‘Gibson’
courtesy of ‘maxedaperture’

Welcome to the Friday Happy Hour, your single drink primer for the weekend.

This week, you get a longer entry for the long weekend.  You also get a summer drink to remind you that, despite what 2010 has indicated thus far, there is warmth in the world and summer is only a few months away.  Plus, it’s supposed to be 55 degrees today.  Relative to the past few weeks, that’s balmy.  This weekend, have yourself a gin gin mule.

The gin gin mule is a concoction of gin, ginger beer, lime and mint, all shaken together and poured over ice.  Despite a classic flavor profile, it’s actually a fairly recent addition to the cocktail world.  Audrey Saunders of the Pegu Club in NYC came up with cocktail by basically bastardizing the popular Moscow mule.  She simply switched out the Moscow’s vodka in favor of gin (an interesting statement on gin’s recent supplanting of vodka in the craft cocktail world) and threw in a few mint leaves . Rarely has so little done so much.  The resulting creation is complex, delicious and dangerously easy to drink.  An ice cold gin gin mule on a summer evening is pretty much the best thing ever.  I’m partial to the Gibson’s take on the mule and I’d recommend it as the best in the city.

If you don’t feel like dropping the cash at a bar, the gin gin mule is easy to make at home. You will need:

2 oz Gin (go for a heavier, fruitier gin.  Tanqueray or Hendricks are good options)
3/4 oz fresh lime juice
1 oz simple syrup (can be adjusted to taste)
2 oz Ginger beer (I recommend Goya)
8 mint leaves

-Muddle the mint, simple syrup and lime juice in the bottom of a mixing glass or shaker.
-Add ginger beer and gin, shake well.
-Pour over ice in a highball glass.
-Top off with extra ginger beer and garnish with a sprig of mint and/or a slice of lime

Kirk Anderson

Kirk is a Maine-born, military brat who moved no fewer than 12 times during his childhood. He came to the DC area in 2004 for his undergrad and decided that it was the place for him. Since graduating, he’s nabbed a job with the Fed and spends most of his free time hunting for cheap thrills in the city. Find out why he loves DC.