Today is Gin & Tonic Day, a day that reminds us that summer is coming, and there is nothing better than a Gin & Tonic on a beautiful day. Nothing.
But sometimes dinner prep conflicts with happy hour, and let's be real here, even the chef deserves a proper adult beverage! The Kitchen Garden Gin & Tonic is inspired by cooking itself, loaded with fresh herbs traditionally found in savory recipes.
This cocktail calls for Uncle Val's Botanical Gin, a aromatic gin distilled with Juniper, Cucumber, Lavender, Sage, and Lemon. Uncle Val's was inspired by Zio Valerio, a man who loved to cook Tuscan cuisine. For expressive gins such as Uncle Val's I like to build flavors upon one another, using fresh herbs to accentuate the signature flavors.
Unfortunately, not everyone has their own Kitchen Garden continuously bursting with fresh herbs, but thankfully even the most common grocery store has packs of "Poultry Blend" fresh herbs packed with sage, rosemary, and thyme. A sprig of each for each cocktail, a few slices of fresh cucumber, a slice of fresh lime, and two dashes of Lavender Bitters make this G&T complete.
This G&T is extremely simple, leaving it open for interpretation and creative experimentation. Instead of Lavender Bitters one could try Cucumber, instead of lime a big squeeze of fresh Lemon, or even a few drops of Bay Leaf Bitters and a few fresh Bay Leaves as a garnish. The wonderful thing is that Uncle Val's has a wide range of culinary flavors that are wonderful to play with - as one does with savory recipes. The possibilities are endless!
Recently I have been drinking my G&Ts in wide rim glasses, similar to how they do it in Japan, with a slow pour of tonic over the gin, careful not to pour the tonic directly on the ice. This makes the cocktail sweeter and less bitter. Give the drink a long and slow stir, and enjoy.
Kitchen Garden Gin & Tonic
Adapted by Gastronomista
2 oz Uncle Val's Botanical Gin
4 oz Tonic
2-3 Dashes Lavender Bitters
Fresh Herb Bouquet: Sage, Rosemary, Thyme
Fresh Cucumber Slices
Fresh Lime Slices
Build in a large tumbler over quality ice. Add gin and bitters, followed by tonic, careful not to pour the tonic directly on the ice. Garnish with a bouquet of fresh herbs, a few slices of cucumber, and a lime wheel.
-sponsored-
This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Uncle Val's Botanical Gin. All opinions are 100% mine.
This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Uncle Val's Botanical Gin. All opinions are 100% mine.
Thank you for supporting the brands that make this blog possible.
