Introducing the Spanish Gin and Tonic
This is the first of what I hope will be a very, very long-running series.
Because cocktails, that’s why.
I’ll confess that my usual drink is nothing fancy: Scotch poured into a glass without ice. Or vodka poured into a glass with ice.
But sometimes it’s fun to get a little more creative with it.
So on the inaugural “Cocktails with VodkaPundit,” join my lovely bride, Melissa, and me in recreating the sort-of Spanish-themed gin and tonics we had a while back at an amazing tapas restaurant in Austin.
You’ll need:
- A very good gin — I’m using Lee Spirits Dry Gin, distilled just down the road from here
- Fever-Tree tonic
- Whole star anise
- Cinnamon sticks
- Juniper berries
- Basil
- Clementine segments
- Clementine peels
- Small rosemary sprigs
And, really, almost anything that catches your fancy. I’m dying to see what we might be able to do with fresh lavender (not too much!), or cucumber, or maybe even pomegranate.
I just had a thought: Basil and cantaloupe, gently muddled together. Use that as the base of another G&T, and serve it with some Jamón-based appetizer.
Are you getting hungry and thirsty, too?
The real fun — and we’re going to try this out with family and friends this Labor Day weekend — is laying out a spread of tasty things, and letting your guests build their own.
Think of it as a Bloody Mary bar but for evening cocktails instead of brunch.
Enjoy!
Next Week: I’ll reveal the high-quality cocktail hidden deep inside the overdone (and usually overly-sweet) margarita.
P.S. If the debut episode of Cocktails with VodkaPundit seems a little rough — bear with me. It started off as a last-minute demo tape, not meant for public consumption, but then Melissa insisted all those ingredients she’d bought not go to waste. Who am I to argue with that?
