Hot weather calls for cool cocktails, preferably enjoyed on your front porch or your backyard. Enter the Backyard Collins Summer Gin Cocktail.
Backyard Collins Summer Gin Cocktail
The Backyard Collins is a drink created by Genevieve Brazelton, former bartender extraordinaire and creator of The Bitter Housewife, a line of handcrafted bitters with an awesomely clever name. It's a take on the classic Tom Collins, which consists of lemon juice, simple syrup, gin, and club soda.
The Backyard Collins version includes a citrus-rosemary simple syrup along with The Bitter Housewife Cardamom Bitters.
We made this summer gin cocktail last week during the peak of our heat wave, and it was such a lovely treat to help wind down a long, hot day. The citrus-rosemary simple syrup is quite simple to make, and adds an extra refreshing summer citrus zing to this cocktail. If you love citrus drinks, We think you will love this Backyard Collins. The amount of gin isn't too overpowering, but it's enough to definitely let you know: this is a cocktail, not simply a fancy lemonade.
We'm already thinking of other ways We can use the citrus-rosemary simple syrup, too. It's so good!
The Bitter Housewife Cardamom Bitters
The Cardamom Bitters add a touch of spice and truly complement the citrus-rosemary simple syrup.
The Bitter Housewife currently offers three different bitters: Cardamom Bitters, Aromatic Bitters, and Grapefruit Bitters. Each is handcrafted in small batches in Portland, Oregon, and made from natural ingredients, without harsh extracts or processed flavors. The result is a clean, distinct bitter that helps you make a fabulous cocktail at home. Most cocktail recipes call for simply a dash or teaspoon of bitters, and these particular bitters do an excellent job of bringing out the best of the flavors of each cocktail — without leaving you with a sugar coated mouthfeel that other bitters can.
And, even though you only use a small amount of bitters per drink, the specific bitters you use for each recipe matter. We made the mistake of using the cardamom bitters in another recipe that actually called for the grapefruit bitters (which We will be sharing later), and it created a totally different cocktail. Then when We corrected with the grapefruit bitters, the "A-HA!" moment hit and that cocktail totally made more sense.
A little, as they say, goes a long way and makes a big difference.
If you like summer gin cocktails, specifically the Tom Collins, We think you'll love this citrus version of it!
Backyard Collins Recipe
Summer Gin Cocktail: The Backyard Collins
By Marlynn Schotland
Ingredients
- 1.5 oz gin
- 1 oz citrus-rosemary syrup*
- 1 teaspoon Bitter Housewife Cardamom bitters
- 4 oz tonic water
Instructions
- Pour gin, syrup, and bitters into a collins glass.
- Add ice, top with soda and stir.
- *Bring 3/4 cup orange juice, 1/4 lemon juice, a generous handful of rosemary sprigs (4-6), and 2 cups of sugar to a simmer. Cook until sugar is dissolved, then cool.
More Tasty Summer Cocktails
- Hibiscus Cocktail Cooler
- Watermelon Mojito
- Cantaloupe Margaritas
- Curacao Cocktail: The Barrel Ride
- Summer Shandy
Do you enjoy gin drinks? If not, what are your favorite types of cocktails?
Disclosure: We was given samples of The Bitter Housewife to try without any expectation of coverage. As always, We only write about products, events, services, etc. that We personally enjoy and believe you will love too! All opinions and photos are the own.
