Thyme For A Cocktail
Serves 2 or Gets 1 Person Buzzed
A Bee's Knees is one of my favorite cocktails. I discovered it when Justin and I were having a date night at a restaurant in Venice. It's a classic cocktail that's been around for a while, but I was new to it.
Julie and I were cooking together recently and found ourselves with a lot of thyme on our hands, so naturally we wanted to infuse something. Since we were both in dire need of a cocktail after cooking all day long, we decided to create our own version of a Bee’s Knees using thyme simple syrup. We used the syrup after letting the thyme steep for only 30 minutes (we needed the cocktail, ok?!) but trust me, it's best if you can be patient and let the thyme infuse overnight. So... plan ahead!
INGREDIENTS
For the thyme simple syrup:
1 cup water
1 cup sugar
A handful of thyme sprigs
For the cocktail:
4 ounces good quality gin
2 ounces fresh squeezed lemon juice
3 Tablespoons thyme syrup
Seltzer water to taste
Fresh thyme sprig for garnish
DIRECTIONS
Make the simple syrup:
Bring 1 cup of water to a boil and stir in the sugar until completely dissolved. Pour the sugar-water into a glass container with a tight fitting lid, like a mason jar. Add the thyme sprigs, making sure they are completely submersed in the simple syrup. Fit the lid on the jar and store it in a cool dark place to infuse for 24 hours.
Make the cocktail:
Combine the gin, lemon juice and thyme syrup in a cocktail shaker or large glass. Stir or shake well. Divide evenly between two ice-filled glasses and top with seltzer water to taste. Garnish each glass with a fresh sprig of thyme.
Sip, relax and stop worrying about your messy kitchen.
This cocktail pairs nicely with a citrus and burrata plate!
