When our favorite radio show host Lynn Rosetto Casper mentioned this cocktail recipe on her show The Splendid Table, we had to give it a try. We’re pleased to announce the Sage Rush delivers a crisp, slightly sweet tang and a sage-infused kick that we think would be a perfect start to any Thanksgiving meal. Here’s how we did it.
What You Will Need:
- cocktail shaker
- muddler
- cutting board
- knife
- ¼ lemon
- 2 tsp. sugar
- 8 sage leaves (6 for the cocktail, and 2 for garnish)
- ½ cup gin
- ½ cup fresh squeezed grapefruit juice
- ice
Steps:
We started with fresh sage, a grapefruit, a lemon, sugar, and some Bluecoat gin. Of course, any gin will do!
The first step is to quarter the lemon, and then cut a quarter in half for easier muddling. You could substitute lime, orange, or even extra grapefruit here, but we like the extra-sour tang provided by the lemon.
Next, we threw our lemons eighths, rind and all, into the cocktail shaker with our sage leaves and two teaspoons of sugar. If you like your cocktails a bit sweeter, feel free to add a little more sugar, but don’t forget, grapefruit juice is fairly sweet.
Then, we muddled! We treasure our wooden muddler (ah, so many memories!), but a spoon works just as well in a pinch. After a good muddling, we squeezed half a cup of fresh grapefruit juice and added half a cup of gin. Store-bought grapefruit juice could be subbed in for the fresh if need be.
Straining this beguiling mixture into our cocktail mixer, we caught any pesky grapefruit seeds before they could taint this smooth-sipping drink.
Then, we added some ice to our cocktail shaker, shook good and hard for about a minute (use a towel to keep your hands from getting too frozen!), and then served up our concoction in the classiest glasses we could get our hands on. Garnished with a tiny slice of lemon and a fresh sage leaf, these drinks are pretty enough for any holiday party and delicious enough to make all for yourself.
