, orgeat, lime juice, Cumin-Pepper Syrup, gin, and cayenne to a cocktail shaker and add one large and two standard ice cubes (or fill 2/3 full with standard ice cubes). Shake until well chilled and frothy, about 30 seconds. Strain into two cocktail glasses and serve immediately.

Notes

To make pineapple juice from scratch without a juicer, muddle or blend 3/4 cup of cubed peeled fresh pineapple, then strain through a fine-mesh strainer. This cocktail was designed using Calyx Gin, which is dry, crisp, and loaded with spice and grapefruit. If you can't find the Calyx, choose a bold, juniper-heavy London Dry, not a softer, New Western–style gin.

Special Equipment

Muddler or juicer, cocktail shaker and strainer, fine-mesh strainer (if using muddler)

This Recipe Appears In

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
259Calories
8gFat
22gCarbs
3gProtein
×
Nutrition Facts
Servings: 2
Amount per serving
Calories259
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 8g10%
Saturated Fat 1g3%
Cholesterol 0mg0%
Sodium 86mg4%
Total Carbohydrate 22g8%
Dietary Fiber 2g8%
Total Sugars 17g
Protein 3g
Vitamin C 30mg149%
Calcium 47mg4%
Iron 1mg4%
Potassium 192mg4%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

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