It’s the end of March and I’m crossing my fingers the Northeast doesn’t get any surprise snow, because I am over it. But today is a gorgeous, sunny day with a little bit of a nip in the air. It’s the perfect weather to make a stiff drink at 11am and take some book photos.
What? You mean you don’t do that on Thursday mornings? Just me?
This month’s inspiration comes from Eva Leigh’s Counting on a Countess! Redheadedgirl recently read it and I recommend checking out her review. She says it’s a great balm if you’re going through Poldark withdrawals.
For the drink, I wanted to make something green because I’m totally in love with the colors on the cover. Seriously, it’s beautiful. I also look rather good in green, if I do say so myself.
I wanted to use a smoother liquor because the hero, Kit, is quite charming when he wants to be. The first time we meet him, he’s entertaining two very eager women. And, while I’m a vodka girl, gin tends to go down reaaaal easy. So gin + greenish hue: we’ve got ourselves a gimlet, folks!
I made a modified gimlet because it’s no fun just copying a standard recipe. I’m calling this one “The Pleasure Garden.” Kit dreams of building one and to be honest, one of these drinks and you’ll think a pleasure garden is the perfect place to get your buzz on.
For the lime juice component in a typical gimlet, I wanted to use key lime juice, which I tend to have on hand since I love making key lime pies. But I realized that I had key lemon juice and that wasn’t what I wanted. In a pinch, I had concentrated lime juice but I would definitely recommend fresh juice instead.
Additionally, I wanted a sour component for the heroine, Tamsyn. She has bite and grit and is pretty sneaky. She’s a smuggler and isn’t exactly honest about it with Kit.
The drink is smooth, sour, and guarantees a puckering of the lips!
Shopping list:
Gin
Sour apple liqueur
Lime juice
Sugar
Water
Proportions:
2 oz gin
1 oz sour apple liqueur
1 oz lime juice
1/2 oz simple syrup
Recipe for simple syrup:
- I make my simple syrup in a 1:1 ratio.
- Take one cup of water for every one cup of sugar and pour it into a saucepan. Increase the amounts as needed.
- Stir the mixture regularly over medium heat until all the sugar is dissolved. You don’t want the water to boil or simmer.
- Pour into a jar or other container to let cool in the fridge. It’s a great thing to make ahead and just have on hand!
Directions:
- Combine all ingredients in a shaker full of ice.
- Stir! No shaking this time.
- Strain into a glass
Modifications and notes:
- As I noted before, definitely use fresh lime juice if you can.
- The above sour apple liqueur was the only one I could find in my local store. I wish it was a little more sour, so perhaps try something else.
- If it’s too sour for you, add more simple syrup.
- If you have key lime juice on hand, use that in place of regular lime juice and do let me know how it goes.
Cheers!
I’ve always preferred vodka and tequila, but this might just make me try gin. It looks and sounds delicious.
Years ago I discovered a bottle of Midori liqueur in my dad’s stash. Gorgeous green color, melon flavored & sweet. Originally I just drank it over ice with Sprite (gimme a break, I was a teenager and didn’t know any better). Nowadays I’d probably do a Margarita variation or a sour.
@kitkat9000: I love Midori! I used to drink Midori sours all the time.
The drink does look delicious! Gin and sour apple together has to be tasty. And there’s that book again, taunting me. 🙂
If I were the drinking type, I would certainly give this a try. It sounds delicious!
Hi! I was out buying gin yesterday for a cucumber based drink that my daughter wants to make. The fellow in the shop directed me to a brand of gin (Empress 1908 – I have a photo of the bottle if you want to see it) that, when mixed with tonic, turns a lavender color. I’ll let you know how that works out. I hope it doesn’t turn color when mixed with seltzer and cucumber, or we’ll be having one ugly drink on Sunday.