Vincent Shakir, of Palihouse, says the key to 4th of July cocktailing is keeping it simple. All it takes is a few quality ingredients and some seasonal touches for your 4th of July party to soar!
Nolet’s Drink to Freedom
Ingredients:
· 1½ oz. NOLET’S Silver Gin
· 1½ oz. Noilly Prat dry vermouth
Preparation:
· Combine all ingredients in a mixing glass
· Stir with ice until chilled and diluted
· Strain into a chilled cocktail glass
· Garnish with strawberry and two blueberries
A few words on the drink:
“For me, the United States is a beautiful melting pot of cultures. My father immigrated to the US in the late seventies and met my mother shortly thereafter They got married and had me. The perfect cocktail expression of this mix is a 50-50 martini. As a base spirit, I used NOLET’S Silver Gin. The Nolet family had been distilling spirits in Holland for 10 generations before Carl Nolet Jr came to the US to build the brand. Simplicity is key when using NOLET’S Silver and when making cocktails for a party. Make something that’s easy rather than a complicated cocktail that takes you away from your guests. I use Noilly Prat dry vermouth because it’s a bit sweeter and plays well with the fruit and floral notes of the gin (Turkish rose, peach, raspberry). I garnish the martini with a strawberry and two blueberries for the red and blue aspects of the cocktail, achieving not only a lovely trio of our national colors, but also making for another delicious complement to fruit and floral notes of the gin.“
NOLET’S Silver Gin and Tonic
Ingredients:
· 1 oz. NOLET’S Silver Dry Gin
· 3 oz. Tonic Water or Soda Water
Preparation:
· Pour NOLET’S Silver and Fever Tree tonic water into an ice-filled highball glass.
· Place whole blueberries and halved strawberries
· Stir well
A few words on the drink:
“I made a Gin and Tonic (in honor of July being national Gin and Tonic month!) and placed whole blueberries and halved strawberries. no need for muddling, as they look gorgeous as is and are delicious to eat while sipping the drink. I used Fever Tree bottled tonic, but again, nothing expensive is necessary to make this drink stand out. the gin shines through no matter what the tonic may be.”
