Ruby blossom

The Dolin Dry has been nagging me, especially since I did the vermouth posting a few days ago.  I knew I wanted to get it in a cocktail and on the list, but I hadn’t come up with anything special to do with it.   The inspiration came in the form of ruby red grapefruit juice, which we had leftover from an event. 

I got behind the bar and unlike every other time I’ve tried to make a cocktail, I got this one on the first try.  I chose DH Krahn gin because a)they’re really nice guys and b) it’s very tasty – sweet citrus, coriander and ginger – just the spicy hint that I thought would balance out the ruby red. 

Next, I wanted a floral component, so I chose St-Germain Elderflower Liqueur.  The elderflower blossoms are handpicked in the foothills of the Alps in a 2-3 week period in the spring and delivered via a specially rigged bicycle to the distillery.  They claim to have a secret method of extracting the essence from these flowers without producing any bitterness. Pretty romantic, huh? 

I use the Dolin Rouge all the time, especially for Manhattans, but I thought the lighter, more crisp Dry would add the perfect amount of herbaceousness to the concoction.  I was on the fence as to whether the cocktail needed a touch of sweetness (I hate sweet cocktails), so I compromised by tossing a cherry into the bottom of the martini glass.

Come by and enjoy this with us starting tonight.

Ruby Blossom
2 oz. DH Krahn Gin
1 oz. Dolin Dry
1 oz. St-Germain
1 oz. ruby red grapefruit juice

Combine all ingredients over ice in a shaker, shake like you mean it, strain into chilled martini glass, garnish with a cherry and fantasize about frolicking in the French countryside in Spring.