Drink of the Day: Gin Garden Cocktail
So happy it’s Friday! For most, it means it’s time to take off the stress of a work week and get in to relaxation mode; a time to settle down and refuel for a couple days. With it being the weekend before the Thanksgiving holiday, it also means getting ready to plan for family and friends. I felt it may be a perfect time to introduce a new cocktail to you, so you can try something unique.
As many of you know, most of the time I am only sharing cocktails that already exist. Every once in a while, I like to throw in something I have created for a brand or a for a particular event in the past. Here’s one that I created earlier this week for a contest. It is made with my favorite mixing gin and a product new to the United States. In fact, this is the third cocktail I have introduced using this product. I am enjoying it so much, and how well it blends with other ingredients, that I wanted to share this with you again. If you are able to get the product where you live, I highly recommend you giving it a try yourself.
Borducan, an orange-based Italian liqueur, has been around since 1872 in Europe and is finally making it here in the United States. There are several states that this is now available. If you use Cointreau or Grand Marnier in cocktails, you have to give this liqueur a try. It has become my favorite of the three. There are several reasons for this. Primarily, I wanted to try it to see how it compared with these two popular cordials in flavor. Knowing how I enjoy these two popular liqueurs, just having it compete at all would have been an accomplishment. But, after trying it, I was amazed at how the orange popped out at you. This is primarily due to not having your taste buds fighting with the base flavor of brandy or cognac. Borducan is sugarbeet based, meaning you are getting the true taste of orange, without the bite. This tastes great alone, (enjoying one while I’m putting this together with a side of coffee by the way), and also blends in well with other ingredients, giving you a nice and refreshing cocktail. Today’s cocktail is a great example of that. If you have this available in your area, you have to try this drink with it.
I came up with this cocktail for a contest for about.com. I won’t know if I have won the contest with this cocktail, but wanted you to be the first to try it. In regards to the egg white I use in the recipe: If you feel uncomfortable imbibing with raw egg, just leave it out. Yes, this ingredient gives you a nice and finished cocktail that has a velvety feel to it, but not having it in your drink doesn’t change the overall flavor. You just won’t have the texture.
This is a gin based cocktail, using an basil infused simple syrup that blends well with the Borducan and Plymouth Gin. I wanted to use ingredients that would compliment the ingredients of the gin well, showing off the back flavors of the spirit and only getting rid of the bite. I think I’ve accomplished just that. I hope you enjoy. Cheers!
Gin Garden
2 oz. Plymouth Gin
3/4 oz. Borducan Italian Orange Liqueur
1/2 oz. Basil Syrup (2:1 water to sugar simmered with basil leaves and a touch of lime juice)
1 Egg White
Twist of Lemon and a sprig of basil for garnish
Method: In a mixing glass, pour the first four ingredients in to measure. Cap with a tin and dry shake (without ice) well. The more you shake, the more foam you will get due to the egg white. Pour into an old fashioned glass filled with ice. Take a lemon rind and twist it over the glass, allowing the oils from the rind to disperse onto the drink. Rub it gently on the rim of the glass before dropping it into the cocktail. Add a sprig of basil for decoration.
This Day in History:
1783 - With the Marquis d’Arlandes, Pilatre de Rozier made the first free-flight in a balloon, reaching a peak altitude of 3000 feet and traveling 5 1/2 miles in 20 minutes.
1922 - Georgia’s Rebecca Felton was sworn in to the Senate, becoming the first woman United States Senator.
1934 - Cole Porter’s musical, Anything Goes, opened in New York City.
1973 - An 18 1/2 minute gap in the Nixon Watergate tapes was revealed.
Notable Birthday:
Actress, Goldie Hawn was born on this date in 1945.
Notable Quote:
“Correction does much, but encouragement does more.” - Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
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Category: Drink of the Day
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