The dog days of summer. My favorite time of year in Northern Michigan. Surrounded by crystal clear glacial lakes, golf courses, vast forests and 10pm sunsets. I’m not going to lie, it’s pretty hard to beat. The winters, however, are a completely different story and I don’t want to get into that now. As the season’s change, so do my drinks. When it’s 90 degrees and we’ve been lounging on the boat all day, my beverage of choice needs to be delicious as well as crisp and refreshing. A simple Gin & Tonic is just what I crave. In fact, it’s been my go-to for years. But it wasn’t until recently, that my wife Brandie led me on to a new top-shelf gin from Scotland. Hendrick’s Gin, “A Gin made Oddly”.
“No other gin taste like Hendrick’s because no other gin is made like Hendrick’s. We infuse our gin with the remarkable Bulgarian Rosa Damascena and specially selected cucumbers from the finest producers”. ~hendricksgin.com
Since this odd small batch, handcrafted Scottish Gin is infused with rose and cucumber, it only makes sense to garnish this clear libation with a slice of the vegetable. It’s the crisp cucumber that gives this drink its fresh flavor. Still, in the middle of summer, we’re ending our days with this very drink. However, this versatile hootch is the key ingredient for several other delicious recipes. Beverages I plan to explore in the near future. Other top quality Gins that I’ll substitute when Hendrick’s isn’t available are Bombay Sapphire and a local Gin from New Holland Michigan called Knickerbocker. Both are solid back-ups.
If there is one thing I’ve learned, it’s that life is too short to waste on inferior drinks. Spend the extra coin and enjoy the drink you deserve. Try Hendrick’s Gin the next time you’re out on the town. You won’t be disappointed.
