So I’m hitting the herbs. Specifically, the sage we have growing in the greenhouse. Here’s a recipe from Brooke Arthur out of the Left Coast Libations book. (Buy it!) I have all the stuff to make it, I took today off, it’s sunny, I got up at 5:30am to go to the gym, and dammit, life is good. Cocktail time!
Evergreen
Four kumquats (they’re in season!)
Four large sage leaves
1.5 oz Plymouth gin (or pick your favorite dry gin)
1 oz St Germain liqueur
.5 oz lemon
Muddle the kumquats and three of the sage leaves with the lemon juice. Bash ’em up real good. Add the other ingredients, and (according to Brooke) shake hard, 20 times. Double-strain this one into a frosty cocktail glass. Use the other ridiculously ginormous sage leaf to garnish.
I really dig this one. It’s got a grapefruit-pineapple tartness that’s balanced very well with the lychee-esque St Germain. Maybe the pineapple is because the only sage I have in the greenhouse is pineapple sage. <shrug> It works well, but any fresh sage you can get your hands on will be fine.
I have no idea why it’s called the Evergreen. Maybe Brooke originally created it at 4:20.