I smashed sweet, ripe blackberries and a spicy homemade ginger syrup with lemon juice and topped it off with bourbon and sparkling water, as you see here. If you prefer less kick and more floral aroma, swap St-Germain elderflower liqueur for the ginger syrup and exchange the sparkling water with ginger beer. Float a half teaspoon of beautifully purple Empress gin over the top to make this drink a bright beauty.
I adore this fragrant and refreshing strawberry-gin drink, created by Shannon Tebay Sidle of New York’s Slowly Shirley and Death & Co. The secret ingredient is a dollop of unsweetened Greek yogurt, which gives the cocktail a tangy flavor and subtly creamy texture. The final result isn’t sweet or smoothie-like; this is definitely still a cocktail. A sprinkle of freshly ground black pepper highlights the gin’s herbal character, but I also like this drink with grassy blanco tequila or a full-bodied aged rum. If your fridge doesn’t dispense crushed ice, fill a freezer bag with cubes, wrap them in a dish towel, and go wild with a meat tenderizer or rolling pin.
Portland- and San Francisco–based bartender Kate Bolton has the touch for subtle, delicate drinks that go wonderfully with food. This spin on the gimlet is no exception: shaking shaved fennel and muddled arugula into the drink gives it an anise-and-pepper flavor that’s ideal for serving with seafood or light pasta dishes.
A pre-Prohibition gin drink reclaimed by gin-mad bartenders in the early years of the renaissance, and an early calling-card cocktail for the in-the-know crowd. Its supporters love it madly. Its detractors claim its pivotal ingredient—crème de violette—causes it to taste of hand soap.
Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker filled with clean ice (and a few mint leaves if you have them). Shake well for 10 seconds or longer. Strain through a fine mesh strainer. Garnish with crushed pink peppercorns or a mint leaf.
Combine all ingredients except sparkling wine in a mixing glass with clean ice. Stir 30 seconds to dilute, chill and combine. Strain into a champagne flute, top with the sparkling wine and a couple more drops of bitters. Cut a coin sized piece of peel from a fresh organic lemon, squeeze the oils onto the drink, wipe the rim of the glass with the peel.
Strain drink into glass and garnish with Autumn Spice bitters.
This is the James Bond martini, named for Vesper Lynd, the doomed love interest in Casino Royale.
Ingredients