Summer Sippers:
GIN PUNCH
6 navel oranges, cut into quarter-wheels
6 lemons, cut into quarter-wheels
3 limes, cut into wheels
1 pint fresh raspberries
1 pineapple, cut into 1-inch cubes
750 ml gin
1 ¾ cups fresh lemon juice
1 ¼ cup simple syrup (1:1)
½ cup orgeat (almond) syrup
1 cup crème de framboise
3 cups water
750 ml brut sparkling wine
Ice block
Combine all the fruit in a large punch bowl. Add the gin, juice, syrups, crème de framboise and water. Refrigerate for at least 4-5 hours. Just before serving, add the sparkling wine and decorative ice block.
- Speakeasy: Classic Cocktails Reimagined from New York’s Employees Bar, by Jason Kosmas and Dushan Zaric
the GIN BREEZE
2 oz. coconut water
1 oz. gin
1 tbsp fresh lime juice
1 tsp honey
Combine the coconut water, gin, lime juice and honey in a glass or cocktail shaker. Stir or shake until the honey is dissolved. Pour over ice. Garnish with a lime wedge and serve cold.
CUCUMBER YUM-YUM COCKTAIL
12 eighth-inch thick slices English cucumber, divided
10 fresh raspberries, divided
¼ cup gin
¼ cup acacia honey
2 tbsp (scant) aquavit
2 tbsp (scant) fresh lime juice
Muddle 10 cucumber slices and 8 raspberries in cocktail shaker. Add gin, honey, aquavit and lime juice. Shake vigorously 20 times. Fill two old-fashioned glasses with crushed ice. Strain cucumber mixture into glasses, dividing equally. Garnish each drink with 1 cucumber slice and 1 raspberry.
- Bon Appetit, June 2012
BEST MAN’S BRUNCH
1 ½ oz. Back River Gin
¾ oz. fresh lemon juice
1 tsp horseradish (to taste)
Two grinds of black pepper
¼ tsp celery salt
4 dashes hot-pepper sauce
4 oz. tomato juice
Add ice and gently combine or stir. Garnish with pickled vegetables, an olive, lime wedge or anything else that seems appropriate.
- Andrew Volk, Maine Magazine
the AVIATION
2 oz. gin
½ oz. freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/3 oz. maraschino liqueur
Shake well with ice, then strain into a chilled martini glass.
- Bloomberg Business Week, 26 July – 1 August 2010
BOURBON SLUSH
12 oz. frozen lemonade concentrate
6 oz. frozen orange juice concentrate
2 cups sugar
2 cups strong hot tea
2 cups bourbon
7 cups water
Ginger ale or lemon-lime soda to taste
In a lidded, freezer-proof container or two (Tupperware or Rubbermaid pitchers work well), stir together all ingredients except ginger ale until thoroughly blended. The concentrate should not be pre-diluted with water and unflavored black tea is best, like Red Rose or Lipton.
Place container(s) in freezer overnight -- or at least 4-6 hours – depending on your appliance. It should be firm all the way through, but will not freeze completely solid.
Scoop about ½ to ¾ cup of slush into a tumbler, top with ginger ale or lemon-lime soda to taste and serve.
- Constance Bodine, owner of Sweetgrass Winery & Distillery
FRENCH 75
- 2 oz. Back River Gin
- 1 tsp simple syrup
- ½ oz. fresh lemon juice
- 4 oz. sparkling wine
- Lemon slices for garnish
- Add the first three ingredients, along with a handful of ice, to a cocktail shaker and shake well. Strain into a tall glass (like a Collins glass) filled half with ice. Top with the sparkling wine and garnish with lemon slices.
HEMINGWAY DAIQUIRI
2 oz. rum
¾ oz. lime juice
½ oz. grapefruit juice
½ oz. maraschino liqueur
Lime wheel, for garnish
In a cocktail shaker, combine all ingredients (except garnish) with ice. Shake well, and strain into a chilled coupe glass. Garnish with lime wheel.
- Wine Enthusiast, June 2015
IMPERIAL PUNCH ROYALE
3 ½ - 3 ¾ lb pineapple: peeled, cored, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 cups brandy
½ cup sugar
2 oranges
½ cup boiling water
½ cup fresh lime juice
½ cup tawny port
¼ cup maraschino liqueur
Ice ring with orange and lime slices (instructions follow)
2 cups chilled Prosecco, or other sparkling wine
1 cup (or more) chilled sparkling water (optional)
Start this recipe one day ahead!
For the ice ring: Layer orange and lime slices in the bottom of a Bundt pan. Weigh them down with handfuls of ice cubes. Fill pan with water and freeze overnight.
1. Place pineapple pieces in large bowl. Pour brandy over; cover and let pineapple soak at room temperature overnight (at least 10 hours).
2. Place sugar in medium bowl. Using vegetable peeler, remove peel from oranges in strips (avoiding the pith). Add orange peel to sugar and mash or muddle until sugar is soft and moist and light orange in color (about 3 minutes). Add boiling water and stir until sugar dissolves. Strain mixture, reserving orange syrup. Discard orange peel.
3. Strain pineapple mixture into large bowl, reserving brandy. Discard pineapple. Add ¼ cup orange syrup, lime juice, tawny port and maraschino liqueur to brandy. Cover and chill at least 2 hours. Keep chilled.
4. Just before serving, transfer punch mixture to punch bowl; add ice ring to bowl. Stir in Prosecco. Add sparkling water, if desired, and serve.
- Bon Appetit
the LELAND PALMER
½ cup honey
½ cup hot water
3 cups freshly brewed jasmine tea, cooled
¾ cup gin
¾ cup limoncello
¾ cup fresh lemon juice
½ cup fresh grapefruit juice
1 cup chilled club soda
6 lemon slices, for garnish
Stir honey and hot water in small bowl until honey dissolves. Cool completely.
Combine honey water, jasmine tea, gin, limoncello, lemon juice and grapefruit juice in a large pitcher. Add club soda and stir to blend.
Fill six 1-pint mason jars with ice cubes. Divide tea mixture among jars; top with lemon slice.
- Andrew Knowlton, The Mix, Bon Appetit
-
Lime Rickeys with Cilantro
1 ½ cups limeade
¾ cups gin
5 tbsp superfine sugar
3 limes, cut into rounds
3 cups club soda
Lime wedges, for garnish
Cilantro sprigs, for garnish
Combine limeade, gin, sugar and limes in a large pitcher. Refrigerate at least 1 hour. Add club soda. Serve over ice, garnished with lime wedges and cilantro sprigs. Serves 6 to 8.
- Martha Stewart
MELLOW YELLOW
1 oz. limoncello
1 oz. gin
Club soda
Combine spirits in a tall glass. Top with ice and club soda. Garnish with a sprig of fresh rosemary or thyme.
- Wine Enthusiast, April 2015
MISS SCARLET
1 ½ oz. gin
½ oz. fresh lime juice
¼ oz. Cynar (Italian bitter herbal liqueur)
¾ oz. grenadine
1 dash angostura bitters
Combine ingredients in a shaker and shake with ice until chilled. Strain into a chilled coupe.
- Doug Phillips, Imbibe Magazine, May/June 2015
RED SANGRIA
1 bottle inexpensive red wine
Apples
Oranges
1 lemon
1 lime
(White) rum
Coconut rum
Peach nectar
No instructions given.
- Al, from New Jersey
the SALTY DOG
(Served without a salted rim, this cocktail is called a GREYHOUND.)
Kosher salt
½ cup gin (or vodka)
¾ cup fresh grapefruit juice
Pour salt onto small plate. Moisten rims of two highball glasses. Gently dip rims into salt to coat lightly. Fill glasses with ice cubes. Pour ¼ cup gin (or vodka) over ice in each glass. Divide grapefruit juice between glasses and serve.
- Bon Appetit, July 2012
SICILIAN 75
1 oz. gin
1 oz. fresh blood orange juice or blood orange liqueur
¼ oz. Campari
½ oz. simple syrup
Prosecco to top
Blood orange wedge, for garnish
Shake first four ingredients with ice and strain into a Champagne flute. Top with Prosecco and garnish.
- Mayur Subbarao, Wine Enthusiast
SUMMER BREEZE
1/3 cup pineapple juice
¼ cup pink grapefruit juice
2 oz. gin
Fresh mint leaves
Seltzer
Combine juices, gin and mint leaves in a large glass. Add ice and top with seltzer.
TOM COLLINS
2 ½ ounces gin
1 ounce lemon juice
1 tsp superfine sugar
3 ounces of club soda
1 cherry
1 slice of orange
In a shaker filled with ice, combine the gin, lemon juice and sugar. Shake well. Strain into a Collins glass filled three-quarters with ice. Top with club soda and stir several times. Garnish with the cherry and orange slice.
- Mike Dawson, the Crush, Wine Enthusiast, July 2015
VEGITINI
2 oz. Back River Gin
“A whisper” of dry vermouth
2 pickled green beans
Served on the rocks.
- Dale Smith, via facebook
VESPER
Back River Gin
Vodka
Lillet Blanc
A classic. Served shaken, not stirred.
- Bob Herczeg, Bar manager at Falmouth Country Club (Fall 2012)
a WARM SUMMERS DAY
6 sugar-snap peas
8 to 10 basil leaves
4 slices cucumber
2 oz. gin
1/3 oz. simple syrup
1/3 oz. fresh lime juice
Cucumber peel, as garnish
Muddle the cucumber, basil and peas in a mixing glass. Add gin, lime juice and syrup and shake well. Double strain into a chilled coupe. To garnish: wrap cucumber peel around your index finger, make a small cut in the middle and place on the edge of the glass.
- Jesper Strauss