Cooking Lesson #1190: April Showers Cocktail

…from the Perspectives’ Happy Hour Bar 

credit: cocktailwave.com

How you doin’? Let me tell you about a fun cocktail I recently discovered—April Showers… it brings May flowers and other happy moments.
 
Lucille’s Smokehouse Bar-B-Que is a chain of BBQ restaurants in California and one I know of in Henderson, Neveda. They have pretty good smoked meats and some very innovative salads, most using a variety of their smoked meats.
 
Last week when we were at a lunch meeting there, I saw them promoting a new cocktail—April Showers! It is made with Saint-Germain Elderflower Liqueur (my favorite liqueur), Hendricks Gin (my favorite gin) and a fresh sour mix, all shaken until cold and served in a coupe or martini glass with a splash of sparkling wine. With all these favorites, what could go wrong? Nothing!! Don’t forget the mint sprig garnish.
 
Yes, I know it’s no longer April, but as the calendar starts to move us from warm spring to a hot summer, my version of April Showers is the perfect refreshing cocktail served for lunch or dinner—BBQ or even a fancier French dinner.
 
Prep time:  5 minutes
Yield:  1 cocktail
 
Ingredients 
1-1/2 ounces chilled gin (I prefer Hendricks)
1/2 ounce elderflower liqueur (I prefer Saint-Germain)
1 ounce sour mix
2 ounces sparkling white wine, or more to your taste
1 mint sprig
 
Directions

1. Read the recipe all the way through before starting. Measure all ingredients and have at your side.
2. Starting with a chilled bar shaker half filled with ice, add the gin, elderflower liqueur and the sour mix.
3. Shake it until it frosty cold.
4. Strain the chilled cocktail into a chilled, coupe cocktail glass.
5. Top with sparkling wine.
6. Garnish with a mint sprig.

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ChefSecret:  Sour mix is a non-alcoholic drink mixer used to provide a set mix of acidic and sweet components to cocktails. My traditional recipe consists of equal parts lemon and/or lime juice mixed with simple syrup. I don’t like to use  prepackaged commercial varieties as they can vary and often contain artificial flavors, colors and/or preservatives.
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Quip of the Day:  Q. What did the dirt say to the rain? A. You’d better cut it out, or my name will be mud! 
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To you and everyone dear to you, be strong, be positive, stay well and be kind. No matter which side of the aisle you reside, please say a prayer for the U.S. men and women in uniform who protect this nation every day.

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