COCKTAIL RECIPES
Old Tom style gins are the original cocktail gin. Fragrant and lightly spiced with a hint of roasted barley sweetness Campfire Old Tom Gin is a gin for all seasons.
In spring try the Square Pear – a combination of aromatic bitters, pear cider and gin. In summer it just has to be a long, cool gin mint julep – gin, lots of crushed ice, sweetness, refreshing mint and a straw for slow sipping whiling away a hot afternoon lazing in a hammock.
For warm autumnal days and colder evenings our twist on the classic Tom Sawyer, an Old Tom Sawyer, uses 21 dashes of Bitter Union No 1 Aromatic Bitters and 7 dashes of Spiced Orange Bitters plus fresh squeezed lime juice for a citrus kick! Heading on in to winter cosy up with a La Casa Sagrada – the combination of ginger syrup and sherry complement Campfire Old Tom Gin’s juniper and spice notes.
THEKKADY CYCLIST
History
The creation of this cocktail was inspired by our cycling trip to Kerala, India, where in a town called Thekkady we watched a chef prepare payasam – a sweet dish made from milk, nuts, raisins, vermicelli, cardamom and cinnamon. We also visited a spice plantation and looked out over a bamboo forest from our hotel room on the edge of the Periyar National Park. During our trip a couple of hours cycling would be rewarded with a lime soda from a street food stall. Campfire Old Tom Gin uses cinnamon and cardamom as two of the eight botanicals. We wanted this recipe to be vegan friendly and free from nuts hence the use of oat milk but you could substitute it with a nut milk.
For the syrup
45gms Light brown muscovado sugar
15 Cardamom pods
90ml Water
Grated zest of 1 lime
Add sugar, water and cardamom pods to a saucepan and heat until just before boiling point when the surface starts to crack. Pour into a sterilised bottle. Once cool add the lime zest. Refrigerate for 24 hours and strain to remove the cardamom and lime zest.
To make (serves 2)
70ml Campfire Old Tom Gin
70ml Cardamom and lime syrup
140ml Oat milk
Ground cinnamon for garnish
Chocolate coated raisins (for the non vegans!)
Add syrup, gin and oat milk to a shaker filled with ice. Stir and strain into glass. Sprinkle with cinnamon. Sip through a bamboo straw and enjoy with chocolate coated raisins.