Put your Christmas tree to good use

Before your Christmas tree dries out, make some Evergreen Simple Syrup:

Combine 1 cup of water with 3/4 cup sugar and bring to a boil. Add a handful of fresh pine needles from your Christmas tree and boil for 3 mins. Strain and cool before combining in cocktails.

Brian brought this syrup when he visited a few weeks ago and we started brainstorming about cocktails.  I’ve experimented with pine flavor before, and decided that this time around an herbaceous gin might be a perfect fit.  Keeping in the holiday spirit, we opted for cranberry as the fruit and acid lift. 

I’m especially pleased that my title stuck.

Twigs and Berries
2 oz. Seneca Drums Gin
1 oz. Evergreen Simple Syrup
1 oz. White Cranberry Juice
Dash of Angostura Bitters

Stir the above ingredients over ice and strain into chilled martini glass.

Pine-y refreshment under the Christmas tree.