I won't even begin to question you on your personal outlook of the seasons and their transitions as they're just that...personal. However, as it relates to myself, I will tell you that certain thoughts pop up from time to time that make me wonder about my personal connections to the seasons, the rituals connected to them and what may seem like my instinctual habits of the seasons. For example, I do wear white, but feel odd wearing shorts after Labor Day as to me Summer ends Labor Day Weekend and not a few weeks later when it's supposed to. I also refuse to wear shorts before Memorial Day since its not the start of Summer, but I still regard Memorial Day Weekend as the unofficial start of Summer. Then again, I keep my down comforter on the bed year-round and just turn the AC up to full blast instead of using my flat sheet, so my logic is to be questioned. However, we won't question it now, we'll just chalk it up to "To Each Their Own".
Now while you could ritualize your wines & spirits, and some have (red wine with meat and white wine with fish, etc.) don't you really just drink what suits you whenever the hell you want? I've been known to order a margarita at brunch and order an extra dirty martini in a dive bar. This Summer saw a resounding return to gin for me. The distinctive kick of a gin & tonic is a very welcomed escape at times from the weight of a whiskey neat and the saccharine spicy rush of a dark & stormy. Along my reconnection to the joy of gin this Summer was my discovery of Whitley Neill Handcrafted Gins.
Whitley Neill is a handcrafted English Dry Gin that offers an amazing line of the eclectic spirit in flavors like Blood Orange, Rhubarb & Ginger and Blackberry. This family-owned business has been handed down from generation to generation since 1762 and even now, on it's 8th generational family-owner, has no intention of stopping. What Whitley Neill is intent on however is continuing to offer tradition gin-distilling techniques with high quality botanicals that are steeped in a more than a century-old antique copper pot the family has dubbed 'Constance'. The current head of the company, Johnny Neill, has a passion for gin-distilling learned from his grandmother that leads him to source unique and exciting ingredients for benchmark distinguished outcomes. The sweet & fragrant 'Quince', the both cool and warm citrus kick of 'Blood Orange', the floral and licorice heat of 'Rhubarb & Ginger' and the juniper-rich cleanliness of the classic 'Small Batch' Original, the award-winner made from South African gooseberries and baobab, all conspire to make a superb gin all poised to elevate a cocktail to a culinary experience. Check out my recipe below for a remix on a Gin & Juice I call "The Gin Got Juiced".
The Gin Got Juiced
4 ounces Whitley Neill Handcrafted Small Batch Gin
1 ounce Simple Syrup
1- 1 1/2 ounces Fresh Squeezed Orange Juice
1- 1 1/2 ounces Fresh Squeezed Grapefruit Juice
1- 1 1/2 ounces Fresh Squeezed Pineapple Juice
Place gin and simple syrup into a shaker. You can pre-prep the juices then just add them or fresh squeeze them at that moment you're making the cocktail. It's about 1/4 of a medium to large sized orange, 1/4 of a grapefruit and about a palmful size of cut pineapple. Stir and strain into a rocks glass with ice. Garnish with an orange and grapefruit rind and a single spire from a pineapple crown.
The citrus & tropical balance pairs nicely with the gin for a sweet, tart and sharp kick with that tangy gooseberry punch. Whitley Neill Handcrafted Gins are available now at your finer wine & spirit retailers. For more information on the brand and their bevy of flavors, check out their website here! With however you choose to zero in on and toast your near end to Summer, officially or unofficially, please remember to drink responsibly.
wwwWhitleyNeill.com