Late July and August can be the East Coast’s most agonizing months almost oppressively hot and sticky.В If you’re looking for an alcoholic antidote to the heat and humidity, I strongly recommend Portuguese Vinho Verde, a white wine with a slight fizz to it.В It’s not quite a sparkling wine but it has enough bubbles to add an extra burst of refreshment to your drink.В I recently tried and loved the Tr3s Castas Vinho Verde, a light, citrusy $9 quaffer that really hit the spot on a scorching 90+ Boston day.
I’m also using the dog days of summer to try to recreate a fabulous cocktail I had with a friend in Washington, DC last week.В It was tart and bright and refreshing, not sweet, and very strong; it was served in a martini gla*s with no ice.В I know it was made with Hendricks gin and elderflower liqueur, and that there was a lime slice floating in the gla*s.В I’m pretty sure there was lime juice in it.В What I don’t know was whether it included any other ingredients (such as lemon juice or simple syrup) or in what ratio these ingredients were combined.В I also have no idea what it was called.В I would consider phoning the restaurant to find out their recipe, or at least look up the cocktail’s name on the menu, but it was only their second day open and I can’t seem to find a phone number or website for them.
I decided to call it after the friend with whom I shared that drink, and I started my recreation attempts with the following recipe:
Annie (#1) 1.5 oz Hendricks gin1 oz lime juice
0.5 oz elderflower liqueur
Verdict: В No.В Lime juice overwhelmes the subtle and delicious gin.
We move on to this:
Annie (#2) 1.5 oz Hendricks gin1 oz elderflower liqueur
0.5 oz lime juice
Verdict: В Still no.В Oddly bland.В All of the ingredients seem to cancel each other out.В I’m craving more gin taste.В Hence:
Annie (#3) 2 oz Hendricks gin1 oz elderflower liqueur
0.5 oz В lime juice
Verdict: В Definitely the closest of the 3, and not a bad little gin drink, but it’s still missing something.В I’m starting to suspect there was either sparkling wine or soda water in my DC cocktail.В I’m also wondering if the citrus was lemon juice and the lime was just a garnish.В More trials to come.
Any suggestions for me as I proceed with my taste tests?
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* В I feel like I need a name besides «Wine Wednesday» for my increasingly frequent cocktail recipes.В Any suggestions?
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