The Blackthorn Cocktail

Thirsty readers, the delightful concoction shown above (next to my fabulous gams and mojito-green pedicure) is made with Greenhook Ginsmith's Beach Plum Gin Liqueur. I picked up a bottle of the out-of this-world libation when visiting Brooklyn recently.  Here's the bottle. Well, it's a photo of a bottle. Mine isn't nearly that full at this point. Isn't is just so pretty?

I also picked up a bottle of Greenhook's Ginsmiths American Dry Gin. I recommend you do the same if you love Gin. Before I drank this, I didn't love Gin. I just liked Gin. But, this lovely stuff is sort of winning me over. Here is a photo of it.

The bottles, while not terribly friendly for holding or pouring if you have hands as small as mine, are attractive and quite substantial and weighty. Perhaps I'll make matching lamps from them when they are empty. Stay tuned for a future blog on lamps made from empty booze bottles. 

Okay, so back to the Blackthorn Cocktail. I got the recipe from The Chelsea Wine Vault Blog. I tinkered with it a bit to make a cocktail a little more to my liking. My changes are indicated in (parentheses); take 'em or leave 'em. 

If you are not up to making a cocktail but just want to drink some Beach Plum Gin Liqueur, I recommend enjoying it on the rocks with a twist. It's simply delicious that way. 

The Blackthorn Cocktail

(Originally from Esquire’s Handbook for Hosts, adapted here from Serious Eats)

• 2 oz Greenhook Ginsmiths Beach Plum Gin Liqueur (2.5 - 3 oz)
• 1 oz sweet vermouth
• 1 dash Angostura bitters(2 dashes Regans' Orange Bitters No. 6)
• Lemon twist for garnish

Combine the ingredients over ice in a cocktail shaker. Shake and strain into a chilled cocktail glass, garnish with lemon twist, and serve.