Lockdown Libations no. 21: Bee’s Knees

Cracking a new bottle for this: Saskatoon Honey Gin from Eau Claire Distillery.

Eau Claire Distillery Saskatoon Honey Gin

What better liquor for a Bee’s Knees, which is all about the honey, than this gin made from locally sourced honey, Saskatoon berries and rose hips, along with the usual botanicals.

This week calls for sweet and simple. And this fit the bill perfectly. Softly sweet, slightly floral. Delicate and soothing.

Bee's Knees I

I used my Tantalus Vineyards honey again — the last of it, actually — and it lent such a lovely flavour to the cocktail. A perfect farewell for that jar of deliciousness. Given how much of a role it plays in this cocktail, if you do have good honey hanging around in your cupboard, this is a good place for it.

I/m feeling a little low on words this week, so I’ll just say that I enjoyed this far more than I thought I would. Really. Truly. Like, I wish I had more honey, really, truly.

If you have gin — any standard one should work; having a honey-infused one was a bonus — I 10/10 recommend giving this a try.

Bee's Knees II

Bee’s Knees

  • 2 ounces gin
  • 1 ounce fresh lemon juice
  • 3/4 ounce honey syrup — see below

To a cocktail shaker filled with ice, gin, lemon and honey syrup. Shake vigorously for 15 to 30 seconds, until the vessel is cold to the touch. Strain into a coupe or martini glass.

Honey Syrup

  • 1 cup honey
  • 1/3 cup hot water

Combine honey and hot water and stir to combine. Use immediately. Leftovers can be stored in the fridge for up to five days.

(I didn’t have a full cup of honey — nor was I sure I wanted that much syrup! So, I’ll confess I did the math and did three parts honey to one part hot water to make a far smaller batch. Here’s where knowing kitchen math is super helpful: one tablespoon = three teaspoons. So, I did 1 tablespoon honey to 1 teaspoon boiling water. Made just a little more than the required 3/4 ounces needed.)

 

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Lockdown Libations no. 20: Sake-tini no. 1

A bottle of sake was at the front of the liquor cabinet when I opened it this week and that seemed good enough reason as any to make that the theme ingredient. The harder part was narrowing down one recipe I wanted to make. Sake, it turns out, makes a myriad of interesting cocktails.

Sake-tini no. 1 II

But I was particularly drawn to the simplicity of this one, the Sake-tini no. 1, and also because I immediately thought it would be a great way to use some of my delicious Sheringham Distillery Kazuki gin, which features cherry blossom petals, yuzu peel and green tea leaves and flowers. I love a theme, so matching a Japanese-inspired gin with sake — rounded out with a little Cointreau — sounded lovely.

Sake-tini no. 1 ingredients

I’m sure any dry gin — which is what the recipe calls for — will be great, but this seemed near magical with the Kazuki. Light and delicate, with just the subtle hint of orange liqueur to amp up the yuzu flavour.

I thought the cucumber was kind of an odd garnish, but it was refreshing.

10/10 didn’t think I’d like this as much as I do. The first one went down easily — so much so I put all the ingredients away to force myself to wait for a second….

Sake-tini no. 1 I

Sake-tini no. 1 III

Sake-tini no. 1

  • 2 1/2 ounces sake
  • 1 ounce dry gin
  • 1/2 ounce Cointreau or Grand Marnier
  • cucumber slice to garnish

To a cocktail mixing glass (or I used my shaker vessel), add a handful of ice and top with sake, gin and Cointreau. Stir until well chilled, about 30 seconds. Strain into coupe glass and garnish with cucumber slice.

 

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Lockdown Libations no. 17: Right Word

Right. After an Easter weekend break, we’re back. And just in time for a return to some restrictions in Alberta.

Let’s have a cocktail.

My friend, Dan McPhee, has been making a series of cocktails over on Facebook and one I immediately bookmarked was this, the Right Word. A play on the Last Word — which is such a great cocktail name — this drink swaps Last’s green chartreuse for a combination of St. Germain and Lillet Blanc. I’ve used these in cocktails before (week no. 1’s Peruvian Elder Sour and the Vesper Martini for week no.3, respectively) but we’re definitely at the point where liquors are going to be repeated — though there are still others that haven’t been cracked yet, so I will start prioritizing those.

Those who have been following along will know the Vesper didn’t blow my skirt up, so I was despairing a bit that this huge bottle of Lillet Blanc — a fortified white wine — was going to continue to sit unused in my cupboard.

Gin, Lillet Blanc and St. Germain

(Not so that Les Subversifs gin, which is my second bottle. Makes an excellent Gibson, which I am currently so devoted to that I’ve just made my own batch of cocktail onions. Good lord, what a finicky process.)

Given it contains two liquors I’ve had a hard time using up through this project, I really wasn’t sure what to expect of this cocktail. Turns out, I like the floral undertones and slight sweetness mixed with the tang of lime.

Regular rotation? Maybe not. But one I would happily revisit.

Pouring the Right Word

Right Word

Right Word

  • 3/4 ounce gin
  • 3/4 ounce Lillet Blanc
  • 3/4 ounce St. Germain
  • 3/4 ounce freshly squeezed lime

To a cocktail shaker filled with ice, add the gin, Lillet Blanc, St. Germain and lime juice. Shake vigorously for 15 to 30 seconds, until the vessel is cold to the touch. Strain into a coupe or martini glass.

 

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Lockdown Libations no. 16: Lavender Gin Sour

Well, here we are, four months since this project started and no significant signs of slowing, given we’re still in a global panini. Vaccinations are rolling out, thank god. But I think we still have a few more months of this series to come.

That may call for some aromatherapy.

Uh, in a drinkable format.

Lavender Gin Sour

I love lavender. LOVE. I’ve got it in my essential oil diffuser, I spritz my pillows with a linen spray scented with it, I spray my face with a mixture of lavender and distilled water for a little pick-me-up. (I keep it in my fridge, even — so refreshing!) My current favourite perfume has a lavender undertone. Even my keyboard wrist rest, which is filled with flax, has been scented with the stuff.

Lavender buds II

I like the flavour as much as the scent. I’ve been making lavender shortbread for years (unexpectedly delicious with some cheeses, like a cave-aged Gruyere) and enjoy a good cup of tea that contains the little purple buds.

So, a couple of months ago, I decided to make a lavender-infused simple syrup and, since then, have used it for everything from Bourbon Sours to stirring it into my morning cup of tea.

Lavender Simple Syrup

And this is a really easy way to take a standard cocktail in new directions: by either infusing a simple syrup or even the liquor itself.

It’s a little easier to experiment with flavouring simple syrups — especially given you can do very small batches to see if you like the result without dedicating an entire bottle of expensive liquor to the endeavour. More delicate herbs, like basil and sage, do better infusing a simple syrup than hard liquor, but, really, you’re only limited by your taste preferences. Spices, fresh ginger, fruits and berries… anything goes.

Infusing liquor itself requires something a little sturdier. Think herbs like rosemary, citrus peel and botanicals or spices. (None of you will be surprised, I’m sure, to learn I threw a few tablespoons of dried, culinary grade lavender into a bottle of Gordon’s gin to let that steep.)

Then making a cocktail basically becomes a game of mix and match. As long as the proportions of liquor, lemon and syrup remain the same — as outlined in the recipe below — you should be mixing up a decent drink. The only thing to think about is how the liquor will match the simple syrup flavour. I’m not sure I’d be interested in cilantro and bourbon, for example. But cilantro with gin… oh, and some lime instead lemon? Yeah, I think there’s something to that idea.

A few things to keep in mind for the recipe: one, the colour of your lavender syrup will vary depending on the plant varietal, the colour of the buds and a host of other factors, so don’t expect it to come out purple. Mine was a sort of pinkish colour, while others I spotted online were more clear or even slightly green hued. Two, I’ve used Empress Gin, which gets its lovely purple hue from butterfly pea blossoms (which then goes pink with the addition of an acid, like lemon) to try to play up the colour in the cocktail. But most London dry gins will work here. Three, I’ve given a range of measurements for the lavender in the simple syrup recipe. I know I like the flavour, so I did the full two tablespoons, but you may want to start on the lower end and see how it tastes. A longer steep time will also affect the strength. As it cools, try a taste every so often and strain off the flowers when you’re happy with the flavour. Four, the egg white, as always, is optional. The drink will have a sharper flavour without it, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

Empress Gin

Lavender buds

Making a cocktail

Lavender Gin Sour II

Lavender Gin Sour

  • 3 ounces gin
  • 1 ounce freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 1 ounce lavender simple syrup — see recipe below
  • 1 egg white, optional

To a cocktail shaker, add the gin, lemon juice and lavender simple syrup. Shake without ice until the white is frothy. Add the ice cubes and shake again until the drink is chilled.

Strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

The egg white is optional, of course. If not using, skip the dry shake and just add all the ingredients, along with ice, to the shaker and then shake until well chilled.

Lavender Simple Syrup

  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 cup water
  • 2 tablespoons lavender blossoms — culinary grade

Combine the sugar, water and lavender (amount depending on how much lavender flavour you want) in a small pot and warm over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until the sugar has dissolved. Turn off heat and let the simple syrup steep as it cools. The lavender flavour will deepen depending on the steep time. Strain the flowers and transfer the simple syrup to a jar or bottle. Store in the fridge.

This recipe is easily halved, if you don’t want a full cup of syrup.

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Lockdown Libations no. 13: Negronino

Just like with the Averna Amaro, I have a bottle of Amaro Nonino for making a specific cocktail: my beloved Paper Plane.

And, while I could (and have) used an entire bottle for just making those, I wondered what else Nonino — a liqueur made from grappa and grain alcohol that is infused with herbs and spices and is aged in oak barrels — could work with.

Hello Negroni hybrid!

The Negronino (and bless, I love a good portmanteau) is essentially a Negroni (equal parts gin, Campari and sweet vermouth), but with Amaro Nino replacing half portions of both the Campari and vermouth. (I did spot one recipe that started to get into even more fractured measures and… no. I’m good at math, but there is a line.)

Negronino ingredients

I like a Negroni for its boozy bitterness. It’s a slower sipper for me, which serves me well when I want to really savour a cocktail. I may prefer a Boulevardier, which is the same ingredients and proportions, but swaps bourbon for gin. But either way, this seemed an intriguing cocktail worth the experiment.

I’d probably have a more thorough discussion of the nuanced differences between the Negronino and a standard Negroni if I sipped back to back. Perhaps that’s an experiment I will shelve for a future date. Watch this space?

This is a smoother sip and, consequently, was consumed a little more quickly. Not a complaint, just a fact. There is a … roundness? to this cocktail that I quite like.

If you don’t have a bottle of Amaro Nonino and felt your collection could handle one more addition, I think it’s a good liqueur to have on hand — both for this cocktail, which will be folded into the regular rotation and for the Paper Plane. If you haven’t tried that, may I please recommend? Truly, one of my absolute favourites. And that’s saying a lot.

Negronino III

Negronino II

Negronino

  • 1 ounce gin (a London dry variety of your choice)
  • 1 ounce Amaro Nonino
  • 1/2 ounce Campari
  • 1/2 ounce sweet vermouth
  • orange peel, to garnish

Add ice to an Old-Fashioned glass. Pour in gin, Nonino, Campari and vermouth. Stir well to chill. Garnish with orange peel.*

*Which I didn’t have, so didn’t.

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Lockdown Libations no. 10: White Lady

I’ve never heard of a White Lady before. That’s not the start to some Karen joke, I swear.

White Lady - with egg white

Which is surprising given it is described as a gin-based Sidecar — hello! — and seems to be in the vicinity of a classic sour.

Although initially looking for a vodka recipe, nothing felt particularly inspiring, but when I searched for gin cocktails, this one popped up and I was game — even though I feel like I am, at this point, abusing my poor Cointreau bottle quite a bit.

The original White Lady, the creation of a bartender named Harry McElhone, was a combination of Cointreau, lemon and … creme de menthe. Which, no. A decade after that he realized what I would consider the error of his ways and replace the creme de menthe with gin. (There is some contention in its history insomuch as the American Bar at the Savoy Hotel credits the creation to one of their bartenders, Harry Craddock.)

Empress Gin and Cointreau

Given it’s a classic, I was surprised to discover how many variations there were when it comes to measurements.

Some recipes called for two parts gin to one each of lemon and Cointreau. Others skewed more to the gin. Some called for simple syrup, some for egg white and others for neither of those ingredients. (Egg white was a later addition to the recipe. Neither of the so-called original versions used it.)

I tried both with egg white and without. You know, for SCIENCE!

I do enjoy the smoothness the egg white brings to a cocktail, especially when you use a dry shake method to really froth things up. But there was also some pleasure in the simplicity of preparing the drink without the need for the two-step shake. The flavour of the White Lady without the egg white was sharper, brighter. With it, the drink was gentler. I’m not convinced one is noticeably better, just different.

White lady - with egg white

The White Lady made with egg white is smoother in texture and flavour.

White Lady - no egg white

Made without egg white.

I wanted to pull out my Empress Gin for the first time in the Lockdown Libations challenge. I thought a slight purple hue to the drink would be a nice touch, but it was lost in the egg-white version. It did cast a slight pink (because of the interaction with the acid of the lemon) to the non-egg white version, which was quite pretty on an otherwise dreary afternoon.

White Lady

  • 1 1/2 ounces dry gin
  • 1 ounce Cointreau — or another orange-flavoured liqueur
  • 1 ounce fresh lemon juice
  • 1/4 ounce (about 1 teaspoon) simple syrup
  • 1/2 ounce egg white*

*The egg white of a typical large egg is 1 ounce. So, to make a single batch, you want half of an egg white. Of course, you could make it easy on yourself and mix two at once and just use the whole white. ;)

To a cocktail shaker, add the gin, Cointreau, lemon juice and simple syrup. Shake without ice until the white is frothy. Add the ice cubes and shake again until the drink is chilled.

Strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

The egg white is optional, of course. If not using, skip the dry shake and just add all the ingredients, along with ice, to the shaker and then shake until well chilled.

Writing and drinking

Writing while sipping…..

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Lockdown Libations no. 8: Campari-Gin Old Fashioned

If you know me, you know I like bourbon. If you know I like bourbon, you can guess I love an Old Fashioned. (I do.)

It’s one of the few cocktails I’ll make on the regular, partly because they’re so damn easy. And you get a lot of bang for a small-effort buck.

It never occurred to me to make one with something other than brown liquor. It certainly never would have crossed my mind to use gin.

Gin-Campari Old Fashioned I

Gin is mostly for fizzes and tonic and martinis, no? Apparently not.

I decided to focus on Campari this time around as I have two bottles (one mostly finished, in my defence) and one yet to be cracked. I keep them on hand for Boulevardiers and Negronis, but wanted to see what else this bittersweet, beautifully coloured liquor could do.

Gin-Campari Old Fashioned ingredients

I actually stumbled on this one for a Campari-Gin Old Fashioned last week but was missing an orange and didn’t want to make any substitutions since I had an inkling this needed all the right bits to make for a balanced cocktail. It was at the top of my grocery list this week.

orange peel

It’s a quick and straightforward cocktail but has lovely depth of flavour. I like how the sugar and orange lifts the bitter of the campari and plays up the flavours in the gin. I went with Eau Claire Distillery’s Flourish and it was a perfect match.

The result is a highly sippable, sweet, bitter, fruity drink that I think really exemplifies something being greater than the sum of it’s parts — Hi, Gestalt! Thank you, Grade 12 psychology.

And while I suspect it would be good at any time in the year, I feel this will be a dangerously delightful addition to drinking on my balcony this summer.

(Aside: the original recipe called for a splash of soda water, but I didn’t think that would benefit the drink at all — just water it down. So I skipped it. And I have zero regrets.)

pre-muddle

muddling

muddled

Gin-Campari Old Fashioned IV

Gin-Campari Old Fashioned II

Campari-Gin Old Fashioned

  • a sugar cube
  • 1 piece of orange peel
  • 1/2 ounce Campari
  • 2 ounces dry gin
  • ice

In a rocks glass, muddle together the sugar cube, orange peel and Campari until the sugar has mostly dissolved.

Add the gin and stir to combine. Add ice and stir until chilled.

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Lockdown Libations no. 4: Gibson

Can I do two martini posts in a row? With the amount of gin I have, I would say the answer is yes.

But, more than that, I think I’ve discovered a new favourite cocktail so, yes, that’s more than enough reason to do so.

Gibson I

I was recently, gratefully, on the receiving end of a media drop featuring two bottles of liquor from a Quebecois distillery whose products are now hitting the Alberta market thanks to Spur Imports.

The package of holiday cheer featured a bottle each of gin and creme de menthe from Les Subversifs, among other goodies.

The small distillery currently offers four options: vodka, the aforementioned gin, a creme de menthe — which, don’t you dare raise your nose at; this is no mouthwash-evocative booze you used to drink as a teenager at clandestine house or bush parties —and a maple liqueur, each named for an historical Quebecois figure.

Les Subversifs gin

(I’d like to note here that I have been very fortunate in my career to be gifted products to try and opportunities to eat at new restaurants etc. I try to ensure it’s very clear when I’m being gifted something because it’s really important to me to make a distinction between a gift/media event and something I am posting about because I love and truly endorse it. This gin? It very much fits into the category of “gifted but 10/10 would purchase — and likely will.” Also, most of the time that you see me posting on social, it’s because I paid my own money for things. OK, I feel better for getting that out of the way.)

Which means that when I tell I consumed about a fifth of the bottle of Isabelle Montour creme de menthe, it is a legit endorsement of a delicious liqueur that works simply on the rocks, though I will definitely be trying it as a hot chocolate add-in.

But I digress.

Admittedly — and certainly confirmed by the Vesper Martini disaster — I’ve never been much of a martini drinker. I can remember the first I had, with my friend Julie at some bar in Victoria while we were still at UVic for our undergrads. (Pucker readers, it’s the same Julie who introduced me to the beauty of the Whiskey Sour, so any encouraging she did for me to have a martini is entirely forgivable.) Obviously, my tastes have changed a lot in the, cough, cough, number of years since then. But I still haven’t really managed to get into martinis.

Until this one.

Behold the Gibson!

Actually, let’s be clear: behold the Gibson made with Les Subversifs’ Gin Marie-Victorin.*

*Because, let me tell you, if I’ve learned nothing else in recent weeks it’s that some hard liquors are better in some applications over others. One gin is great with tonic, while another is really best where it can shine. And this gin? It’s the latter.

Gibson II

With similar leanings as a London dry, there are undertones of lemon, juniper, cardamom and coriander. But the subversion comes from using parsnip — surely an unexpected ingredient — to lend a slight sweet, earthy note that makes for a very smooth, highly drinkable gin.

The first time I tried it was straight-up… and I liked it.

So I was intrigued when it was suggested I try it as a Gibson. Gin + pickled onion? Yes, I am in.

Cocktail onions

This is not the martini where you skip over the vermouth because you really just want ice-cold gin in a fancy glass. Vermouth is crucial. As is the briney, acidic addition of a cocktail onion.

The ones I had the pleasure of enjoying — eight pearl onions over two cocktails — were made by a former colleague. I had been hoarding them for the last numerous months and, frankly, I’m glad I did. They were waiting for this cocktail. Now it won’t take long for the rest of them to disappear.

Cocktail onions

Like most martinis, the beauty here is in the simplicity and using liquors you genuinely enjoy. (It doesn’t have to be this gin. But it does have to be one you love the taste of, of course.) If I can, I would recommend adding just the smallest, dirtiest splash of pickled onion brine before stirring to chill.

It’s a drink and a snack all in one!

Gibson

  • 2 1/2 ounces gin
  • 1/2 ounce vermouth
  • cocktail onions

Add gin and vermouth to a mixing glass full of ice. Stir until well chilled.

Strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with cocktail onion — no judgment on how many.

 

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Lockdown Libations no. 3: Vesper Martini

Hello!

And helllloooooo….

Daniel Craig

No, that’s not entirely gratuitous. There is a point in having Mr. Craig join us here and that’s because he was the impetus for this week’s cocktail.

The streaming service Crave recently added the entire Bond library and I thought it would be fun to watch them in order. So, I started with Dr. No and … guys, it’s so boring! Good lord, movies have changed a lot. So, I changed my tactic and decided to do a mini marathon of all the most recent films, starting with Casino Royale. It is likely my favourite of all the Bond films, for many reasons — no, not just the bathing suit scene — not the least of which is I could listen to Eva Green read the dictionary.

That scene of them on the train? Fire.

Which brings me to the Vesper Martini.

Vesper Martini IV

It’s as much as a plot device as a cocktail — almost a character, even.

Although the majority of the cocktail is gin, what sets it apart from other martinis is the addition of Lillet, a French aperitif made from a blend of wine and citrus liqueur.

I had a bottle in the cupboard of wonders because, cough, cough, I bought it when Casino Royale first came out and I was intrigued by the Vesper. Can we file this under ‘better late than never?’

Vesper Martini ingredients

Most recipes call for Gordon’s, but I don’t have any. This seemed like a good time to crack my Sipsmith gin, which was part of the martini box I purchased during the first lockdown from Proof and to use some of my Schramm’s — an organic potato vodka from Pemberton, B.C.

This is a boozy wallop of a cocktail. More than four ounces of liquor — no filler.

Vesper Martini overhead

And, to be honest, not my favourite. While I can down a Bourbon Old Fashioned, a Boulevardier and a multitude of other straight-liquor cocktails, I struggled with this one. I think the flavour combination just didn’t do much for me.

So, while I’m glad I tried it, I am going to have to find other ways to enjoy Lillet. Perhaps, as the French do, just deeply chilled with a slice of lemon.

(Aside, interestingly, and so very Bond-like, there is a definite debate on whether this is better shaken or stirred. In this particular movie, Bond says he doesn’t care. Some sites argue shaking dilutes too much — which, incidentally, is why Bond does have that preference as it is said he needs to have his faculties about him — and it should be stirred instead. For what it’s worth, I used my shaker, which is why the instructions call for it. I’m sure Bond would be fine if you’d prefer to stir.)

Garnish

Making a lemon twist

Martini pour

Vesper Martini I

Vesper Martini

  • 3 ounces gin
  • 1 ounce vodka
  • 1/2 ounce Lillet Blanc
  • lemon twist

Add the gin, vodka and Lillet to a cocktail shaker with a healthy amount of ice and shake until well-chilled.

Strain into a chilled glass. Rub the lemon twist around the rim of the glass and then add to the drink.

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Blackberry Gin & Tonic

It is unclear to me when I realized I liked gin.

I remember having some in high school – and we’re well past the statute of limitations on that incident, I’m sure – and not being entirely enamoured with the juniper flavour.

At some point between then and now, however, it’s become my preferred liquor. (Though, admittedly, the brand has changed in the intervening years.) Gin and tonics are now my preferred highball.

Although lime is traditional, I like mine with a squeeze of fresh lemon. Sometimes I add in some rhubarb bitters I found at a small shop in Portland, Ore. But even with these minor tweaks, the recipe is essentially the same.

Every favourite can benefit once in a while from a little change, however, so when I stumbled on this recipe for a Blackberry Gin and Tonic while cruising Serious Eats – an excellent online resource for recipes, cooking tips and, perhaps most important to me, reviews of hamburgers all over the U.S. – I bookmarked it immediately.

Blackberry Gin & Tonic I

The scorching heat over the past weekend that had me wilting in my apartment seemed like the perfect time to give it a try. Gin and tonics are a good way to beat the heat, in my opinion, and adding the juicy, sweet and tart summer flavour of blackberry only adds to that.

With my ice and wee clamshell case of some of the juiciest blackberries I’ve ever seen in the grocery store, I set to work.

While I do have a cocktail shaker and set, I don’t have a muddler – a long-handled, often wooden pestle used by bartenders to pound at fruit and herbs to release their flavours. I’m sure a real bartender would balk, but let me assure you that the back of a large spoon pressed against the inside of the cocktail shaker seemed to do a very nice job squeezing out that deep purple juice from the ripe berries.

A little squeeze of lime, some tonic and a large handful of ice then get all shaken up. (I love watching the shaker fog over from the cold as it’s shaken.)

The resulting liquid is berry bright in the glass, even after the tonic is added.

Blackberry Gin & Tonic IV
(P.S. How sweet are these glasses? My little sister has very good taste.)

It tastes of summer and refreshment and of a welcome change to my old favourite.

Blackberry Gin & Tonic III

Blackberry Gin and Tonic

This recipe comes from Serious Eats.

  • 6 ripe blackberries, plus 2 more for garnish
  • 1/2 oz fresh lime juice
  • 1 oz simple syrup (see Cook’s Note)
  • 1 1/2 oz gin
  • 2 to 3 oz tonic water

In a cocktail shaker, muddle the blackberries and lime juice. Fill with ice and add simple syrup and gin. Shake vigorously for about 10 seconds.

Fill a Collins glass with ice. Double strain into serving glass using a cocktail strainer and its strainer or a mini fine-mesh strainer to prevent the blackberry seeds from going into the glass. Add tonic water and stir gently. Garnish with a few blackberries on a skewer.

Cook’s Note: To make simple syrup, combine equal parts water and sugar in a small saucepan and heat over medium heat, stirring, until all the sugar is dissolved. Cool before using. It will keep in a sealed container in the fridge for up to five days.

Edited to add: At a friend’s request, I made these again the weekend this story first appeared in the Calgary Herald. It would be an understatement to say they went over well. This is, hands down, my new favourite summer drink.)

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