Good news, everyone! We bought some gin. Dave and I just got back from a lovely weekend in Seattle for Valentine’s Day. Part of our trip included a tour at Sun Liquor, where we learned about how they make vodka, gin, bitters and rum and tasted them all, while smelling the various botanicals that go into each. It was so fun! If you are looking for a really interesting craft spirits experience, I definitely recommend it. And of course, once we finished our tasting, we took a bottle of their Hedge Trimmer Gin with us. It was a tough decision to only choose one bottle to bring home! And when we returned from Seattle on Sunday afternoon, I went straight to making cocktails.

This week I wanted to try something with a little creative twist. The Tom Collins is one of the oldest, simplest and most beloved cocktails of all time. Like the Manhattan, it predates prohibition – by a LOT. But its simplicity allows for so many seasonal interpretations. Today, we’re using blood oranges.

These babies are so pretty, I can’t help but photograph them as often as possible in the winter. But they also taste good – and great with gin. My only regret is not having any fresh thyme to make the perfect additional garnish.

Here’s what you need:

*** ALERT: Before you get started juicing the oranges, cut off a round slice to use for the garnish! ***

2 dashes orange bitters
1 1/2 oz. gin
1 1/2 oz. blood orange juice
1/2 oz. simple syrup
Club soda (It’s the same thing as sparkling water)
Orange round for garnish

Fill a Collins glass with ice, then pour the bitters, gin, juice and syrup over it. Stir with a long spoon.

Slowly pour in club soda to fill the glass. Stir again, very gently. garnish with the orange round.