Cocktail Recipe: The Gentleman Farmer

We’re not fancy drink people. We’re more of the moonshine-straight-from-the-still types. But, credit where credit is due. When our friend Nick Watson, ex of the Oakwood Hardware in uptown Toronto whipped this one up for us for the first time, we were hooked. Because it’s fancy, it requires a bit of technique, but if our fumbly distiller hands can swing it, we’re confident that you can too. Let’s get to it.

The Gentleman Farmer

Muddle together in the bottom of a cocktail shaker small bunches of:

• Thyme

• Mint

• Tarragon

Add:

• 1 slice cucumber, roughly chopped

• 2 oz Last Straw Distillery Gin Twenty-One

• 1/4 oz Strega (or substitute other herbal liqueur like Chartreuse)

• 3/4 oz lemon juice

• 3/4 oz light maple syrup (or simple syrup)

• 1 oz egg white (or aquafaba – the “juice” from a can of chickpeas, for a vegan option)

Shake well without ice first, then add ice and shake again.

Fill a Collins or Hi-Ball glass with ice, and strain the cocktail through a fine sieve. Finish with:

• Top up of soda water

• Fresh ground black pepper

Serve immediately, and enjoy with friends.

Photo credit: Margarita Menard Photography