Creating the Perfect Spanish Gin and Tonic

Can we all do a collective sigh of relief that it’s Friday and there’s time for creating the perfect Spanish Gin and Tonic? My week started off with snow. That’s right – snow, again, in Oregon, in March. I usually spend one or two days each month around the Oregon capital in Salem, and I’ve been waiting and waiting for the daffodils around the capital mall to open. I’d been so hopeful that they’d be blooming already, but no – they look as discouraged by the weather as I’ve been. Instead, I had to tromp through the slush and snow to get to the office I work at when I’m in Salem, getting my feet wet and my shoes muddy. Not to mention, it was also snowing in Portland as I was getting ready to leave on Monday morning. Giant flakes of snow kept attacking me and the dog when I went out with her before I left. Not fun.

It’s no wonder I’ve been increasingly leaning toward drinking white wine and making fruity, happy, summer cocktails. I figure if I spend enough time pretending it’s summer, it will get here faster, right? Yeah – so far, no luck. I guess in the meantime, I will stay inside where it’s warm and dry, curl up on the couch and snuggle with Daisy (our dog). I’ll also make up a Spanish G&T or two.

The great thing about creating a perfect Spanish Gin and Tonic (as compared to a regular gin and tonic), is that you can use all sorts of pretty aromatics in it. I like the variety rather than having to dig around in the fridge each time to see if I have a stray lime hanging around. For this particular G&T, I used a combination of satsuma mandarin orange peel, cardamom seed pods, juniper seed pods, and whole peppercorns. I also through in a dash of grapefruit bitters, which are my new most favorite item in my liquor cabinet. You can mix up the aromatics: fresh herbs are wonderful in a Spanish G&T – I love throwing in fresh rosemary, but lemon thyme works well, too, as would regular thyme, various types of mint, and so on. You can also use citrus peel or citrus segments. I’ve used blood orange ice cubes before, as well. Really, this is the most versatile cocktail in my repertoire of cocktails.

So, make one of these up with what you have on hand and enjoy the warm weather (if you are living in a state where there is warm weather right now) or enjoy watching it rain or snow.