So we have been going through a mint thing lately. Every night since we visited Seven Grand it’s been Mint Juleps after work, come rain or come shine. Granted, the process is a bit stunted by the fact that we don’t have an ice crusher, but we’ve been working around that. After all, the bartenders at Seven Grand crush their ice by hand! It’s hard not to feel as though some sort of bartending challenge has been issued when you see guys in vests and button-downs crushing ice cubes with a muddler. Then again, those guys also have biceps the size of my thighs, so what do I know?
Which brings us to the Richmond Gimlet. I’ve had my eye on this drink for, oh, years but mint is (sadly) one of those herbs I never think to purchase. Cilantro, basil and lemongrass are always in my fridge, while nary a mint leaf is to be seen. But now, since the juleps are flowing freely, I have a surplus of mint at my disposal and was finally (finally) able to try Jeffrey’s singular, delightful concoction.
2 oz Tanqueray No. 10 gin
1 oz fresh lime juice
1 oz simple syrup
large sprig fresh mintShake ingredients well over ice. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass and serve.
Holy Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus is this good. It’s like springtime skipping across your tongue, trailing the sweet flowery essence of gin and the bright, happy flavor of mint.
Frankly, after a description like that, I don’t know what else there is to say. All hyperbole aside, it’s a damn fine drink and you should make one forthwith.
February 13th, 2008at 2:13 pm(#)
You are a doll! Thanks for trying my drink, I’ve always experienced positive reactions from it at work. I’m glad it could make its way down the coast!
Jeff
February 13th, 2008at 3:26 pm(#)
Hopefully it’ll make its way further than just this coast. I’m picturing total world domination.
February 13th, 2008at 11:13 pm(#)
This is a nice drink. Love the picture. I wanted to mention the new site design too. Very nice!
February 14th, 2008at 7:28 am(#)
Thanks, Jimmy! I figured I should work a little harder on the photos since I worked so long on the redesign. :)
February 26th, 2008at 11:48 am(#)
Been awhile since I’ve had the time to troll my favorite blogs and gotta say I love the look of what you’ve got going. And yeah, I just whipped up a few Richmond Gimlets at my bar this weekend and it’s definitely a crowd pleaser. Geez, everyone’s getting beautiful sites done and I still got my crappy one with the template. I need a re-design….
March 4th, 2008at 4:08 pm(#)
[...] Be that as it may, it is nevertheless a coincidence that I made the Flor de Baya so soon after the Richmond Gimlet. Jeff just happened to post the recipe right after I found both a bag of fresh cranberries in my [...]
September 4th, 2008at 8:25 am(#)
[...] Richmond Gimlet has been well-covered, and deservedly so. But, when I approached our Man in Eugene, Jeffrey Morgenthaler, about interviewing him for a [...]
May 13th, 2009at 8:06 pm(#)
[...] a very big secret that we’re a Morgenthaler-loving household. I’ve written about quite a few of Jeff’s cocktails here in pretty glowing terms, though I try to keep the adjectives [...]
August 18th, 2009at 11:53 am(#)
I tried this cocktail for the first time a few days ago as my introduction to gin. I threw in a little carbonated water, but plan to try it without very soon. Great drink.
August 19th, 2009at 1:55 pm(#)
Glad you liked it! Definitely try it without the water—it’s a perfectly balanced and truly delicious drink just as Jeff made it.
August 19th, 2009at 6:12 pm(#)
The reason I added the carbonated water was to mimic the mojito. I’ll give the original version a whirl once I acquire more mint.
August 26th, 2009at 8:20 am(#)
I tried the original recipe above last night (but with Beefeater gin, as that’s all I have) and it was very good. I’m new to gin, and was wondering if people sip it neat like they would whiskey, tequila, brandy, rum, etc., or if the spirit is really only used in cocktails.
August 26th, 2009at 8:35 am(#)
Glad you enjoyed it!
People do sip gin straight, though in my experience they usually drink it on the rocks rather than neat. And by “in my experience” I mean “my father drinks Tanqueray on the rocks with cocktail olives”. So far as I’m aware, gin on the rocks is a more common order on the other side of the Atlantic, but I think gin is darn tasty on its own.