The Juniper Thrasher – a cocktail recipe by Michelle Hartsell Cocktail Engineer

 
This is a dry cocktail and I love it!  You'll have to find some good ingredients for this one - including a fairly pricey soda and some very good quality olive oil.  For some reason this cocktail seems to bridge fall and winter nicely and makes me think of a nicely roasted pheasant served with a juniper berry sauce and roasted potatoes with rosemary - but I digress.

First - crush about 2 tsp of whole juniper berries.
Add the crushed berries to the Gin and let stand for about 15minutes. 

To build the cocktail to a shaker 1/3 filled with crushed ice add:

• 4 oz. Bombay Sapphire East Gin (lightly infused with crushed juniper berries as noted above)
• 1 oz. fresh-squeezed lime juice
• 1/2 oz. Arbequina Extra Virgin Olive Oil (I used California Olive Ranch brand)
• 4 drops of Bittercube Bitters Jamaican #1

Shake and strain into two cocktail glasses.  Top with Dry brand Sparkling Juniper Berry flavored soda.  Garnish with a slice of fresh fruit (preferably pineapple guava if you have it - the scent compliments the herbally nose of the drink).

Option:  If this drink is too dry for you, make a juniper berry simple syrup and add about an ounce to the shaker or else a good squeeze of agave nectar.  

Makes 2 refreshing and warm cocktails. 

Cheers!