For a long time I was a wine-only gal. Actually quite the picky b*%@h when it came to ordering a drink – very specific and uber-limited in my desires. In the warmer months my white needed to be crisp and zippy with an abundance of minerality, and ridiculously cold. If I were to engage with a spirit, it was only ever tequila. Vodka put me on edge and all the others I just didn’t have a taste for — especially gin, yuck!
It seems, however, that in recent years I have embraced the cocktail and truly expanded my repertoire to a variety of liquors. This includes bourbon, which for years and years I was admittedly desperate to love, as it just felt like such a sexy drink for a woman to sip on. Well last year the Old-Fashioned finally gave me access to that swoony spirit. But lo and behold, this summer I discovered gin and I am NEVER turning back. Why-oh-why was I so stubborn to never try it for so many years?! I mean, it is the perfect culinary-and foodie-obsessed spirit, with its bright herbaceous notes and its juniper berry and botanical-focused flavor. I just love to be proven wrong and to discover something new. So this will be the season of gin-infused drinks. InStyle magazine recently featured my entertaining tips in their July issue and asked that I create three how-to videos of my favorite warm-weather cocktails. Check them out here, along with the breathtaking images of my star cocktail of these next few months, the Chamomile Gin Sour!
If gin isn’t among your go-to drinks like it was for myself, give it another try with this recipe. The citrus and delicate floral notes of the chamomile are guaranteed to swoon. With its beauty, vibrant taste and frothy finish, I declare this the cocktail of summer!
