Modern Gin Recipes

Papa Smurf

by Ian Glomski

Difficulty Level: Easy

This impressively blue cocktail is perfectly refreshing and has an ingredient that gives a nod to Ian’s microbiology background. Spirulina is a type of algae that is used in food supplements. It is rich in protein, vitamins, minerals, carotenoids, and antioxidants. Phycocyanin is the blue pigment derived from spirulina which gives the algae its dark blue color when it has been extracted. This blue pigment comes in the form of a powder and is dissolved into the cocktail to give it its vibrant smurf-like color. Science!

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0.5 oz Vitae Spits Old Tom Gin

0.5 oz. Vitae Spirits Orange Liqueur

0.5 oz Peach Schnapps

Blue Spirulina powder

Sicilian Lemon Soda

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1. Combine alcohol and a very tiny amount of Blue Spirulina powder (less than 1/4 tsp) in a shaker with ice

2. Shake well until powder is dissolved

3. Double strain into a coupe glass

4. Top of with Lemon soda

5. Garnish with lemon twist

Manila Fizz

by Ian Glomski

This fun riff on a classic is perfect for the fall. Reminiscent of an adult Rootbeer float!

Difficulty Level: Easy

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1.5 oz. Vitae Spirits Modern Gin

0.75 oz. fresh lemon juice

0.5 oz. Vanilla simple syrup*

Root beer

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Vanilla Bean Simple syrup

Bring 1/2 cup sugar, 1 cup water to a boil and then simmer in a covered pot . Turn off heat and add 1/4 of a vanilla bean. Let cool and store in refrigerator with the vanilla bean in the syrup for up to one month.

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1. Combine all ingredients in a shaker

2. Add 1 cup medium ice

3. Shake and pour over ice in a tumbler glass.

4. Top off with Root beer

Nippon Chiffon

by Dheeraj Chatlani

A fluffy libation with a Japanese citron twist
Yuzu and lime form an unlikely match along with our orange liqueur. Reminiscent of a light cake on the turn of the season, the bitters and Modern Gin round the flavor.

Difficulty Level: Medium +

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1 oz. Vitae Spirits Modern Gin

0.5 oz. Vitae Spirits Orange Liqueur

.75 oz Yuzu simple syrup*

0.5 oz egg white

0.5 oz lime juice

4 dashes Embitterment Orange Bitters

4 dashes Embitterment Aromatic Bitters

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Yuzu Syrup

1 part yuzu marmalade to 4 parts heavy simple syrup.

Combine lemon peel and sugar and let sit for a few hours to create an oleo sacrum. While oleo sacrum is finishing, combine marmalade and water in a pot and bring to a rolling boil. Add oleo sacrum and stir until dissolved.

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1. Combine all ingredients in a shaker

2. Add 1 cup medium ice

3. Shake vigorously

4. Pour in a cocktail glass.

5. Garnish with an edible flower.

Peachy Keen

by TJ Drake

Difficulty Level: Easy+

What’s better than honey and peaches in the summer? Honey, basil, gin, and peaches in the summer! Give this delicious cocktail a try for your next backyard party! It’s light, refreshing, and perfect for a poolside refreshment.

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1 oz Modern Gin

0.5 oz. Vitae Spirits Orange Liqueur

0.5 oz Peach nectar

1 oz Honey basil simple syrup*

0.5 oz Lemon juice

Garnish with fresh basil

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Honey Basil Simple Syrup

1 cup honey

2 cups water

1 cup fresh basil leaves

Bring honey and water to a boil in a medium-size saucepan
Add basil leaves for 5-8 minutes
Take off heat and let cool to room temp
Strain and store in a ball jar

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1. Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice.

2. Shake vigorously and pour in a collins glass

3. Fill with ice and garnish with fresh basil leaf

Spring Bouqet

by TJ Drake

Difficulty Level: Easy+

Ever wonder what spring tastes like? I think we nailed it! This cocktail is light, refreshing, and perfect for the season. Grapefruit and gin always make a good combination and we’ve paired it with a fizzy, floral, soda, for a fun pop! Enjoy!

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1 oz Modern Gin

0.5 oz. Vitae Spirits Orange Liqueur

1 oz Grapefruit juice

0.5 oz Vanilla simple syrup

Top with Dry Sparkling Lavender Soda

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Vanilla Simple Syrup

1 cup sugar

2 cups water

1 whole vanilla bean

Cut vanilla bean in half and scrape out center
Bring sugar and water to a boil in a medium size sauce pan
Add vanilla bean skin and innards and let simmer for 5-10 minutes
Take off heat and let cool to room temp
Strain and store in ball jar

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1. Combine all ingredients but soda in a shaker with ice.

2. Shake vigorously and pour in a collins glass

3. Fill with ice and top with lavender soda

It's Easy Bein' Green

by Ian Glomski

Difficulty Level: Easy+

This cocktail is sure to brighten up your fall! Our Autumn spices from our Gin shine in this wonderfully complex, yet balanced cocktail!

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0.5 oz Modern Gin

0.5 oz. Vitae Spirits Anisette

0.5 oz Midori

1 tsp. Orgeat*

1 oz. heavy cream

0.5 oz lemon juice

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Orgeat

2 cups lightly toasted almonds, coarsely chopped

1 1/4 cup sugar

1 1/4 cup water

1 tsp orange flower water

Bring water and sugar to a boil, turn heat down, add almonds. Let simmer for 5 minutes, turn off heat, let steep for up to 8 hours. Strain almonds out, stir in orange flower water. Bottle and keep in the refrigerator.

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1. Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice.

2. Shake vigorously and pour in a coup glass

3. Garnish with dried kiwi

Thai One On

by Ian Glomski

Difficulty Level: MEDIUM+

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1 oz. Vitae Spirits Modern Gin

0.5 oz. Vitae Spirits Orange Liqueur

0.5 oz. Cinnamon basil syrup

1 oz Grapefruit Juice

0.5 oz lemon juice

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Cinnamon basil syrup

Heat 1 cup of sugar and 0.5 cup water in pot until sugar is disolved, add 1 stick of cinnamon and bring to a boil. Turn off heat and set aside to cool Combine 0.5 cups water and basil seeds and let sit until seeds are glutinous. Stir seeds into sugar syrup until evenly dispersed

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1. Combine all ingredients in a shaker except basil syrup

2. Shake and strain into martini glass

3. Add basil seed simple to the cocktail, stir, serve

The Coolest Cucumber

by TJ Drake

Difficulty Level: Easy

This crisp cucumber cocktail is perfect for a hot day by the pool. Crisp and refreshing with a hint of elderflower for the spring!

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1 oz. Vitae Spirits Modern Gin

1/2 oz St Germain Elderflower Liqueur

1 oz lemonade (1 part sugar, 1 part lemon juice, 2 parts water)

2 slices of fresh English cucumber

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Combine ingredients in shaker with ice
Shake vigorously
pour contents into 8oz collins glass (for larger collins volume add 1oz of lemonade)
top off class with ice

Poinsettia

by Kerrie Pierce

Difficulty Level: Medium

Dive into the holidays with a refreshing, light, pomegranate martini. This cocktail will send your mind into a beachy bliss.

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1 oz. Vitae Spirits Modern Gin

1/2 oz Vitae Spirits Anisette

1 oz pomegranate juice

1/2 oz rosewater simple

1/2 oz lime juice

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Combine Ingredients in Shaker with ice
Shake vigorously
Strain into Coupe glass
Garnish with pomegranate seeds

She's my (Cherry Pie)

Classic Riff by Kerrie Pierce

Difficulty Level: Medium

This cocktail will have you singing to the rafters! A not too sweet surprise, this cocktail is perfectly balanced, and will definitely “Warrant” a second cocktail.

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1 oz. Vitae Spirits Modern Gin

1/2 oz Vitae Spirits Anisette

1 oz Sour Cherry nectar

1/2 oz orgeat (see below) ( Liber & Co)

1/2 oz lime juice

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Orgeat

2 cups lightly toasted almonds, coarsely chopped

1 1/4 cup sugar

1 1/4 cup water

1 tsp orange flower water

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Combine Ingredients in Shaker with ice
Shake vigorously
Strain into Coupe glass
Garnish with dried lime wheel

Eagles Dream

Modified Classic Cocktail by Ian Glomski

The Eagle’s Dream can be found in Harry Craddock’s The Savoy Cocktail Book from 1930. The cocktail utilizes violet liqueur and egg white. The resultant drink is a pale blue sky with a white, foamy cloud.

Difficulty Level: Easy +

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1 oz. Vitae Spirits Modern Gin

0.5 oz. Violet Liqueur

0.5 oz. Egg White

2 tsp. Simple Syrup

1/2 Fresh Squeezed Lemon

Garnish with sprinkle of Violet powder

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1. Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice 2. Shake and pour into coupe glass. 3. Garnish with dusting of Violet powder

Saturn

Classic Riff by Kerrie Pierce

Difficulty Level: Advanced

Rum has always been the star of the tiki mug, but unbeknownst to many, gin has long had a supporting role in tropical drinks as well. The Saturn cocktail is one of the most famous gin-based recipes—a fruity combo of gin, passion fruit, orgeat, falernum and lemon juice. Invented in 1967, the drink still appears on menus at bars around the world today. The Vitae version is the perfect cocktail for the summer. You’ll want a pitcher for the pool, to yourself!

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1.5 oz. Vitae Spirits Modern Gin1/4 oz

falernum (see below)

1/4 oz orgeat (see below) ( Liber & Co)

1/2 oz passionfruit syrup ( Liber & Co)

1/2 oz lemon juice

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Orgeat

2 cups lightly toasted almonds, coarsely chopped

1 1/4 cup sugar

1 1/4 cup water

1 tsp orange flower water

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Falernum

1/3 cup sliced, raw almonds

30 whole cloves

1/2 cup of light rum

8 limes

2/3 cup of water

1/2 cup of sugar

Preheat the oven to 400°F and toast the almonds on a cookie sheet until slightly darkened and fragrant, about five minutes. Be careful not to let them burn. Let cool before using.
Place the almonds and cloves in a sealable glass jar and pour in the rum. Shake and let steep 2 days. (For a less intense clove flavor, steep 1 day.)
Zest the limes, being sure no white pith is included. Set aside four of the limes for use in the rest of this recipe, and reserve the rest for another project. Add lime zest to the jar. At this point you can also add other spices, if desired. Shake and let steep for 1 day, and then strain through cheesecloth, pressing to extract as much liquid as possible.
Juice four of the limes, and strain the juice into a sauce pot. Add water and sugar, then bring to a boil on medium heat. Cook until sugar is dissolved, about 5 minutes. Let syrup cool, then combine with the strained almond and clove infusion. Strain mixture through a coffee filter, if desired, then let it rest for an additional 12 hours before use.

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Combine Ingredients in Shaker with ice
Shake vigorously
Strain into Coupe glass
Garnish with Lemon Twist

Turkish Delight

by Kerrie Pierce

Difficulty Level: Medium

This savory cocktail was designed to resemble the flavors of a fantastic desert served in Paris, France. The light hint of anisette is a great accent to the savory flavors of the apricot and pistachio!

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1 oz. Vitae Spirits Modern Gin

0.5 oz. Vitae Spirits Anisette

1 oz. Apricot Nectar

3/4 oz Pistachio Orgeat

1/2 Lime

Garnish with Dried Apricot

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Pistachio Orgeat

2 cups lightly toasted pistachios, coarsely chopped

1 1/4 cup sugar

1 1/4 cup water

1 tsp orange flower water

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1. Combine all ingredients in a shaker

2. Add ice, Shake. 3. Strain into coupe glass. 4. Garnish with apricot slice

Partridge in a Pear Tree

by Kerrie Pierce

Difficulty Level: Advanced

Holiday Cheer in a glass! This cocktail pairs our Modern Gin and Orange Liqueur, with mulled pear nectar and a house made caramel syrup that will delight any guest at your holiday party!

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1 oz. Vitae Spirits Modern Gin

0.5 oz. Vitae Spirits Orange Liqueur

1 oz. Mulled Pear Nectar

0.5 oz Caramel Syrup

0.5 oz Lemon Juice

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Spiced Pear Nectar

1 bottle pear nectar

1 cinnamon stick

1 tsp clove, whole

1/4 tsp fresh grated nutmeg

1/4 tsp all spice

Combine in pan, bring to boil. Lower heat and let simmer for 10 minutes. Let cool and store in fridge.

Caramel Syrup

Heat 1 cup of sugar and 1/4 cup water in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Place over medium heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until the sugar dissolves and comes to a boil and becomes golden amber in color.
Immediately remove from heat and slowly add water to mixture. Use extreme caution adding water to pan. Burns can be severe. Return to heat and continue stirring until mixture becomes liquid. Let cool in pan. Transfer to serving container. Store in fridge.

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1. Combine all ingredients in a shaker

2. Add ice, Shake. 3. Strain into coupe glass. 4. Garnish with cinnamon dusted pear slice

Beets Me

by Kerrie Pierce

There is no way to miss the beetific origin of this strikingly red cocktail. Earthy spice from the carrots and beets are a refreshing change of direction from fruity sweetness so often found in cocktails. Give it a try and get a good dose of your daily vitamins too!

Difficulty Level: Advanced

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1 oz. Vitae Spirits Modern Gin

0.5 oz. Vitae Spirits Orange Liqueur

1 oz. Carrot Gomme (see recipe above in 24 Carrot)

0.5 oz beet shrub (see recipe below)

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Beet Shrub

5 beets cut into chunks

1/2 cup apple cider vinegar

1/2 cup white vinegar

1 cup sugar

1 tsp peppercorns

1 tsp kosher salt

Add beets and vinegar to blender, blend until pureed. Press puree through a fine strainer (or cheesecloth) into a non-reactive bowl (you should have 2-3 cups of beet juice/vinegar mixture) add sugar, peppercorns, and kosher salt to the bowl. Cover and allow to steep for a day. Taste, if you want more pepper flavor, let sit another day. Strain one more time, bottle and refrigerate.

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1. Combine all ingredients in a shaker

2. Add 1 cup medium ice 3. Shake vigorously 4. Pour in a cocktail glass. 5. Garnish with an edible flower.

24 Carrot

by Kerrie Pierce

This gorgeously orange cocktail epitomizes the autumn harvest season, bursting with earthy sweetness and spice. It also represents the reintroduction of gomme arabic to our cocktail lineup, a semi-forgotten ingredient used in classic cocktails to add body to drinks without overwhelming sweetness.

Difficulty Level: Medium+

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1.5 oz. Vitae Spirits Modern Gin

1 oz. carrot gomme

juice from 1/2 fresh squeezed lemon

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Carrot Gomme with Honey & Ginger

Hydrate Gomme Syrup:

4 tablespoons gum arabic

1/4 cup boiling water

Stir together the gum arabic and boiling water in a dish

(the gum arabic will take 5-6 hours to dissolve completely, just let it sit after mixing together, it will look like very thick syrup)

1 cup water

3/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup honey

1oz sliced ginger

Mix the sugar, honey and water in a pan, heat until sugar and honey dissolves, then add ginger slices. bring to a boil, then reduce heat and let simmer for 10 minutes. Let cool. Strain out ginger. Mix the dissolved gum arabic into the syrup and stir.

Mix the gomme syrup with an equal amount of carrot juice (should be about 2 cups) and whisk to combine.

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1. Combine all ingredients in a shaker 2. Add 1 cup medium ice 3. Shake vigorously 4. Pour in a cocktail glass. 5. Garnish with an edible flower.

NAUGHTY OR NICE MARTINI

by Kerrie Pierce

Difficulty Level: Advanced

The Naughty or Nice Martini was developed by our Tasting Room Associate Kerrie Pierce for our Winter 2016 tasting room cocktail menu. A key component in this martini is the cranberry shrub. A shrub is a flavored vinegar preparation that was popular in colonial America as a mixer for rum. Naughty or Nice’s color combination is perfect for the holiday season and its sweet and sour flavor profile makes it dangerously easy to go down.

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1.5 oz. Vitae Spirits Modern Gin

3/4 oz. cranberry shrub

3/4 oz. orange blossom simple syrup

rosemary sprig

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CRANBERRY SHRUB

1 large orange

1/2 cup sugar

2 cups cranberries

1 cup apple cider vinegar

1. Produce orange sugar: Using a peeler remove orange zest in long strips and place in a bowl with sugar. Muddle orange zest with sugar, cover, and then let sit for a minimum of an hour. Remove zest from bowl and discard, while reserving the oily sugar. 2. Juice the orange and set it aside. 3. Add cranberries and vinegar to blender and blend until pureed. 4. Combine cranberry-vinegar mixture, orange juice, and orange sugar in a non-reactive container then allow to steep at room temperature for at least two days. 5. Strain off solids through a fine strainer or cheese cloth and retain the cranberry shrub liquid.

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ORANGE BLOSSOM SIMPLE SYRUP

1 3/4 cup water

1/4 cup orange blossom water

1 cup cane sugar

Combine all ingredients and bring to a low boil until sugar is dissolved. Let cool, bottle, then refrigerate.

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1. Combine gin, shrub, and simple syrup in a shaker, add ice, then shake. 2. Strain into a martini glass. 3. Garnish with a lemon twist and a sprig of rosemary.

Vitae Collins

by TJ Drake

Difficulty Level: EASY

This Tom Collins adaptation is the very essence of Spring, and thus a new addition to our Spring 2017 seasonal cocktail menu. Light and refreshing, the citrus and cucumber really bring out the floral herbaciousness of our Modern Gin.

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1.5 oz. Vitae Spirits Modern Gin

2 oz. fresh made lemonade (1 part sugar, 1 part lemon juice, 2 parts water)

2 slices cucumber

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1. Combine gin, lemonade, and once slice of cucumber to a shaker. 2. Shake vigorously to extract cucumber essence. 3. Strain into a chilled martini glass. 4. Garnish with a slice of cucumber on the rim.

Provence

by Kerrie Pierce

A trip to France in a glass! Our Orange Liqueur and Modern Gin pair with a blueberry shrub and a local wildflower honey simple. Topped with a twist of lime to add a little zip of citrus.

Difficulty Level: Medium

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1 oz. Vitae Spirits Orange Liqueur

0.5 oz. Vitae Spirits Modern Gin

0.5 oz. Wildflower Honey Simple

3/4 oz Blueberry Lavender Shrub

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Blueberry Lavender Shrub – Mix 16 oz of blueberries with 1 cup of sugar, mashing berries lightly and let sit for 48 hours. Place 2 tablespoons of dried lavender buds in 1 cup of apple cider vinegar and let sit for 48 hours. Strain lavender from vinegar, as well as the berries from the syrup. Mix syrup and vinegar together. Keep stored in fridge.

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Wildflower Honey Syrup – Bring to a boil 2 cups of water and 1 cup of honey. Turn of heat and let simmer till cooled

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1. Combine all ingredients in a shaker 2. Add 1 cup medium ice 3. Shake vigorously 4. Pour in a cocktail glass. 5. Garnish with Lemon twist and fresh lavender sprig

MODERN MARY

by Aron Kingsley

Difficulty Level: Medium+

The Modern Mary was developed by our Tasting Room Associate Aron Kingsley for our brunch cocktail menu for pairings with our neighbor Ace Biscuit & BBQ’s menu. Technically a Red Snapper (a Bloody Mary that uses gin instead of vodka) its spice will certainly help open up your sleepy eyes.

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1.5 oz. Vitae Spirits Modern Gin

~3 oz. bloody Mary mix

cayenne salt

lime wedge

celery stick

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BLOODY MARY MIX

Combine and mix:

2 bottles Knudsen’s Veggie juice

15 oz. Worcestershire sauce

3 oz. prepared horse radish

Huy Fong Chili paste to taste

juice from one lemon

celery salt to taste

cracked black peppercorn to taste

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CAYENNE SALT

Combine 1 cup flaked salt with 1 tsp ground cayenne pepper. Store in a rimming tin.

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1. Rub rim of a rocks glass with the lime wedge to wet and then dunk in the cayenne salt to rim the glass. 2. Add ice and gin. 3. Fill glass with Bloody Mary mix. 4. Garnish with the lime wedge and celery stick.

MODERN MINT MULE

by TJ Drake

Difficulty Level: EASY

This mule was a member of our Autumn 2016 cocktail menu in the tasting room. At the end of a long summer growing season prolific beds of mint supply a welcomed freshness to the snappiness of Vernor’s Ginger Ale and the floral notes of Modern Gin.

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1.5 oz. Vitae Spirits Modern Gin

juice from 1/2 a lime

about 6 leaves fresh mint

~ 3 oz. Vernor’s Ginger Ale

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1. Muddle lime slices and mint in a mule mug (or rocks glass). 2. Add ice and gin. 3. Fill glass with ginger ale.

MODERN TONIC

by group blind tastings

This flavor combination was found by blind tasting Modern Gin in a dozen or so tonic waters and then tallying the votes for the favorites. The hand’s down winner was Fever Tree’s Elderflower Tonic. The elder flowers draw out the floral and herbal complexity of our Modern Gin. The Elderflower tonic is a little tough to get your hands on, but we sell it in the tasting room if you want to pick some up.

Difficulty Level: EASY

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1.5 oz. Vitae Spirits Modern Gin

two slices of lime

~3 oz. Fever Tree Elderflower Tonic

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1. Muddle lime slices in a rocks glass. 2. Add ice and gin. 3. Fill glass with tonic.

MOUNTAIN TOP FIZZ

by Ian Glomski

Every year since Vitae Spirits’ inception we have taken part in Monticello’s Heritage Harvest Festival. In 2016 we have developed a cocktail for the opening night shebang using ingredients harvested straight from the slopes of Monticello’s mountain top gardens. It takes a little extra work to pull the ingredients together, but you’ll find it worth it.

Difficulty Level: MEDIUM+

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1.5 oz. Vitae Spirits Modern Gin

0.5 oz. fresh lime juice

0.5 oz. Rhubarb syrup (see recipe below)

0.5 Fennel Flower syrup (see recipe below)

1 pinch (1/16 tsp.) ponzu sauce

1 smidgen (1/32 tsp.) almond extract

sparkling water

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SYRUPS

Rhubarb Syrup– bring to a boil and then simmer in a covered pot 1 cup sugar, 1/2 cup water, and 4 cups chopped rhubarb. Simmer for 30 minutes. While still warm, strain through a colander into a bowl. If your colander’s holes are too large and solids pass through, restrain after adding some cheese cloth to the colander to strain more finely. Let cool and store in refrigerator up to one month.

Fennel Flower Syrup- Harvest enough fennel flowers to fill 2 cups with just the seeds/flower heads while minimizing green stems. Bring 1 cup sugar and 1 cup water to a boil. Add the 2 cups of fennel flowers and simmer for 5 minutes. While still warm, strain through a colander into a bowl. If your colander’s holes are too large and solids pass through, restrain after adding some cheese cloth to the colander to strain more finely. Let cool and store in refrigerator up to one month.

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1. Combine all ingredients in a shaker 2. Add 1 cup medium ice 3. Shake and pour over ice in a tumbler glass. 4. Top off with sparkling water.

Gin O'Lantern

by This Doesn’t Suck

First posted in the This Doesn’t Suck vlog , this surprisingly balanced cocktail arrived just in time for Halloween 2018. A bit of bitter, a bit fruity, a bit candy, but not too too sweet.

Difficulty Level: Easy

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1.5 oz. Vitae Spirits Modern Gin

1,0 oz. Aperol

0.5 oz. Tempus Fugit Creme de Banane

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Add all the ingredients with ice and stir until chilled.
Serve up in a glass of your choice.
Garnish with some curled line or orange peel if you want to make it for Halloween.
Enjoy!

Acting Single Cocktail

Another beaut posted in the This Doesn’t Suck vlog. This is a great cocktail that’s similar to a white negroni but with a completely different and accessible profile based on Modern Gin. Give this one a shot. You won’t be disappointed.

Difficulty Level: Easy

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1.5 oz. Vitae Spirits Modern Gin

0.5 oz, Suze Saveur d’Autrefois

0.5 oz. Cocchi Americano

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Stir all the ingredients with ice until well chilled.
Strain into a coupe.
Garnish with lemon peel if you like.
Enjoy!