| « Carnivores, Don't Be Afraid of the Veg! | Heartland Cafe Shuttered by City Health Department » |
Drink Fri Mar 13 2009
Happy Hour: The Fitzgerald
I've recently become a fan of gin. When I first started drinking, vodka and rum were more my liquors of choice. I did try a gin and tonic once but didn't like the flavor--the gin was a little too much (or maybe too cheap) for me. I also associated gin with old ladies and the Queen Mother, and since I was definitely not either, I snubbed gin.
Then came the vodka martini craze, which meant drinking in happiness. Now that pre-Prohibition and classic cocktails are all the rage, vodka has taken a backseat in my life. Why? Vodka isn't that classic.
My 1947 Trader Vic Bartender's Guide is 437 pages. Exactly two of them contain recipes for vodka drinks, a total of four recipes in all. Vodka apparently wasn't very popular back in the day because it doesn't have any distinct flavor or scent. If it didn't have either of those, why bother drinking it?
Needless to say, I wasn't convinced. Then I went to the Whistler, and their limited cocktail menu didn't contain any vodka drinks at all. So I tried a gin drink and was pleasantly surprised by how good and flavorful it was. I continued experimenting with gin, and I find that I've really taken to it (or maybe I'm just turning into an old lady).
I got this recipe from a Diageo kiosk that was set up at Binny's in Lakeview, and it's a variation on the Gin Rickey, which was writer F. Scott Fitzgerald's favorite drink.
.75 oz lemon juice
1 oz simple syrup
1.5 oz. gin
4 dashes bitters
lemon wheel (for garnish)
Pour the lemon juice, simple syrup, gin, and bitters into a shaker. Add ice, shake well, and strain into an ice-filled rocks glass (it's also good straight-up). Garnish with a lemon wheel.
Give it a try, and maybe you'll discover your inner author. Happy drinking!
