Recipe: Winter is Coming

Well it certainly does feel like winter is coming (no reference to Game of Thrones intended). Yesterday, B.O.M. put out a severe weather warning and in Melbourne that’s our signal to get the boots, warm coats and umbrellas out, push the salads aside and crank the ovens.

I love a comforting wintery dish on a chilly night and nothing beats a roast. When I came across the Greenhook Ginsmiths Beach Plum Gin, it’s the first thing I thought of for some reason. Maybe the rich, ruby red colour reminded me of my Mum’s homemade cranberry sauce.

To produce it, they infuse their American Dry Gin (a base that’s distilled from organic New York wheat) with locally harvested beach plums from Long Island. It also contains organic sugar cane extract and notes of other organic botanicals including camomile, coriander, elderflower, elderberries, orange, lemon, cinnamon and ginger.

I’d describe it as bittersweet, fruity and herbaceous with sweet berry on the nose. It has a distinctly plummy flavour along with herbal notes, plus a long finish with a subtle bitterness, warmth and spices.

After some trial and error I came up with this recipe and I think it’s the prefect match for a delicious lamb roast.

Hump Day Happy Hour

Ingredients

• 60 ml Greenhook Ginsmiths Beach Plum Gin
• 20 ml pink grapefruit juice
• 10 ml Lillet
• 1 tsp morello cherry jam (available from good delis)
• Sprig of rosemary
• Garnish: slice of pink grapefruit, 3 blueberries and a sprig of rosemary

Method

Add the gin, grapefruit juice, Lillet and rosemary to a cocktail shaker. Add ice cubes and seal tightly. Give a few shakes. Strain into chilled martini glass and garnish.

Cheers!

Greenhook Ginsmiths Beach Plum Gin is available through the Dan Murphy’s online store.

Distributed in Australia by Luxe Wine & Spirits.