During the heat of the season, I love a good gin and tonic. Gin is light and refreshing, but still showcases a fun personality. Now, for those of you who say you don’t like gin, I encourage you to step away from the London Dry style and let me introduce you to something new. Citadelle is a gin brand from southwest France, and their product line is incredible. Their standard gin leans into the floral freshness that the French countryside is famous for, and their infused gins offer fun and playful flavors while still keeping the base spirit at the forefront.
Recently, I was toying around with the concept of savory cocktails. Most cocktails you find at bars and restaurants fall more into the sweet category, and I wanted to do something different. So I picked up a bottle of Citadelle’s Vive Le Cornichon! Yes, pickle gin. I promise it’s not as scary as it sounds. It has beautiful bright qualities on the nose and the palate is full of rich botanicals and herbaceousness with that tart saltiness that a good pickle should have. After a bit of brainstorming, I finally decided that I really wanted to make this gin the star of the show, so I went fairly basic with the rest of my ingredients, and the final result is something I’m simply calling Cucumber Salad. Fresh, bright, and easy to enjoy, this 3-ingredient cocktail is perfect for poolside or out on the golf course. It’s also easy to increase the ratios if you want to make more than one portion for yourself or mix up a pitcher for a party. Simple and delicious, just as a summer break should be.
Cucumber Salad
2 ounces Citadelle Vive le Cornichon
.5 ounce lime juice Sparkling Cucumber Tonic by Fever Tree
Combine gin and lime juice in a glass with ice and top with Fever Tree’s Sparkling Cucumber tonic.
Introducing Haley’s Home Bar
Hey Sippers! You might notice that this post looks a little different this week, and that’s because I have news! Along with recently going full time as a Product Specialist at the Spirit Shop, I am also launching Haley’s Home Bar!
Haley’s Home Bar is a space designed for helping you learn how to create delicious craft cocktails from the comfort of your own home. As you all know by now, a huge part of my platform is teaching thoughtful, respectful, and responsible enjoyment, and HHB is just another place for me to do that. I believe that craft experiences don’t have to be a fancy night out but can instead be something you can enjoy whenever you want. I also believe that thoughtful enjoyment is key to achieving that luxurious feeling that a perfectly crafted experience can bring. Tips, tricks, tool recommendations, pairing suggestions, recipes and more are all “on the bar cart” for you to explore and enjoy at your leisure, and I will continue to provide you with my weekly features and suggestions here as well.
Now, I will still be doing features here every week, but instead of it being all wine, I am also going to start incorporating spirits and cocktails into these posts as well. I invite you all to follow along on Facebook and Instagram at Haley’s Home Bar and be on the lookout for haleyshomebar.com as well.
Going forward, that will be where you can find archives of information including my posts here at the Torch, search for recipes both classic and modern, and see what’s pouring. As always, if you have any questions or comments or need recommendations, shoot me an email at [email protected] and I will be happy to help. Your barstool is always open-cheers!
