Let freedom ring! Harken ye British: the Americans are coming, the Americans are coming!
Bluecoat American Dry Gin is distilled in Philadelphia, known as the City of Brotherly Love, a wellspring of the American Revolution, the location for the signing of the Declaration of Independence, and the home of Rocky Balboa. Philadelphia symbolizes American separation from the British just as Bluecoat American Dry Gin represents a dramatic and effective departure from the usual London Dry Gin. The emergence of Bluecoat may make the redcoat London Dry Gin, like Rocky, a relic of the past.
Like all gins, Bluecoat begins with juniper berries. But unlike London Dry Gins which are dominated by their flavor, Bluecoat adds natural and organic ingredients like citrus peel, coriander seed, and angelica root to reach a refreshing taste of botanicals and orange bitters. It is made in small batches, the old fashioned way, in a custom, hand-hammered copper still. Although 94 proof while most gins are 80 proof, it is surprisingly smooth.
From my perspective, gin is a lot like love: complex, subtle, and full of life. Unlike most vodkas, gin actually has a personality – sometimes multiple personalities – since, for example, many varieties contain as many as 20 ingredients thereby giving each its own distinctive and often recognizable style. For Valentine’s Day I was feeling a little playful and thought it made perfect sense to create a gin concoction to sip poolside while the mercury today reached a summer-like 90 degrees. Sous Chef dubbed my creation “The Naughty G&T” when I introduced it as a stimulus for some love in the afternoon. Let your imagination run wild. After all, it is Valentine’s Day and amour is in the air.
If you want to try The Naughty G&T all you need are 1 ½ ounces of Bluecoat American Dry Gin, a bottle of Fentiman’s Rose Lemonade, and some ice. The result is a light, refreshing drink that avoids the sweetness of many tonic waters and lets the taste of the gin shine through. Whether you make it naughty or nice is up to you!
- 1½ ounces Bluecoat American Dry Gin
- Fentiman's Rose Lemonade
- Place ice in a glass. Add 1½ ounces Bluecoat American Dry Gin. Top with Fentiman's Rose Lemonade.
- 2 ounces Chambord
- 2 ounces Simple Syrup
- 4 ounces water
- 1 Pint Raspberries
- Place all ingredients in blender an puree. Pour into ice cube mold (I used a heart shaped ice cube mold found at William's Sonoma), and freeze.
This looks amazing, Christy!! What a lovely touch with rose petals too!
Now I want that drink!
I could really enjoy this drink!! Great presentation and photos!
Christy, Love, love the ice cubes…definitely making them!