Gin and Sin

It's tart and juicy and you almost don't notice the gin hiding beneath it. Such a cocktail could exist now in today's cocktail culture. It is a good way to introduce people to gin and get them sinning along with the rest of us. The proportion of juice is very high, and the drink is an attractive color.

But I'm sure this is an old classic, a hangover from Prohibition when gin was dreadful and a lot of juice was necessary to drown out the flavor of bad booze. Notice too the suggestion that drinking is sinful. You won't hear that nowadays, though.

Local to the Virginia distilling scene, gin keeps getting better. I used MurLarkey ImaGination gin with its earthy botanical blend and firm grain flavor. This is the same gin that took bronze at the San Francisco Spirits Festival this year.

• 2 oz. gin (MurLarkey ImaGination used)
• 2 oz. lemon juice
• 2 oz. orange juice 
• 2 dashes of grenadine (a little more of homemade grenadine used)

Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a chilled cocktail glass.