#lime peel

The Martini is the most famous gin cocktail and by most liquor industry standards the most popular of all cocktails. “The Martini reveres an unrivaled place at the summit of any cocktail book,” according to industry sources. Many types of Martinis exist which leads me to my spin, Lime Drop Martini. The Martini is believed to have been born in America however, many beg to differ on where in…

What you need

Lowball Glass

2 strips of lime peel

1oz Lime Juice

3oz White Tequila

1 measure crème de cassis

How to make it

There’s not much to say about the gin & lime, which isn’t to say that it’s not a fine cocktail. If you’re looking for a super-limey, fresh, lively summery cocktail, the gin & lime is your man (or your lady – I don’t know your life). It’s just that my first few cocktails are all very similar to each other in that, due to my lack of bar items as I begin this project, I’m starting with the most basic recipes that call for the easiest ingredients. In other words: drinks that consist of gin and citrus. This recipe is more or less 3-1-1-1, as in: three parts gin to one part each of fresh lime juice, fresh orange juice, and Rose’s Sweetened Lime Juice. Very standard: just shake with ice and strain, adding a twist of lime.

I still don’t have a citrus juicer. I’m going to be in South Carolina this weekend for a bridal shower and I’m hoping that I might be able to find a nice glass one on the cheap at a thrift store or vintage shop. I could of course do this errand here in New York, but I have it in my mind that my juicer is waiting for me down South, so, until then, I’m squeezing.  As you can see above, my big horrible ugly lime peel is the result of an attempt at zesting with a vegetable peeler. I feel I ought to apologize to limes everywhere for misrepresenting them so egregiously, but rest assured that the citrus zester that was hiding in my kitchen drawer has been located, and going forward my peels should become less and less ugly. Perhaps one day they will even be zero percent ugly! Goals.

PH&BB claims that the gin & lime serves as, “A superb cocktail to sip with English potted shrimp or anchovy-paste canapés.” Now, I don’t have personal experience with either of these food-stuffs, but I will admit that the combination of the words “English,” “potted,” and “shrimp” are every bit as terrifying to me as the phrase “anchovy-paste canapé.” I looked into the potted shrimp thing, and though I can’t be sure because English-English is at times a foreign language to me despite my 190% Englishiness, it seems at least vaguely similar to a delicious pickled shrimp recipe my aunt makes every Christmas. So I may or may not be mad at it. I’m going to refrain from even looking into the anchovy-paste canapés, but I will say that I’ve recently learned that anchovies are actually really tasty and nothing more or less than little salt bombs.