Shade is a small miracle on hot summer evenings so sit on down and refresh yourself…
Picture courtesy of: trailblogs.wordpress.com
I haven’t done a gin cocktail for a while now, which is odd as I have a rather full bottle of Plymouth Gin (42%) in my cupboard. So it made sense to try a few out and this one stuck in my mind…
Mixing ginger ale (if you haven’t guessed it’s my favourite mixer) and lemon juice with this gin was a master stroke. Whilst the cocktail should work with any gin, there was something about this gin that made using it the first stop for any future attempts (it may have been the slightly increased alcohol content of 42% – most gins are around 37.5-40%).
Regardless of the reason for this difference the cocktail was refreshing and had the usual heat and crisp taste Ginger ale brings to the table, but with enough sweetness from the sugar to balance out the lemons sharpness.
This drink is perfect for the final days of summer, should we have any summer weather left (it’s pouring with rain as I type this).
Here’s the recipe:
Shady Grove Recipe
2 measures Gin
1 measure Fresh Squeezed Lemon Juice
1 teaspoon Caster Sugar
Top up Ginger Ale
Picture courtesy of: http://www.pinckneybend.com
Method:
1) Shake the first 3 ingredients over ice vigorously (to help dissolve the sugar).
2) Strain into an ice filled tall glass.
3) Top up with Ginger Ale and garnish with a slice of lemon and 2 slices of fresh ginger.
This cocktail works well as a refreshing after dinner drink, but also as a standalone summer evening drink. You can add small amounts of liqueurs into the shaker to help flavour the drink lightly (try around 7ml/1 teaspoon), for example the use of Chambord will add a slightly sweet raspberry taste whereas the addition of Licor 43 (Cuarenta Y Tres) will add a Vanilla taste but with added undercurrents of citrus (with help from the use of the lemon).
Fervent Shaker Top Tip: Using a martini cocktail glass and leaving out the ginger ale is a good way of shortening this drink and allowing for a more robust taste affair. For an added Ginger hit, use a teaspoon of Domaine De Canton Ginger Liqueur. Also garnish with a stick of fresh/stem Ginger.
Fervent Fact: The use of sugar in this drink adds a slightly course taste, but for those who like their gin cocktails smoother try using Agave Nectar or Sugar syrup (the use of flavoured syrups are favourites in my book, but a double measure of a sweet liqueur would work just as well).
Until next time, why not check out these great blogs I found recently…
The Fervent Shaker 