Monday, April 22, 2013

In the market for a warm-weather cocktail? Make a pitcher of Tom Collinses at home!

Hello San Francisco!  It's over been over 70 degrees for two days in a row, so "summer" is here.  Naturally, when warm weather unexpectedly and blessedly arrives, we do everything we can to take advantage of it, and that means OUTDOOR DRINKING.  Instead of your usual PBR/Tecate/cheap rosé, try whipping up a batch of Tom Collinses.  They're delicious, easy to make, and perfect for warm weather.  As an added bonus, they have gin in them but don't taste like gin so they're perfect for that one friend who says she "hates gin" because she drank 8 Seagram's gin & tonics once and threw up.




INGREDIENTS:

1 cup lemon juice (Around 7-8 lemons. Don't buy lemon juice; squeeze the damn lemons. It's not that hard and makes it taste 1000% better.)
3 tbsp sugar
3 cups club soda
About 1 3/4 cups gin; a little more won't kill anyone
Maraschino cherries

A WORD ABOUT GIN: Don't use the cheapest gin, but there's also no need to waste perfectly good Hendrick's in a Tom Collins.  Maybe something mid-range, like Bombay Sapphire?

Microwave the lemon juice and sugar for 1 minute.  Whisk until the sugar is completely dissolved.  Pour the mixture into a pitcher with ice.  Add the gin and the club soda.  Stir for a while.  Serve over ice in a Collins glass.  Garnish with maraschino cherry.  Take a sip, sit back, and say out loud "Where have you been all my life?"

This recipe will make 4 very tall, very strong drinks, or 6 more wimpy drinks.  Use your best judgment.

Enjoy!  We'll be back to Irish coffee within a couple of weeks, no doubt.
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4 comments:

  1. TamagosanApril 24, 2013 at 11:53 AM

    A Tom Collins is what I order when the bartender won't make me a gin fizz (or tries to put egg whites or cream in it, for Ramos and Silver fizzes respectively). But a whole pitcher, YES! And nuking lemon juice and sugar to avoid making simple syrup: You have made drinking SO EASY!
    Drinkers that say they don't like gin can be dismissed as unimaginative, closed-minded people that think that cruises are traveling and Panda Express is Chinese food.
    OK then.

    ReplyDelete
  2. HollyHollsHollMay 1, 2013 at 9:43 PM

    If going out for pizza at Club Deluxe (or whatever else Giovanni is cooking up) Try the Spa Collins. Lovely and refreshing. Combo the back patio at the Gold Cane with a Spa Collins and that'd be great. Try ordering a Spa Collins from the Cane and you my get smacked in the head tho. Stick to PBR on the back patio..

    ReplyDelete
  3. TKMay 2, 2013 at 8:53 AM

    1000SmilesJamaica -

    Sadly, Giovanni and Club Deluxe parted ways a few months ago. And I know a bartender at Gold Cane, so I probably wouldn't get smacked in the head for ordering a Spa Collins, but fear not, I would never order such a thing in public anyway.

    ReplyDelete
  4. MingalingadingdongMay 3, 2013 at 3:50 PM

    Have you heard of Thug Kitchen? Seems like something you'd enjoy.

    ReplyDelete

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