Right. What’d I Miss?

Humblest (and at this rate, perpetual) apologies for all the dead time. I’m officially a year from my graduation and I’m a little strung out.

Excuses excuses.

I’m thinking very seriously (because I am a very serious man) about making and sharing a classy* holiday-themed cocktail list later this month if I can get around to making and photographing all of them before said holiday is up.  In the meantime, here’s a teaser:

*(”classy” in the sense that the majority are not chock-full of peppermint schnapps and garnished with candy canes or laden with super-rich eggnog).

The Red Queen

•  2.5 oz London dry gin

•  3 dashes Peychaud Bitters

•  1/8 oz peppercorn simple syrup

•  2-3 fresh basil leaves

Add basil leaves, simple syrup and Peychaud bitters to a mixing glass and press together firmly but gently so as only to release the oils from the basil without tearing the leaves (over-muddling causes the flavor to be too intense and anise-laden while also resulting in unsightly floaty bits of basil in the cocktail glass).  Next, add ice and gin and stir thoroughly until well chilled and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a basil sprig or leaf.

Always been a sucker for basil; and I love the contrast of colors in this one.  Don’t let the connotation of bright-red drinks fool you, here; between the Paychauds, basil and inherent character the gin, the herbaceousness of this really dominates the palate (basil, anise, red and black pepper, lavander, etc.).  A great before or after-dinner tipple, if I do say so myself.

And on to the next…