The Rainy Lemon Cocktail

Today was a rainy day. I decided to combat that with a cocktail that was bright, and reflected a warm, sunny day, with a nice breeze, out on a nearby lake somewhere… or on the ocean. What I got was a gin cocktail, filled with the sunshine associated with summer. For me, bourbon is much more wintery. It has that warmth that spreads through the back of the throat, through the esophagus, and into the gut. Gin has a brighter feeling, and, in me at least, it stays in the mouth, enlivening the flavors surrounding in order to make a cocktail that tastes like summer. Along with the absinthe, which, to me, is a need in most gin cocktails, and the honey liqueur, it creates the perfect balance on a rainy day… when all I wanted was a little sunshine. I hope you find yourself drinking this on a sunny day, or on a rainy one, like I did.  

Ingredients:

1 1/2 part Seneca Drums Gin

1 part Barenjager Honey Liqueur

1/2 part St. George Absinthe

1/2 lemon, for garnish peel and juice

5 dashes orange bitters

Directions:

Peel off a long strip of lemon peel with a pairing knife. Reserve for garnish. 

Add pebble ice three-quarters up the way of a shaker. Add gin, liqueur, absinthe, and bitters. Squeeze in juice from the half of the lemon that you got the twist from. Shake until shaker is ice cold and sweating starts to form. Strain into a champagne flute with a stem. Garnish with that twist of lemon.

Serving Suggestions:

Pork roast, quinoa salad, quiche.