Sage Against The Machine Recipe

Sage-Gin Cocktail

1. 1

   Prepare sage and glass

   Chill a coupe or rocks glass in the freezer or fill with ice water while you make the cocktail. Reserve a fresh sage sprig for garnish. Take 4–5 of the sage leaves (reserve 1 leaf for express garnish) and gently clap them between your palms to bruise and release oils; set aside.

2. 2

   Muddle sage

   In a cocktail shaker, place the bruised sage leaves and 0.25 oz simple syrup. Gently muddle 6–8 times — just enough to release aroma and oil without shredding the leaves into bits.

3. 3

   Build and shake

   Add 2 oz Hat Trick Gin, 0.5 oz ginger liqueur, 0.75 oz fresh lemon juice, and 1 cup of ice to the shaker. Secure the lid and shake vigorously for 12–15 seconds until the outside of the shaker is very cold.

4. 4

   Double strain

   Discard the ice/water from your chilled glass. Double-strain the cocktail into the chilled coupe or a rocks glass over a large ice cube (if serving on the rocks) using both a Hawthorne strainer and a fine mesh strainer to catch bits of sage.

5. 5

   Finish with bitters and garnish

   Add 2 dashes of blueberry-lemongrass bitters on top of the cocktail. Express the reserved sage leaf and/or lemon twist over the drink (give a quick clap of the sage between hands close to the surface to release oils), then float the sage sprig as garnish. If using a lemon twist, rub it on the rim before placing it on the drink.

6. 6

   Serve

   Serve immediately. Suggestion: for extra aroma, briefly torch the tip of the sage sprig (optional and only if experienced) to release additional smoke before placing it over the glass.