The Big Pinky Recipe

Cocktail

1. 1

   Muddle

   Place 6 fresh mint leaves in a cocktail shaker. Add 0.5 oz fresh lemon juice and 0.5 oz simple syrup. Gently clap the mint between your hands to bruise it, then lightly muddle in the shaker 6–8 times—enough to release aroma and oils but not shred the leaves (over-muddling will make the drink bitter).

2. 2

   Build & Shake

   Add 2 oz Ketel One Vodka and 3 oz cranberry juice to the shaker. Add 1 cup of ice (enough to chill and dilute properly). Secure the lid and shake vigorously for 12–15 seconds, until the outside of the shaker is well chilled.

3. 3

   Prepare Glass

   Fill a highball or Collins glass with fresh ice (about 1 cup).

4. 4

   Strain & Serve

   Double-strain the shaken cocktail into the prepared glass over ice (use a Hawthorne strainer plus a fine mesh strainer or the shaker top) to keep small mint bits out while retaining flavor. Gently give the drink a light stir once to integrate.

5. 5

   Garnish

   Brush the rim of the glass with the oils from a mint sprig (lightly clap the sprig first), then place the mint sprig and a lemon wheel or twist onto the rim or float on top as garnish.

6. 6

   Serve immediately while cold. Optionally, for a slightly sweeter or tarter variation: increase simple syrup to 0.75 oz for sweeter, or increase lemon to 0.75 oz for more tartness. Adjust to taste.