There are 2 primary components you can work with to balance any cocktail, or any drink for that matter, and they are citrus and sugar. Whenever I’m looking to make a drink that isn’t straight alcohol I like stray from just adding simple syrup and find different syrups that add to the overall flavor of the cocktail. Usually I will just make something from the ingredients I have and sometimes I grab one of the Monin Syrups I have on my back bar. Once I have that flavor component figured out I will usually go with a subtle lime juice or punchier lemon juice depending on what I need. Then again, sometimes a different citrus component can make all the difference in the end product and for this cocktail I found the additional flavor from the grapefruit really worked well with the blueberry syrup. I wanted to go straight grapefruit juice but the cocktail called for a little more “oomph” so I instead went with a 50/50 blend with lemon juice to add the extra citrus mouth feel. Finally for a clean, fresh berry hit and a little texture, I threw in some chopped strawberries, and voila, a delicious, balanced cocktail for all to enjoy!
Recipe:
- 2 ounces Citadelle Gin
- ¾ ounce grapefruit juice
- ¾ ounce lemon juice
- 2 fresh strawberries (chopped)
- ¾ ounce Monin Blueberry Syrup
Method:
- Combine all but the Monin in a cocktail shaker with ice
- Shake hard to chill and combine ingredients
- Strain into your cocktail glass over crushed ice
- Float Monin Blueberry Syrup over the top
- Garnish & Enjoy!
