A Tipple To Tempt You
It’s almost summertime and the living is…..well, not so easy lately. Here’s a cocktail that’s both beautiful and delicious and guaranteed to put a smile on your face. Not too sweet, it’s just a little bit tart from the grapefruit juice. This Sage Brush Cocktail is made with fresh sage, muddled with lemon and a bit of gin. It’s a wonderfully refreshing cocktail. If you’re not going out as much as you would like, try this one at home. I bet you have everything you need, or easily found at the local grocery store.
Muddling Through
I’ve been a bartender (for a short time in my younger days) and I’m still quite a cocktail conjurer at home. But, I never had a muddler or thought I’d have use for one. Well, I received one in the mail, no card included and had absolutely no idea what it was. Well, once I figured out what it was, it’s one of those things you thought you didn’t need, but find yourself using all the time. If you don’t have a muddler, substitute using a wooden spoon.
Sage Brush Cocktail
Refreshing and slightly tart, this is how to make this lovely tipple. I made two versions of the same cocktail, just in different glasses. One in a classic coup with a sugared rim and the other in a rocks glass. Still shaken, no sugared rim, but strained over a large block ice cube. Either way, a most beautiful sipper.
Select your glass. If using the coup, rim the glass with a bit of lemon, then roll into a bit of sugar. Set the glass aside.
Into a cocktail shaker, add 1/4 section of lemon, skin and all with 1 teaspoon sugar and 3 fresh sage leaves. Muddle until very will broken down. This will release the oils from the skin of the lemon as well as release all the lovely sage flavor.
Into the shaker, add 2 ounces of gin with 2 ounces of freshly squeezed grapefruit juice. I made mine with pink grapefruit, but any kind will work.
Fill the shaker 1/2 way with ice then shake and shake, at least 20 seconds.
Strain into your prepared glass. If you’re using the rocks glass, add a giant square cube, the garnish the top of the ice cube with very thin pieces of the grapefruit skin and a small leaf of fresh sage. For the coup, strain the cocktail into the prepared glass and garnish with a twist of grapefruit and a fresh sage leaf.
Cheers!
Ingredients
- 3 large sage leaves
- 1 teaspoon sugar (plus extra for rim)
- 1 lemon wedge
- 2 ounces gin
- 2 ounces freshly squeezed grapefruit juice
Garnish: Grapefruit Twist or grapefruit "confetti", fresh sage leaf
Instructions
- Two versions of the same cocktail, served in different glasses.
- One in a classic coup with a sugared rim and the other in a rocks glass. Still shaken, but strained over a large block ice cube.
- Select your glass. If using the coup, rim the glass with a bit of lemon, then roll into a bit of sugar.
- Set the glass aside.
- Into a cocktail shaker, add 1/4 section of lemon, skin and all with 1 teaspoon sugar and 3 fresh sage leaves.
- Muddle until very will broken down. This will release the oils from the skin of the lemon as well as release all the lovely sage flavor.
- Into the shaker, add 2 ounces of gin with 2 ounces of freshly squeezed grapefruit juice.
- Fill the shaker 1/2 way with ice then shake and shake, at least 20 seconds.
- Strain into your prepared glass.
For the rocks glass
- Add a giant square cube, the garnish the top of the ice cube with very thin pieces of the grapefruit skin and a small leaf of fresh sage.
For the coup
- Strain the cocktail into the prepared glass and garnish with a twist of grapefruit and a fresh sage leaf.
- Cheers!
