I invoke thee, weather gods, with this sacrificial cocktail upon this hastily erected floral altar. May you bring an end to the miserable grey weather you are trying to pass off as spring (hello, summer is supposed to start in a few weeks and we’re all still wearing winter gear in Melbourne). May you bless us with sunshine and rein in your gale-force winds (honestly, it’s like you and the other gods have been eating nothing but baked beans for months). May you let fruit trees flower (otherwise we’ll have no limes for our cocktails) and little birds sing (but not before 7am, thanks). And may you enjoy this light and refreshing beverage in all its sunny, vanilla-y, zesty, floral glory, amen.
SERGEANT SUNSPLASH
INGREDIENTS
45ml Hendrick’s gin
15ml Licor 43 (a Spanish liqueur that tastes of vanilla, citrus and sweet dreams)
30ml fresh orange juice
15ml fresh lemon juice
15ml sugar syrup
GLASS
Something fanciful, or, failing that, a Collins glass will do. Failing that, just use any glass that doesn’t leak, OK?!
METHOD
Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker that’s half-full of ice. Shake while walking in slow circles around your kitchen in an attempt to invoke the weather gods. Strain with reverence into the glass, garnish with a cucumber slice (optional) and offer it to the gods before drinking it on their behalf.
RECIPE BY
This recipe appears in The Field Guide to Hendrick’s Gin II (2005, William Grant and Sons).