The Garrison

Happy New Year to all our readers and followers. 

As promised this year I’ll be focussing on speakeasy, prohibition, and roaring 20s Gatsby-style drinks. The Peaky Blinders Cocktail book will be my most important source of inspiration, but I’ll adapt the recipes to my personal taste and story. 

I think that in the prohibition period, drinks were mostly made with local products. You had to use what was available and what wouldn’t attract too much attention. 

The first drink I’ll try for this series is the flagship drink of the book: The Garrison, named after the famous bar of the Peaky Blinders.

In the book, this recipe is basically a Gin Sour upgraded with blackberry liqueur. Since I’m out of blackberries and blackberry liqueur (in summer we have these in our garden), but our city is known for its blueberries (Blueberry Fields is worth a visit in summer)… I swapped the liqueur. The result was satisfactory, but it wouldn't hurt to use slightly more gin. 

The Garrison

Ingredients

40 ml Gin (I used Arduenna Gin)

15 ml Cane sugar syrup

15 ml Freshly squeezed lemon juice

20 ml Blueberry liqueur

Method

Add all ingredients to a shaker with lots of ice. Give it a good shake and double strain in a coupe. Garnish with a cocktail cherry. 

Disclaimer: All pictures and texts are copyrighted by Geert Conard and Esito Management & Communications unless stated otherwise in the article. While some items might have been gifted by the producer or distributor, these are in no way paid promotions or recommendations.

Arduenna 75

When a friend of the family drops in for a visit and it also happens to be her birthday, we rely on a true classic and give it just a little twist. 

I used Arduenna gin as a base for this drink. It’s an organic gin distilled in the south of Belgium, close to the border with Luxembourg. This fruity gin is distilled 6 times and contains Mirabelle plums, fir (pine) and elderflower. Everything is sourced locally in the Ardennes.  

Arduenna 75

Ingredients (For 3 servings)

80 ml Arduenna Gin

60 ml Lemon juice

20 ml Simple Syrup

Champagne, Prosecco or another good quality sparkling wine

Method

Add the gin, lemon juice and sugar to your shaker with lots of ice. Shake for 10 seconds and double strain in your Champagne glasses. This should be enough for three glasses. Top with bubbly and give it just one gentle stir. Garnish is overrated, better serve it with some nice bites. 

Disclaimer: All pictures and texts are copyrighted by Geert Conard and Esito Management & Communications unless stated otherwise in the article. While some items might have been gifted by the producer or distributor, these are in no way paid promotions or recommendations.