Shake with ice and strain into coupe. Garnish with watermelon and basil.
Found the Edinburgh Watermelon gin at a duty free and had to pick it up. I don’t think there’s a lot of explanation needed for the mixers as they all make relative sense.
The name of course comes from the origin country of the gin. Wear your colors proudly.
Shake with ice and strain into glass over cracked ice.
Back to tropical drinks! This was play time with the guava vinegar. I landed on this combination after some experimentation, but mostly it was just what tasted good.
The name was thanks to Shonna Cirone and should require no explanation. It’s elementary.
Shake with ice and strain into glass. Garnish with dill and carrot strip.
Originally I made this with a specific Midsommar Dill akvavit that unfortunately is no longer produced. On the fortunate side, though, Stockholm Akvavit has a strong dill component so works just as well. To this I added my carrot brandy and thyme liqueur, for I think obvious reasons. Then came lemon for acid and maple syrup for sweetness (bringing to mind maple glazed carrots). To balance with some bitterness I added the Meletti.
I wanted “dill” in the name since that was central to the flavor. I ran through a number of puns and landed on this one as the carrots and thyme recall a farmer’s harvest (maybe thyme? I guess that’s not really a farmer’s crop).
Stir with ice and strain into coupe. Garnish with three blueberries.
I purchased the lion’s mane extract several years ago with the hopes of putting it into a drink, but never found the right opportunity. That was until recently when I picked up the black trumpet blueberry Cordial at Tamworth Distilling, and suddenly was inspired. The cordial is sweet and fruity with just a hint of earthiness from the mushroom.
Corn and blueberries was my initial thought here, and it seemed to work well. For additional sweetness, and to complement the blueberry, I added the ginger, then went further with a bit of sweet vermouth to also add a touch of bitter herbaceousness. The Angostura was required to even things out, and of course the mushroom extract was the whole point, strengthening the umami of the black trumpet. Something wasn’t quite right at this point, so I reduced the whiskey and added in some Bison Grass which gave the drink the right final note.
It’s sort of a riff on one of my favorite cocktails, Remember the Maine, with the blueberry subbing for the cherry. With the addition of the mushroom the new name was obvious.
Shake with ice and strain into coupe smeared with a balsamic reduction. Garnish with a caprese skewer of tomato, mozzarella and basil.
I was in Ohio over the summer and found there this Italian gin I’d not previously seen. Yes, it’s a gin, distilled with juniper berries and other botanical, but for me it tastes like clarified tomato juice, and it is fascinating.
The first thing I thought of was a caprese salad, thinking of the tomato and basil. As the Moletto for me isn’t especially ginny, I chose the split it with Sipsmith’s lemon offering. The basil liqueur was then the obvious and necessary addition. Everything else came with a lot of play and experimentation. Originally I wanted balsamic in the mix, but found it worked better as a garnish. As did the cheese, which I wasn’t about to put in the drink. You’re welcome.
Shake with ice and strain into glass. Garnish with candied ginger.
Tamworth Distillery has some wonderful and distinct offerings (beaver musk whiskey, anyone?), and their selection of gins especially so. Their Emshika’s Garden has the bite of spicy Thai chilies, and here I tempered it a little with Bombay Sapphire East’s complimentary flavors to reduce the spice level. Sticking to a Thai flavor profile I added coconut and cucumber with a little ginger, then some bitterness from the vermouth and bitters (which add back in a touch of spice).
The naming of this drink was done at my cocktail-naming evening, but unfortunately the one chosen, Thai One On, had already been used a number of times. So I employed another similar pun. It seemed to fit.
I had picked up the Wild Moon Lavender but hadn’t yet highlighted it in a drink. Tequila proved a nice base. I added the Cocchi for some brightness and bitterness, then the lemon was the obvious choice for some acid to counter the floral, perhaps soapy, nature of the lavender. I still felt it lacked some necessary sweetness so mixed in just a little agave nectar. The Angostura gives just a hint of bitter chocolate in the background.
The name was come up with and chosen on my cocktail evening. Honestly, I can’t for the life of me recall whose suggestion it was. But I think that’s fitting for this name, isn’t it?
0.25 oz. Leopold Bros Liqueur Michigan Tart Cherry
dash of Bittermens Elemakule Tiki Bitters
Stir with ice and strain into coupe. Garnish with three cherries.
I know, I know. It should probably be Two Rums Make a Right. But I used three (if you count the liqueur) and I liked it! Coconut and cherry with some bitters and lots of rum. Done and done.
Honey, lemon and mint were the start of this one. I’ve always liked tequila with its grassy notes enhanced by mint. The honey for sweetness made sense, as did the lemons acid hit. For necessary bitterness I turned to Cynar, and the higher ABV of Cynar 70.
It’s a cozy drink, and that, along with the name of the Bear Hunter honey liqueur, pushed me towards the Bear Hug name. A honey hug in a glass.
