Okay, it’s St. Patrick’s Day, which means you’ll likely be drinking and it’ll most likely be some hue of green.
Trouble is, green beer is, well, beer (often crappy beer) colored with green food coloring. Most cocktails served today also tend to achieve their emerald color from chemicals not found in nature.
That’s why I’m going with cocktails that aren’t swill and get their looks from ingredients that don’t come from a test tube.
Richmond Gimlet
Fresh, crisp and, well, green. A lovely drink. And it’s the right damn color.
2 ounces organic gin
1 ounce fresh organic lime juice
1 ounce organic simple syrup
Large sprig of organic mint
Into a shaker combine all ingredients, add ice and shake vigorously. Strain into chilled cocktail glass.
Fresh Basil Margarita
Here’s a drink that would also be nice with zingy mint, but basil’s spicier herbal flavor really makes this cocktail shine. The basil also wakes up your appetite. Not that you’ll need any help scarfing down everything in sight come midnight.
4 to 6 organic basil leaves
1 ounce freshly squeezed organic lime juice
1 ounce organic agave nectar (you can find this in most grocery stores)
11⁄2 ounces organic tequila (either blanco or reposado)
In a cocktail shaker, muddle the basil, lime juice, and agave nectar until the basil is bruised. Add the tequila, and fill the shaker with ice cubes. Shake vigorously, then strain the mixture into an ice cube–filled rocks glass.
Green Tea Mojito
The health benefits of green tea are well known.
But what may not be as celebrated is how well it works with mint and rum to make a remarkably
refreshing spring thirst quencher.
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed organic lime juice
4 large organic mint leaves
2 teaspoons organic sugar
3 ounces brewed organic green tea, cooled to room temperature
1 ounce organic white rum
In a Collins glass (most any tall, narrow drinking glass will work), muddle the lime juice, mint, and sugar together until the mint is bruised. Fill the glass three-quarters full with ice cubes, pour in the green tea and rum, and stir well.
