The Jason Collins
KC and i had a lovely dinner tonight at Southpaw, a BBQ joint just around the corner from my house. an outstanding place thats just getting started (its only been open 2 months), and i suspect it will become a standby local eatery, fitting into the rotation of neighbourhood haunts alongside Cancún, Balompié, Limón and also Hog & Rocks. you can never have enuf good BBQ joints.
they have a tremendous bar at Southpaw as well, and they made me a beautiful Sazerac. now, as you may recall, my last encounter with the Sazerac ended really badly, but i made peace with the Sazerac tonight and now we can be friends again.
so tonight, after we got home, i decided to start making friends again with my old friend gin. weve had some bad gos, gin and i, but now seems like a good time to patch things up between us.
this is the gin i purchased at BiStuff. this is a St. George dry rye gin that’s made here in the Bay Area by an artisan distiller. its beautiful stuff, actually. has a stunning fragrance to it when you open the bottle. and, since i should find a use for this lovely raspberry syrup that i concocted last night, its time to get busy behind the bar. behold …
The Jason Collins
my take on the classic Tom Collins recipe. appropriate name, given jkb’s prowess at the ’pods.
3 oz. gin
1½ oz. lemon juice
1 oz. Jason Katzbrownberry Syrup
tonic or other sparkling water
lemon wedge
in the shaker, i combine the gin, the lemon juice, and the syrup. give it a good jiggle side to side but not a heavy shake. i fill this class with ice and pour in the drink, top it off with the tonic and lemon wedge.
oh, man, that is nice. a really good gin like this is smooth and doesnt have oily aroma billowing outta the drink that you get with cheapass gins. ice cold like this, its as refreshing as a G&T but its got that raspberry flavour to make it special. i suspect this drink will become a staple around here in the summertime.