This month’s Mixology Monday topic is Ginger, hosted over at rumdood.com. His announcement reads as follows:
On June 15, Mixology Monday: Ginger will occur at cocktail blogs around the world! For the MxMo:Ginger, participation is relatively simple.
- Find or concoct a cocktail recipe that uses ginger in one of its many forms as an ingredient. This can be muddled ginger, sliced ginger, ginger syrup, ginger beer (commercial or homemade), ginger liqueur, ginger candy, or pieces of a shredded photo of Ginger from Gilligan’s Island.
- Make this recipe, take a picture of it, and then post the recipe, your thoughts about the recipe, and your photo on your blog or at the eGullet Spirits and Cocktails forum.
- Post a link to your submission in the comments here, or send me an email using the“Contact” form.
Do all of the above by 11:59:59 PM on June 15 and you’re a shoe-in to become part of the round-up.
I’ve been doing some thinking about this one. My first Mixology Monday was done in haste, but this time I’ve got… well, some time. So do you, but that time is quickly ticking away!
I first thought about homemade ginger syrup, a shrubb, or something of the like. However, my day (and sometimes night) job only allows me just so much time (here with go with that damned time factor again!) for experimentation. I finally decided to so something fairly simple, with ingredients that were readily available. Apples and Ginger…..gin…..lemon….hmmm, it started to take shape. Here’s what I came up with:
“a yet unnamed cocktail…”
2 oz London Dry Gin (I used Bombay Sapphire)
1 oz Martini and Rossi Extra Dry Vermouth
3/4 oz Domaine de Canton Ginger Liqueur
3/4 oz Laird’s Bonded Apple Brandy
1 oz freshly-squeezed lemon juice
3-4 dashes Fee Brother’s West Indian Orange Bitters
Shake all with ice and strain into a pre-chilled (frosty) cocktail glass. Garnish with a long, thin piece of lemon peel.
After fighting off the urge to simply give in to self-doubt, I tasted this interesting-looking drink. It was pretty damn good, if I must say. Not too sweet, balanced with the tartness of the lemon, ginger, and subtle hints of apple coming through. Gin makes a fine base for many classic cocktails, and that’s why I chose it. Vermouth keeps the gin’s sometimes overtly herbal character in check, and allows the other ingredients to shine through. I hope you will try this cocktail and please let me know how it goes for you.
