The final offering for Thanksgiving on my blog this year is a cocktail. In keeping with the scaled back celebration during the pandemic, it is a simple, yet elegant drink.

Gin was not something I had experimented with much in the past. Then Andrew gifted me a cocktail mixing class that I participated in early this year. The 3-hour class started with the basics of the alcohol-sour-sweet ratio. The first of the cocktails we mixed was a gin drink, a gimlet to be exact. Of the three alcohols used in the class, gin was the one of which I had the least knowledge and experience. Gin is a distilled alcohol made from juniper berries with other botanicals added in, such as citrus elements and/or a variety of spices, depending on the particular gin product.

As a result of the class, I became more interested in using gin as a base for cocktails. The spicy ginger accents in this one complements the rich Fall flavors of Thanksgiving quite nicely!

Gin & Ginger Cocktail

Gin & Ginger Cocktail (adapted from realsimple.com)

Total Time Required: 5 minutes, Yields: 2 cocktails

Ingredients:

• 4 ounces gin
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1/2 cup ginger beer, chilled
• crystallized ginger, for serving

Instructions:

Place the gin, lemon juice, and honey in a cocktail shaker. Cover and shake vigorously until the honey is dissolved in the liquids. Add ice to the shaker and shake again, for about 30 seconds until the outside of the shaker is frosty and the cocktails are chilled.

Dissolve the honey in the liquids in the shaker before adding the ice.

Strain the drinks into ice-filled rocks glass.

Pour the drink into the ice-filled glasses.

Top each cocktail with 1/4 cup of ginger beer.

Top with the ginger beer.

Garnish the glasses with crystallized ginger.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving to all!  ~Linda

Gin & Ginger Cocktail (adapted from realsimple.com) Total Time Required: 5 minutes, Yields: 2 cocktails

Ingredients:

• 4 ounces gin
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1/2 cup ginger beer, chilled
• crystallized ginger, for serving

Instructions:

Place the gin, lemon juice, and honey in a cocktail shaker. Cover and shake vigorously until the honey is dissolved in the liquids. Add ice to the shaker and shake again, for about 30 seconds until the outside of the shaker is frosty and the cocktails are chilled. Strain the drinks into ice-filled rocks glass and top each with 1/4 cup of ginger beer. Garnish the glasses with crystallized ginger.