there’s something positively exquisite about a well-crafted cocktail.
fortunately, boston – and somerville, the neighboring town i live in – has a number of talented bartenders and watering holes that specialize in craft cocktails. i never do it in a crowded bar, but i always love when i get the chance to actually chat with a bartender who really knows their stuff and will talk to me about what i might like to drink. i’m a gin girl, but it usually gets me in trouble. i also love a spicy rye, and of course, a scotch that’s old enough to drink itself. my parents instilled an appreciation of fine wine in me from an early age, and you really can’t live in this area (or be a diehard football fan) without drinking good beer.
i love a good cocktail, but when it comes to drinks that i mix at home, i tend to go simple. gin & tonic, dark & stormy, mimosas – i lean towards cocktails with two or three ingredients, maximum. i typically leave the fancy mixology up to the experts, and stick to wine, beer, and simple cocktails when i’m hanging out at my house. but one of my favorite things to find are specialty liquors. local brews, specialty bitters, and unique syrups that jazz up a classic cocktail and make it something new and exciting. there’s something delightful about trying an unexpected combination of flavors, and then getting to share that with other like-minded, boozehound-type people. it helps that most of my friends share my affinity for delicious, well-blended cocktails, and we’re always on the lookout for something we haven’t tried before. i’d really like to start posting more cocktail recipes, since the simple ones that i make at home aren’t that difficult to recreate.
shake it up! follow me on instagram @ megjoneswall
and seriously, guys. have you tried these craft organic spirits by art in the age of mechanical reproduction? because they’re too cool for words. literally, you have to try them to understand why they’re so fascinating and delicious and absolutely alluring, whether you sip them straight up or try them in one of many delicious custom cocktail recipes.
i’ve long been a fan of ROOT, a delicious, dark and spicy spirit that harkens back to the original 1700’s herbal remedy called “root tea,” which we call (in its non-alcoholic form), “root beer.” i was lucky enough 
to attend a launch party for the company’s newest offering, RHUBARB TEA, just a few weeks ago. and this new spirit is a lot of fun – sweet with hint of crispness, sour and tart but with a touch of spice. they even teamed up with union square donuts to create a scrumptious limited-edition donut using the spirit. but when i realized that they had an offering named SNAP, i knew we had to get together. i mean, come on. ginger-snapped and SNAP organic spirit. is there a more perfect combination? i think not.
and truly, this spirit is worth dropping everything for – seriously, stop reading and go find yourself a bottle. i was a little worried that it would be cloyingly sweet, or that the ginger’s spiciness would overpower everything else. i was wrong. rather than using artificial flavors to recreate the peppery sweetness of a gingersnap cookie, instead real ingredients like ginger, allspice, molasses, and nutmeg are distilled to create a beautifully balanced, buttery and warm spirit that hits all the right notes.
beyond just getting the word out on this beyond scrumptious beverage, we’ve teamed up to host a fantastic giveaway! one lucky winner will receive a generous SNAP prize pack, which includes a SNAP mug, a sample pack of hella bitters, an art in the age t-shirt, whiskey disks, and a package of field notes for all of your tasting adventures!
entering is simple. all you have to do is comment on this post with your favorite cocktail (or cocktails-with-an-S, if you’re like me and hate choosing favorites). you can even get an extra entry for each of the following:
-like ginger-snapped on facebook
-like art in the age on facebook
-follow @ginger__snapped on twitter
-follow @artintheage on twitter
-tweet about the giveaway and include a link to this post (ex. i just entered to win a SNAP spirit prize pack from @artintheage & @ginger__snapped – you can too! http://wp.me/p1qaTw-ys)
for each additional entry, please post a separate comment on this post – combined posts with all entries will only count as one extra entry. the contest ends friday, july 5th at 11:30pm. the winner will be selected using random.org, and will be notified via email. see rules and regulations at the end of the post for more info.
and of course, no cocktail giveaway post would be complete without a yummy homemade cocktail featuring SNAP! this is a twist on the classic whiskey smash, which my husband and i are both mildly obsessed with. after playing around with a few combinations, we both loved this refreshing, sweet and spicy cocktail – and it’s really easy to make at home. feel free to substitute regular simple syrup if that’s what you have, but it’s ridiculously easy to make ginger-infused simple syrup at home, and is definitely worth the extra few minutes.
gingerSNAP smash
7 fresh mint leaves
1/2 lemon
1 tablespoon ginger simple syrup
1/4 cup SNAP liqueur
in a cocktail shaker or large glass, use a muddler or end of a wooden spoon to gently muddle mint, lemon, and ginger simple syrup. add several cubes of ice and the SNAP. give a few solid shakes, then strain into a rocks glass with fresh ice. garnish with fresh mint.
contest ends friday, july 5th, 2013 at 11:30pm. all entries will be verified, and any entry that does not follow rules will be removed and disqualified (i.e. extra entries by participants that have not followed on social media or tweeted appropriately). winner will be notified and prize will be sent directly from art in the age. open to legal residents of the united states, 18 years of age and older. please note that ginger-snapped is not responsible for sponsors that do not ship their prize. if you win and do not hear from ginger-snapped or the sponsor within 30 days, please contact me by email. after 30 days, i may no longer be able to assist you. by providing information on this blog post, you are providing information to me and me alone. your information will not be sold or shared and will be used for the sole purpose of contacting the winner.
ginger-snapped 
my favorite is one i just recently tried, and also happened to be my first adventure with gin! it’s at the restaurant bergamot, and it’s called 1771. it’s gin, orange curacao, rhubarb syrup, cardamom bitters and sparkling wine.
that sounds positively delicious! i might try making that one at home, but i love bergamot enough to head over there to have the experts make it :)
also, i already liked ginger-snapped on fb!
and it turns out i’m already following ginger-snapped on twitter! huzzah!
and now i liked art in the age on facebook…
… and followed them on twitter!
SNAP and ginger-snapped? Talk about a match made in heave. My favorite drink that starts with an S is a Sazerac. It’s fun to say AND delightful to drink.
right?!? and i absolutely love sazerac :)
I’ve been really into using the Art in the Age Rhubarb tea to make Rhubarb Sours, sometimes with an ounce of Pow Wow Botanical Rye, sometimes not. Either way it’s a delightful summer drink!
that sounds awesome! root and snap are both in prominent position in my bar, but i still need to pick up a bottle of the rhubarb tea – i really liked it at the tasting party. it seems like there are so many possibilities!
I can’t say no to a good dark and stormy, especially if it’s got a splash of grapefruit juice
i haven’t tried it with the grapefruit juice – will have to add that in next time. thanks!
I’m a Pimm’s Cup girl through and through.
YUM. that’s one i usually leave to the experts, but is one of my favorites!
I know this is probably old news but i love the coffee martinis. I would love to try making a cinnamon mocha version. Hmm, Maybe I will try that myself at home!
i love the idea of adding some cinnamon! i don’t always order flavored martinis since they tend to be so sweet, but the coffee ones are usually the perfect balance of bitterness and sweetness for me :) and who doesn’t love coffee?
My favorite has got to be the Old-fashioned. It’s a good base cocktail to modify and a classic in itself. I use (ri)^1 rye or Bulleitt Rye, 8:1 with simple syrup, Angostura bitters, and just part of the peel from an orange. Stirred, up, and in a rocks glass.
good one. i really love a good old fashioned, but i’m a little picky about where i’ll order it – i use a tom collins to measure a bartender’s skill, and if they just kill it, an old fashioned is the next thing i’ll order.
Cool. Another fine classic drink! I’ve gotten some pretty outlandish results when ordering it, though. There’s plenty of bartenders that use a crummy Collins mix, but my favorite was when I was asked what was in it by the bartender. I ended up with gin, lemon juice from a bottle, a splash of soda, and a packet of sugar on the side.
yikes. if they ask me what’s in it, i usually just switch to a gin & tonic – i figure if they don’t know what a collins is, i’m probably better off keeping it simple :) a packet of sugar is definitely pretty awful!
Yeah, that was a pretty bad one. I’ve learned my lesson since then, and I’ll usually just switch to beer if they ask me how to make a drink. I think if I was bar-tending and didn’t know a drink, I’d act like I did and turn around and google it on my phone.
that’s what i always wonder – at this point, it’s pretty easy to look it up!
Pisco sour with fresh squeezed lime juice topped with fresh-whipped egg whites!!!
ooh – i’ve never tried that one. will have to give it a shot soon!
My husband is an avid gin drinker, but I am a bit of a “newb” however this cocktail is to die for. Especially as a summer treat.
Lavender French 75
2-4 teaspoons lavender simple syrup, to taste
4 tablespoons gin
A squeeze or two of lemon, to taste
4 tablespoons champagne
Best served when ingredients are already chilled, otherwise over ice is good too:)
yum! a french 75 is one of my favorites – i love the idea of adding lavender. will definitely give this one a try!