Photo: Gray Whale Gin
The weather just has to become spring-like at some point soon, right? So whether you might like to mix up a drink for an upcoming holiday or special occasion, or just want to raise a glass to warmer weather and the promise of the season ahead, you’re going to want a few fresh ideas to shake or stir things up.
What cocktails do you usually mix up? If you’re like many Minnesotans, the Old Fashioned is your drink of choice, according to a survey conducted on behalf of NoDepositFriend.com. According to the research, we are not alone here as the Old Fashioned, a 128-year-old cocktail originating from Kentucky, which is known as the “original cocktail,” holds the top spot as the favored cocktail in the nation. I included the Old Fashioned is my roundup of cocktails in honor of Father’s Day last summer, if you would like to check out that recipe and more. (To learn what the most popular cocktails are in each state, they used Google Trends to analyze the search volumes for 100 of the best-known cocktails over the past 12 months. They also conducted a nationwide survey of 1,768 adults over the age of 21 who report consuming at least one alcoholic beverage per month. See more on the survey here.)
If you like to do some good for the planet while enjoying an adult beverage (and think ahead to Earth Day on April 22), the California-based Gray Whale Gin gives back 1% from every bottle purchased through a partnership with Oceana, the largest organization in the world devoted to ocean conservation. The small-batch gin is a celebration of the gray whale’s annual 12,000-mile migration from the warm lagoons of Baja, California, to the cool waters of the Arctic. The gin is made with sustainably sourced and wild-harvested botanicals foraged along the migratory path, including juniper (Big Sur), limes (Temecula Valley), fir trees (Sonoma), sea kelp (Mendocino Coast), mint (Santa Cruz), and almonds (Central Valley).
Want to try tequila- or bourbon-based drinks? April is also National Brunch Month, which includes Easter on April 9, so the folks with Cantera Negra Tequila and Bib & Tucker Small Batch Bourbon shared cocktails including a step beyond the classic mimosa and a different twist for bourbon. Here’s to spring!
Photo: Gray Whale Gin
Whale Hello There
Makes 1
2 ounces Gray Whale Gin
½ ounce fresh lime juice
½ ounce fresh lemon juice
½ ounce agave syrup
Lemon twist, for garnish
Fill a cocktail shaker with ice and pour in the gin, lime juice, lemon juice and agave. Shake vigorously and strain into a chilled coupe or martini glass, or strain over a rocks glass filled with ice. Garnish with a lemon twist and serve immediately.
Whale Flower
Makes 1
2 ounces Gray Whale Gin
½ ounce elderflower liqueur
2 ounces grapefruit juice
Splash soda water
Grapefruit wedge and lavender sprig, for garnish
Combine Gray Whale Gin, elderflower liqueur, and grapefruit juice into a shaker with ice and shake. Fine strain into a glass over fresh ice and add a splash of soda water. Garnish with grapefruit wedge and lavender sprig.
Photo: Gray Whale Gin
Golden State of Mind
Makes 1
1½ ounces Gray Whale Gin
¾ ounce Aperol
½ ounce fresh lemon juice
¼ ounce simple syrup
2 ounces grapefruit kombucha
Grapefruit peel, for garnish
Combine all ingredients, except kombucha, into a shaking tin. Shake, then pour cocktail over ice in a Collins glass. Top with grapefruit kombucha, and garnish with a grapefruit peel.
Photo: Cantera Negra Reposado Tequila
Cantera Negra Blood Orange Mimosa
Makes 1
1 ounce Cantera Negra Reposado Tequila
1 ounce Aperol
2 ounces freshly squeezed blood orange juice
Champagne or sparkling wine, to top
Blood orange wheel, to garnish
Shake all ingredients (minus champagne) in a shaker. Strain into a highball glass over ice. Slowly add champagne to fill. Garnish with a blood orange wheel.
Photo: Bib & Tucker Small Batch Bourbon
Whiskey Crusta
Makes 1
1½ ounces Bib & Tucker Small Batch Bourbon
½ ounce 1883 Maison Routin Apple Syrup
¼ ounce Luxardo Maraschino
¼ lemon
2 dashes Fee Brothers Old Fashioned Bitters
Lemon peel, for garnish
Shake ingredients with ice and strain into glass with a sugar-crusted rim. Garnish with a long lemon peel.
