Edible Dallas & Fort Worth Spring 2022

SEASONAL COCKTAILS

Spanish Gintonica Makes one cocktail

Not many people do the Gin and Tonic quite like Spain. Gar- nished more than any other, it’s fragrant, beautiful, refreshing and quite possibly the best way to enjoy a beautiful spring day.

2 ounces Dripping Springs artisanal gin 1 ounce of Waterboy Farms Tonic Syrup* 3 ounces of soda water Dried juniper berries Grapefruit and lemon peel Garnish of sage leaves and edible fl wers from Profound Microfarms

Combine all ingredients, then pour into a stemmed fishbowl glass to enjoy all the colors and savor the aromatics. Stir, gar- nish, serve and sip!

*Tonic Syrup 2 tablespoons cinchona bark Peels from 3 whole grapefruit 5 sage leaves and 2 bee balm fl wers

One might say the first “gin” recipe was discovered chiseled in stone in ancient Mesopotamia and was a crudely made juniper wine concoction. Gin was distilled by the Dutch by the 16th century and the British went crazy for it in the 18th century. Gin has undergone several stylistic transformations since then, but has remained one of the world’s most popular spirits. Prior to World War II when no one drank vodka (and for that matter, not many people drank bourbon), the spirit of choice for Ameri- cans was GIN! We will never forget the image of Carol Burnett bathing in a tub of illegal gin in the movie Annie . During Prohi- bition, horrible neutral grain spirits were made illegally in people’s homes. These “bathtub” gins, as they became known, were poorly made spirits easily masked with added botanical ingredients. With the combined factors of soldiers returning home with vod- ka (their new favorite spirit introduced by Russian allies) and those terribly-made-at-home Gins (not Jen), the spirit decreased in popularity to near extinction in the ’50s-’90s. Thankfully we have evolved beyond the simple and dangerous methods of distilling. A lovely Gin Renaissance has blossomed over the past few decades—from London’s massive gin bars to Spanish G & Ts—and gin has once again secured a prestige position.

6 allspice berries 1 ounce lime juice

1 cup sugar 1 cup water

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan; cover and let simmer for 25 minutes. Remove from heat and chill. Strain with cheese cloth and add one teaspoon of cit- ric acid. Cover and refrigerate until needed. (Note: you can substitute sage and bee balm with other herbs and edible flowers growing in your garden!) *Strawberry-infused Gin Cut off tops and halve strawberries. Put in mason jar and fill with gin; infuse for 12-24 hours.

22 | EDIBLE DALLAS & FORT WORTH SPRING 2022