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  • The Jasmine Cocktail

    Jasmine Gin Cocktail FI

    The Jasmine gin cocktail is a nice way to ease into the bitter tastes of Campari. Imagine a scale ranging from No Campari to The Negroni level of bitter. This pink gin drink is “just the right amount”. It’s also a fairly potent cocktail, with a tiny bit of juice and the rest is alcohol. So pace yourself! What the heck is Campari and why is it so bitter? Campari…

  • The Piaffe Gin Cocktail

    Piaffe Gin Cocktail with Dehydrated Garnishes FI

    When I read my notes about this recipe, I wrote “OMG” and my husband and fellow taste tester said “too sweet”. The Piaffe gin cocktail is a fun way to blend gin, Pavan (!!), juice, and bubbles. If anyone is wondering what the heck a Piaffe is, it’s a fancy-dancy horse move that you can catch in the Olympics. I do love gin, I also love horses. Drinks like this…

  • The Best Heather

    The Best Heather FI

    I really think the Better Heather gin cocktail is good, and then I tried it with grapefruit to make the Best Heather. And all seems to have worked out. It’s the same framework, with a slightly different juice. This version of the gin Heather cocktail is a smidge tarter, as the grapefruit can make you pucker up a bit. But it’s not too tart, sort of just the right amount.…

  • The Violette Pavan Aviation

    Violette Pavan Aviation FI

    Why keep drinking the same Aviation over and over? Mix it up a bit and create a Violette Pavan Aviation! The premise is simple – replace one of the Aviation ingredients with a different liquor. Like we did with the Elderflower Aviation and the Pavan Aviation. This twist on an old classic nixes the maraschino, and in its place is Pavan – the loveliest of floral liqueurs. The violet liqueur…

  • The Pavan Aviation

    The Pavan Aviation

    There’s something about the Aviation cocktail – it’s balanced, so why not start to swap out some ingredients and create a Pavan Aviation? The Elderflower Aviation is one example, and this recipe calls for Pavan instead of the traditional Creme de Violette. This recipe lets the Pavan flavors shine through just a bit, although the usual purple color of the Aviation is gone. No worries – it’s so delicious it…

  • The Run Fast Gin Cocktail

    Run Fast Gin Cocktail with Old Tom Gin, Mint, Lemon FI

    This gin drink is a slight twist to a cocktail I had years ago at a giant horse show in KY – so of course, it had bourbon. But the Run Fast gin cocktail replaces the bourbon with some Old Tom gin. The Kentucky Three day event is a weekend of horses dancing around, going at full speed over the hills and jumping giant wooden things, and then one last…

  • Gin and Campari Old Fashioned

    Gin and Campari Old Fashioned with Orange FI

    There is a “best” way to drink gin and Campari to fully enjoy their potency, and the Gin and Campari Old Fashioned is the way to do it. Fair warning – this cocktail is strong. Super strong. And a bit bitter, but not nearly as bitter as a Negroni. You can really find the flavors of your favorite gin here, so pick one that you really love, not a gin…

  • The Better Heather Gin Cocktail

    Better Heather Gin Cocktail FI

    Yes, the Better Heather Gin Cocktail is named after a person. A delightful friend, whose name is Heather. Heather is a fellow blogger, fellow horsewoman, and fellow gin aficionado. Which is why she absolutely deserves a drink of her own. And, as it turns out, this basic recipe is a great “formula” to mix and match different fruit juices and liqueurs. Heather has been a Pavan fan for a while,…

  • The Gin Daisy – Three Ways

    Gin Daisy FI

    The Gin Daisy is a cocktail that goes back eons – and over the years, lots of twists and turns have been taken with the recipe. The Gin Daisy is a riff on the Tom Collins – a super light and fizzy gin drink. It’s what I would call “boat gin” – so fresh and light you can barely taste the gin, which is perfect for sipping all day long…

  • The Gin Cuba Libre

    Gin Cuba Libre FI

    The Cuba Libre cocktail has one big difference from the plain Rum and Coke – it’s the lime. And there’s nothing to say that you can’t add some juniper spirit goodness – which is exactly what the Gin Cuba Libre does. The beauty of this drink is that you still get to enjoy the best part of the Cuba Libre – the RUM. Rum is sugary, woody, and delicious, and…