It's no secret that I bloody love gin. It's my tipple of choice every time (which my gin bottle tattoo would testify to) so you can imagine my excitement at finding out that there is a gin distillery just ten minutes drive from my house in lovely Leicestershire! The distillery in question is that of Burleighs Dry London Gin, one that for some reason has illuded my tastebuds until a month or so ago perhaps because it's only just over a year old and so I hadn't yet spotted it in any of my local haunts. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I may get a chance to visit the distillery at some point, I've always wanted to learn more about my favourite drink! Naturally I had to purchase a bottle as soon as I found out about it and found it on our go to cocktail supplies website The Whisky Exchange where the standard blend is priced at £28.95 for a 70cl bottle. I also noticed two special editions priced at £33.95 each, The Distillers Cut and The Export Strength which naturally are both on my birthday wish list!
Now I adore a floral gin and so this is right up my street with it's aromatic and slightly violetty notes, but Pete was also a big fan with his palette favouring the faintly piney pepperiness. It makes a really lovely gin and tonic especially if you twist some orange peel over the top to give it a little spritz of orange oil but I just knew I had to have a go at creating a cocktail that would really showcase it's floral qualities. I knew the basic ingredients I wanted to use and so Pete and I had a play around with quantities until we had it just right and The Blushing Bessy was born!
You may well be wondering about that name so I should explain that the Burleighs Gin team have named the copper pot still used to make the gin 'Messy Bessy' and so it only seemed right to honour 'her' with a lovely feminine tipple!
The addition of St Germain adds another floral note to the drink and some needed sweetness while the grapefruit and lemon juices give it a nice citrus kick, the egg white makes it silky and luscious and the vanilla simple syrup rounds the whole thing off, but it is really the gin that shines through in this one which is why I love it oh so much!
The Blushing Bessy
Serves 1 in a large coupe glass
Ingredients
2 oz Burleighs London Dry Gin
1 oz St Germain Elderflower Liqueur
1½ oz Pink Grapefruit Juice
½ oz Lemon Juice
½ oz Vanilla Simple Syrup
1 Egg White
Ice
Method
Half fill a cocktail shaker with ice, add all the ingredients and shake really vigorously for at least a minute. Strain your cocktail into a beautiful glass and enjoy with a twist of orange peel if you wish.
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