Gin Tin Tin

Do you have any misfit bottles of red wine? Or one you didn’t finish in a timely fashion (admittedly a rare occurrence during a pandemic). This is the perfect way to use up unwanted red wine. I adapted the recipe for this drink from Food & Wine (and by “adapted”, I mean I changed the proportions to make it stronger). Super-delish!

Red Wine Syrup:
Equal proportions red wine and sugar stirred over low heat until sugar is dissolved.
Since bar math can be quite difficult (at least for me), what this means is if you use 1 cup of red wine, use 1 cup sugar etc. You can store this in the fridge for some time.

For the Cocktail:
2 oz. gin
1 oz. fresh lemon juice
1 oz. red wine syrup
Rub the rim of an ice-filled glass with a nice fat lemon rind. Add the drink ingredients to a shaker filled with ice and shake vigorously for about 20 seconds (or until your arm gives out) and pour into the cocktail glass. Serve with the aforementioned generous lemon twist.

A delicious variation is what I have dubbed the Chicago Sour: swap out the gin for bourbon and add a Luxurdo cherry along with the lemon twist. Absolutely divine!