The blender has officially come out of winter storage, and taken its rightful summer place on the cottage kitchen counter. Admittedly, April is a touch early for blender drinks…there is still enough ice on the lake to deter much desire for an icy beverage. However, there is something anticipatory about the middle of April. This year in particular, with winter trying to cling on a little too long, we need all the hope we can muster; fear not, summer is indeed around the corner! We have officially hit that point when single-digit ‘weeks’ can become part of our summer countdown vernacular instead of ‘months’!
In celebration of this subtle shift (hey, there is always a reason to celebrate!), we give you the promise of a….
Spring Thaw
- 2 oz bourbon
- 3/4 oz simple syrup
- 1 oz fresh lemon juice
- 2 dashes Absinthe
- 1 sugar cube
- 5-6 mint leaves
- 6 dashes Angostura bitters
- 1 mint sprig
- Muddle first 6 ingredients slightly to awaken the mint, but do not grind; dump in Collins glass
- Fill glass ¾ with crushed ice
- Add bitters dashes; slightly swizzle to blend into the drink
- Top with more crushed ice
Garnish with mint spring
Pairs well with: Bellavitano Cheese
There’s a lot of flavour complexity going on in this drink — a tartness from the lemon juice, a nice smoky twist from the bourbon, with the faintest hints of anise and fennel (a bit licorice-y!) from the absinthe. You need a nosh that’s going to stand up to all that, but not add any further twist. A great cheese it is! Plus, you still have 9-1/2 weeks to get bathing suit ready, so continue to enjoy your cheese!
Song Pairing: You Can Leave Your Hat On, Joe Cocker
Ok, we couldn’t resist the 9-1/2 weeks pun…get it?? 9-1/2 weeks til summer meets 80s movie of the same name… Just try to resist the striptease — still too cold for a skinny dip!