Recipe: Grapefruit Gin Fizz

Happy hour in the summer is just a little bit happier. Combine an artisanal gin made from wine along with that dose of sunshine and we’re off to a delicious start for the weekend.

Tasting all sorts of spirits is part of my job. While many spirits in the same respective category can tend to present themselves as almost identical, gin is a category that continues to be exciting. With the multitude of botanicals (herbs and flowers) used to produce the stuff and the ever-growing population of artisan distillers, it’s no wonder the gin experience is killing it in the cocktail category.

G’vine Gin is no exception. This gin was intriguing because it’s made from grapes, Ugni Blanc to be specific. So how come it’s not a brandy? Well, it’s actually fermented into a wine and then distilled along with the addition of the vine flower, and other botanicals like juniper berries, ginger root, cassia bark and cardamom to name that results in a very interesting and more importantly delicious gin.

Using artisanal gins like this take typically juniper-laden gin cocktails and transform them into sips that include an array of flavors and aromas that are both sweet and spicy.

The term fizz can generally be used for drinks that have some spritz, but a classic fizz has lemon juice and carbonated water. This little fizz would actually fall in the category of a Silver Fizz because it includes an egg white. Trust me if you haven’t had a cocktail with an egg in it you should — right now in fact. If you are leery go ahead and make one of these with the egg white and one without. A simple taste test will prove the egg white rules here.

Enough chit chat, it’s happy hour! Grab your shaker and a nice ripe ruby red grapefruit, along with your gin and that egg, and a little honey syrup for a hint of sweetness and you’ll have the perfect summer time sip in less than 10 minutes.