— Cocktails in Motion —
The Grand Tour
With this cocktail, I wanted to revisit Hendricks gin; it had been quite some time since I paid homage to this first-of-its-kind, trendsetting spirit, one which inspired a whole generation of gin-making. “The Grand Tour” was a name given to a period of foreign travel undertaken by many wealthy Europeans in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. They would travel to far-off lands in search of new culture, experiences and leisure. I took inspiration from this historical period for this cocktail. It’s also a fun interaction with guests when they order. “I’ll take the Grand Tour,” they say, and I offer to take them on a journey.
I played off the botanicals found in the gin, the floral component with bergamot liqueur, and its refreshing bitterness by employing Campari and a house-made grapefruit sherbet. The drink is served long with soda water, and garnished with cucumber to add a lovely aromatic when enjoyed.
The Grand Tour
Ingredients
— 1.5 ounces Hendrick’s Dry Gin
— .5 ounce Italicus Bergamotto
— .5 ounce Campari
— .75 ounce Grapefruit Sherbet*
— 1 ounce Lemon
— Pinch of salt
— 2 ounces soda
Method: Add all ingredients except for the soda into a mixing tin, add ice, shake, add soda, then fine strain into a collins glass filled with ice. Garnish with 3 to 4 thinly sliced cucumber wheels fanned out.
*Grapefruit Sherbet
Add peels of 4 grapefruits, zest from one lime, 1 cinnamon stick, and 1 cup of sugar into a bowl and macerate with a muddler. Add 1 cup of grapefruit juice to mixture and simmer on low for 3 minutes, strain, cool and bottle. Will keep for 2 weeks.
Stephen Kurpinsky is the Beverage Director for San Diego’s Hundred Proof bar.
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