July 2018 – Trust The Devil You Know

Gin Days Of Summer: Lemon Lavender Gin and Tonic

Gin and Tonic, the quintessential summer cocktail, made famous by Ernest Hemmingway and rumored to prevent Malaria.

It doesn’t, but nothing refreshes the soul at the end of a hot day on the Dark Continent like a Gin & Tonic .

Hemmingway drank a Gin & Tonic and he killed himself on a Sunday in Idaho. There may have been a different reason why.

What’s in a Gin & Tonic, you ask?

Well…. Gin and Tonic. See there, that’s an easy one.

But wait, what if this self explanatory cocktail could be improved upon?

I present for your consideration the Lemon Lavender Gin & Tonic.

Hemingway would never daisy-up his liquor with girly things like Lemon and Lavender but no one asked him. You know, because he’s dead.

Follow the flowchart:

In an empty glass, muddle a sprig of fresh Lavender with a good size slice of lemon. I did not add sugar to the mix, but you could if you wanted. Incidentally, Tonic Water usually has quite a bit of sugar in it already.

Fill the glass with ice.

Top with Tonic Water.

Either serve with a cocktail straw or stir with a spoon. All the good stuff is at the bottom.

Garnish with a lemon wedge and a sprig of Lavender, preferably one with flowers.

Fresh homegrown lavender. — Home grown Lavender, fresh from my yard.

This flavor set may not be for everyone, but I found it to be nice. Earthy and fresh. Drunk on aromatherapy, you could say.

Lemon Lavender Gin and Tonic Summer Cocktail

Grown-up Dessert: Orange Cream Bourbon Float

Orange Cream Bourbon Float

It’s like party punch from the church basement but with an evil twist.

Now, you could use standard issue orange sherbet but I think my option is better; Dryer’s Orange Sherbet / Vanilla Ice Cream blend. It’s got the orange and the cream all under one roof.

Follow the flowchart:

Sherbet/Ice Cream goes in the glass first. Use as much as you like. I say pile up the scoops to the top of the glass.

1.5 oz shot of Bourbon. Pour the bourbon directly over the sherbet. I used Jack Daniels but feel free to use any kind you like.

Top off with Orange Cream flavored seltzer water. Pour slowly and down the side of the glass because it will foam, a lot.

Garnish with a slice of orange and fresh cherries.

Jack Daniels Ice Cream Float

Gin Days Of Summer: Lemon Rosemary Cucumber Collins

Rosemary Lemon Collins Gin Cocktail

The Lemon Basil Collins was exceptional, and I do love me some Basil, but…this Lemon Rosemary Cucumber Collins smells and tastes like Heaven’s Happy Hour. Like Castiel swooped down in his trench coat and said, “Here, drink this to exorcise demons. You’re welcome.”

Like the Basil, the Rosemary is also from my yard, which makes it just that much better.

Organic Rosemary, garden grown in New Mexico — Rosemary growing in my yard.

This drink is more savory than sweet, for those us who don’t always like our alcohol to taste like candy.

Follow the flowchart:

In an otherwise empty glass add one slice of lemon, 2 teaspoons of sugar, and one sprig of fresh Rosemary.

Muddle muddle muddle… the more you muddle, the more flavor is released from the Rosemary. Muddle muddle muddle.

On top of the now muddled mess of Lemon, sugar, and Rosemary, add several slices or chunks of cucumber and fill the glass with ice.

Add 1.5 oz shot of Gin.

Top off with unsweetened Lemon flavored seltzer water.

Stir, cause all the good stuff is at the bottom.

Garnish with a Lemon wedge and another sprig of fresh Rosemary.

Buckle up for some serious yum!

Lemon Rosemary Collins Gin Cocktail ingredients

Gin Days Of Summer: Lemon Basil Collins

Lemon Basil Collins Gin Cocktail

The Lemon Basil Collins, it’s truly a magical creation.

But you have to understand, I love Basil. I mean, I love Basil more than most people. Like, wwaaayyyy more.

This cocktail is bright, crisp, and refreshing. Absolutely perfect for a hot summer afternoon in New Mexico.

Fresh organic Basil, garden grown in New Mexico. — I even grew the Basil in my yard.

Follow the flowchart:

At the bottom of an otherwise empty glass add:

1 slice lemon

1.5 teaspoons sugar

Several Basil leaves.

Muddle until the Basil leaves show signs of bruising, which will release the flavor from the leaves.

On top of the the muddled lemon, sugar, and basil, fill the glass with ice.

Add 1.5 oz shot of Gin.

Top with unsweetened lemon flavored seltzer water.

Stir.

Garnish with a slice of lemon and a sprig of fresh basil.
Lemon Basil Gin Cocktail

Gin Days Of Summer: Orange Cream Collins

Orange Cream Collins Gin Cocktail You really can’t go wrong mixing Gin with most any type of citrus. Although the traditional Tom Collins is not a sweet drink (being only Gin, lemon juice, and club soda), thus far my drinks have all been pretty sweet. My series of Collins-ish cocktails was born out of an effort to make Xavier happy. He’s a fan of sweet and he told me he was on a mission for the “Perfect Tom Collins”.

I may not have mentioned it previously but in my younger days, I spent three years working as a bartender in Las Vegas, Nevada. I even attended a private bartending academy so I could be grossly overqualified for deflecting pervy old men, opening beers and pouring shots in my local neighborhood bar.

All that wasted mixology knowledge, sitting around collecting dust for the last twenty years, has finally found something to do.

I couldn’t say if I prefer the Cherry Limeade Collins to this Orange Cream Collins, as they’re both terrific, but here’s the recipe for the Orange Cream Collins.

In a glass of ice, mix the following in this order:

1.5 oz shot of Gin.

2 splashes of lime juice.

Top off with Orange Cream flavored seltzer water.

Stir. Don’t do anything else until you stir.

Garnish with a slice of orange and two maraschino cherries.

Pour in about a teaspoon of cherry juice from the jar (or Grenadine). The cherry juice will sink to the bottom creating a pretty layered effect.

Orange Cream Collins Gin Cocktail ingredients

P.S. It is not necessary to break the bank on these drinks. As you can see in the pictures, the cherries, lime juice, and seltzer water are all Wal-Mart house brand and are pretty inexpensive. The Gin came from Wal-Mart too and cost about $5.75 for a 750ml bottle. Obviously, there are higher quality Gins on the market but Caliber London Dry Gin is not bad for making mixed drinks where there are many other flavors at play.

Gin Days Of Summer: Cherry Limeade Collins

Cherry Limeade Collins Gin Cocktail Recipe

Who needs Sonic when you can make your own “adult” cherry limeade at home?

Here is my recipe for a Gin Cherry Limeade Collins.

In a glass of ice add the following in this order:

1.5 oz shot of Gin

2 or 3 splashes of lime juice.

Top off with Cherry Limeade flavored seltzer water.

Stir. Don’t add anything else until you stir.

Garnish with a slice of lime. Be sure to rub the lime all around the mouth of the glass, leaving behind as much pulp as possible.

Add two maraschino cherries.

Pour in about 2 teaspoons worth of cherry juice from the jar (could also use Grenadine). The cherry juice will settle to the bottom, creating a lovely layered effect.

These are unreasonably delicious and go down fast. Remember to pace yourself so as not to end up face down on the table.

Gin Cherry Limeade Cocktail Recipe

Gin Days Of Summer: Albuquerque Breaking Blue Collins

Albuquerque Breaking Blue Collins Gin Cocktail Recipe

Here in Los Lunas, New Mexico it’s hot. Like, 5th ring of hell hot. The last week of June it was over 100 degrees every day.

I love wine but when the summer is this hot, it’s time to cool things down so I’ve created a series of terrifically delicious Gin based cocktails based on the Tom Collins. Variations on a theme, if you will.

First up is the Albuquerque Breaking Blue Collins!

Here’s the recipe:

In a glass of ice, mix the following in this order.

1.5oz shot of gin

I don’t measure the other stuff, so flavor to taste.

On top of the gin add a splash (or 3) of lime juice.

Top off with Sparkling ICE Blue Raspberry – it comes in a skinny bottle and most grocery stores carry it with the flavored sparkling water. (see photo below)

Stir. Don’t add anything else until you stir!

Garnish with half a slice of lime – be sure to rub the lime all over the mouth of the glass, leaving behind as much pulp as possible.

Add two maraschino cherries.

Last step – pour in a small amount of cherry juice from the jar. Make sure that the drink has already been stirred because if you stir it after the cherry juice goes in, it defeats the purpose. The cherry juice will sink to the bottom, creating a lovely layered effect.

Fair warning: if you drink one, you will want another!
Albuquerque Breaking Blue Collins Gin Cocktail Recipe