Paul over at Cocktail Chronicles has been organizing a monthly online cocktail event he calls Mixology Mondays, and this Mixology Monday calls for a good gateway cocktail.
The ladies at Lupec Boston has come up with this question: “This event was inspired by a chance encounter I had with an almost-famous Christian rock musician who, at age 32, had never had a cocktail. ‘I’d like to try one sometime,’ he said, ‘What do you think I should have?’
A good question..which got me to think about some old days…thank you for hosting this MxMo which challenges us to find a suitable cocktail for the first cocktail experience.
This has to be a drink that really is a cocktail but not too strong, it shouldn`t scare off but rather be a pleasant experience, it needs to have flavors, this compelled me to go through a few of my cocktail books at first. Finally i made a passionfruit mojito but nah…it became quite boring…
Here we need something better! something more tasty and preferable light. Going back in time to my own first cocktail experiences, i remember a cocktail that i still feel nostalgic about when i think about it and which, i think is a perfect new-beginner cocktail, namely the old Tom Collins. This is pure nostalgia!
Its a very simple recipe, gin, lemon juice, superfine sugar, club soda. But i wanted something more to it this time, so i decided to add some fresh ginger and a hint of cardamom to give it a bit of spicy freshness.
TOM SPICY GINGER COLLINS
2 ounces gin
1 ounce lemon juice
1 thin slice fresh ginger
1 green cardamom pod
1 teaspoon superfine sugar
2 ounces soda water.
Muddle ginger, cardamom and sugar in shaker, add the rest of ingredients except club soda and shake with ice. Strain into a collins glass filled with ice and top with club soda.
Garnish with orange slices and cherry.
