another rerun, but this one's still pretty recent.

This post originally appeared on my personal blog on March 27, 2009.

I made up another cocktail tonight. Well, I didn't "make it up" so much as modify it. And it's sort of aiming at a niche market, really. It's for people who like gin and for people who miss that classic EPCOT attraction, Horizons. Yes, I'm a Disney geek, I have been since I was 6, and no, I don't need an intervention.

Instead of the drink it was modeled on, the Orange Blossom, I call it the "Lorange Blossom." In Horizons, you may recall the citrus farm scene in the ride, where the smell of "loranges" were pumped towards the ride vehicle. It wasn't quite orange, but it was close. Well here's the Lorange Blossom.

2 oz London dry gin (although if you or your bar have it, Hendrick's would be best, or at least vastly more interesting)
1 1/2 oz blood orange juice (regular orange juice will do in a pinch, but if using that, drop the OJ to 1 oz and add the tiniest splash of grenadine for color)
1/2 oz lemon juice (if using regular orange juice, boost this to 1 oz)
1/4 oz dry vermouth
dash of orange bitters

Build over ice in a double old fashioned glass and give a good stir with a bar spoon.

Yes, this drink, like the Orange Blossom before it, is a glorified Gin n' Juice. However, I don't have a pocketful of rubbers, and I'm not wacked out on chronic, so I'll go with this nomenclature. I'm also serving it in a DOF glass, rather than the traditional Collins, and I'm not straining the ice out. Plus, the original doesn't have vermouth. So really, this is a mixture of a gin Martini, an Orange Blossom, and a Gin n' Juice.

As I've mentioned before, I've been cheating and using bottled organic juices rather than squeezing fresh, but that's just how I roll, yo. Plus, blood oranges are out of season most of the year round these parts, but I can get a twin pack of blood orange juice from Costco for $5, rather than paying a buck an orange when I can find them. I call that a bargain (though not the best I ever had.)

So, tastewise, this is a slightly more complex version of a Gin n' Juice, as expected. The vermouth tempers the sweetness a little bit, the spices in the orange bitters and the botanicals in the gin add some depth, and the blood orange juice takes it a bit further from the one-note you can frequently get from just plain OJ. If you can make it with Hendrick's or Citadelle gin, that'd be even better, as you'll get some really interesting flavors going on with those...cucumber and rose from the Hendrick's, a noseful of exotic spices from the Citadelle. In fact, you could turn this into an interesting Gin Fizz in the summer, if you wanted. Mix it up, strain into a chilled Collins glass, and top up with soda water. Garnish with a twist and you'd have a pretty refreshing drink for after you mow that damned lawn.