2021 Let’s Get Blitzen: Cocktail Advent Calendar – Day 10 – Blitzen Buck. Aside from being a great reindeer pun, a “buck” is a style of cocktail containing a spirit, citrus, and either ginger ale or ginger beer. This Blitzen Buck uses juniper-forward Georgian Bay Gin as the base spirit and brings in seasonal flavours of apple and rosemary.
This post is sponsored by Georgian Bay Spirit Co.
If you’re thinking to yourself, “Hmm, I don’t know that I’ve ever had a ‘buck’,” well, have you ever had a Dark ‘N’ Stormy? That’s a buck. So, I’m going to take a shot in the dark and say you’ve probably had one before, but maybe not one THIS good.
I’ve used Georgian Bay Gin as the foundation for this cocktail. Georgian Bay Gin is made with juniper hand-picked from the area alongside other botanicals including coriander, orange peel, lemon peel, angelica root, and grains of paradise.
It is a London Dry style gin crafted in small batches and available for purchase at the LCBO for $34.95.
There are several different styles of gin including: London Dry, Old Tom, Genever, New-Style, and Plymouth. London Dry is really the benchmark for all other styles of gin with its prominent rounded juniper flavour profile complemented with notes of citrus and bottled at 40% ABV or higher.
This is a very easy-drinking cocktail, something you could sip on while you’re patiently for the next interval to baste the turkey or watching your rolls rise in the oven. Maybe you were planning to use a splash of apple cider in your stuffing (and if you weren’t, you probably should) and you’ll get even more mileage out of it in this cocktail.
The Blitzen Buck pulls in a lot of great flavours you’ll likely have at your holiday table – apple, lemon, ginger, rosemary, making it a perfect accompaniment to whatever culinary masterpiece you’re pulling together. If you’re not the one cooking, consider showing up with the fixings for this cocktail and earn the coveted title of Most Valuable Guest.
Except if you’re coming to my place, don’t bring drinks (I’ll have that covered) but please offer to do the dishes because I can guarantee that my kitchen will be looking like a war zone by the time I’m done putting out a five-course Michelin-star-worthy meal.
Be sure to tune into my Instagram Stories tonight at 5 p.m. Eastern for a step-by-step tutorial on how to prepare this Blitzen Buck!
Blitzen Buck
A “buck” is a style of cocktail containing a spirit, citrus, and either ginger ale or ginger beer. This Blitzen Buck uses juniper-forward Georgian Bay Gin as the base spirit and brings in seasonal flavours of apple and rosemary.
- 1½ oz Georgian Bay Gin
- 1½ oz apple cider
- ¾ oz lemon juice
- ½ oz rosemary syrup
- 2-3 oz ginger beer
- Garnish: fresh rosemary sprig
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup water
- ¼ cup fresh rosemary sprigs
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Add all ingredients, excluding ginger beer, to a shaker with ice and shake until well-chilled.
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Strain into an ice-filled highball glass.
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Top with ginger beer.
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Garnish with sprig of fresh rosemary and serve with a straw.
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Combine sugar, water, and rosemary sprigs in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally, until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and let sit at room temperature until completely cool.
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Remove rosemary sprigs and store syrup in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three weeks.
