Sun kissed afternoons, cocktail in hand, surrounded by nothing but the laughter of your closest mates, an Otis Redding playlist, and the whistling breeze of the wind. I’m talking about perfection, people. The perfection that comes with summertime. Picnics and barbecues, laying out by the pool with friends, and toasting to the season are high on my list. And while I generally opt to whet my whistle with a glass of rosé or crisp Sauvignon Blanc, sometimes the day calls for a cocktail. Cue The TIG Cup. Having a love of all things Brit, I wanted to do a twist on their signature Pimm’s Cup. Using cues from the season, with fresh and vibrant farmers’ market ingredients, this drink will whet your whistle and keep you cool during those long summer days turned nights. This is a guaranteed crowd pleaser, and a nod to the fresh picked flavors of the season. Cheers!
INGREDIENTS
Basically, you build your glass with seasonal farmers market ingredients to create a fresh and herbaceous nod to summer. Any or all of the above listed ingredients are great, but the key pieces are citrus and herbs. If you don’t have grapefruit, lemon works. No radish, no problem.
DIRECTIONS
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- Stack a sprinkling of the cucumber/mint/celery/radish/lime into the glass. Fill glass with ice.
- In a shaker, add a couple ounces of gin and a splash of the maraschino cherry liqueur.
Don’t be scared on the name of the latter – I personally loathe syrupy sweet drinks but this has just enough of a subtle sweetness that it really acts as more of a back note in the drink. Plus the maraschino cherry of it all reminds me of drinking Shirley temples as a little girl. My, have we grown up.
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- Shake the alcohols hard with ice.
- Back to your glass – pour a two count of tonic and a three count of soda water.
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I don’t gravitate to the taste of tonic so I always go heavier on the soda, but feel free to reverse the measurements of these two, or play around with it to taste.
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- Strain the gin and liqueur mixture into the two glasses, splitting equally. Finish each drink with a twist of the grapefruit over the top.
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This is also a great and easy drink to make as a pitcher for friends
Special thanks to Liz of THR&Co for crafting this amazing signature TIG Cup with me on eTalk. Cheers to summer-summer-summer time!