The official cocktail of finnyknits

Yeah. That's right. A blog can have an official drink.

And I know so because THIS blog, MY blog, has an official drink. Thanks to Bubba who spoiled me by restocking my corner of our bar with a new brand of gin.

That's also right, friends, Bubba has a death wish.

One that goes, "I stray from my wife's Brand because the glory of discovering That New Great Brand of Gin is worth the potential phonebook beatings that may ensue as a result of my death-defying decision making."

His death wish is a little drawn-out, this is true.

The important thing, though, is that this new Brand is now MY Brand, even though I doubt I'll ever be able to find it in a bar or restaurant given that I've had trouble finding Tanqueray 10 and I've never (not even once, shame) come across diet tonic water in all my searching.

Which is an OK scenario, given that we tend to observe in-house happy hours often enough and this will make it all special and stuff. And then, when we do venture out to drink with the three dimensional people, I will lower my standards briefly and take the Sapphire and regular tonic available at the usual drinking establishments with a limited amount of snobby bitching.

LIMITED, but not non-existent. I am a human girl after all.

So, by now you must be wondering (aren't you? come on.) what this new Brand might be. And then, what the hell makes it so special as to warrant Finny's stamp of approval. Even if that stamp is crooked and soaked in booze.

Well, I'll tell you. It's Hendrick's.

The bottle is very old-timey.

And it's specialness is four-fold.

First off, it tastes like a dream. A velvety smooth dream in which I float along on rose petals with cucumber slices on my eyelids like some kind of drunken fruit.

OK, no - it's not really like that. That was my attempt at working in some of the nuances of the label - but really, it's good. It's very smooth - that's no lie - and it does taste vaguely and refreshingly of cucumber and warmly of rose.

Like when I let the sip sit on the back of my tongue and warm to my body temperature, I can taste the rose and I like it.

So - all that is one of the folds. It tastes good: smooth and refreshing without a crass bite to it but with some interesting nuances which I enjoy.

The next fold involves pushing aside the tried and true lime wedge. Ho ho! Big man - telling me not to squeeze lime into my G&T!

Well, I'll be honest, I tried my first G&T WITH the lime, because that's how I make my drink (ice>lime>gin>tonic), and found it to be good.

Then I tried it with the cucumber slice (ice>gin>tonic>cucumber slice) and it was, well, surprisingly different and pretty heavenly.

It's good in there.

It's weird how the cucumber really does add something to the drink. Not just because it's all huge and floating there staring you in the eye as you suspiciously sip this new beverage, but because the cool flavor of the cuke mingles with the gin and makes some booze magic.

Mind you, I used lemon cucumbers, so that might have swayed me a bit.

And then - to take a bite of that cucumber slice? Well, that tears it - it's fucking great. Like a cocktail you chew. And not like these ridiculous jelly things that I abhor. The crispness of the cucumber with the saturated freshness of the gin and tonic water and the chill of the ice is extravagant.

And to get into the other folds, well, there's the fact that this gin and I see eye to eye on our place in the world.

Why, that's strange - *I* am ALSO not for everyone! Coincidence? Probably.

And the fact that I can go to my garden and pick a fresh cocktail garnish rather than having to settle for, say, the lemons on the counter or HORRORS go to the store and buy a lime, is pretty great.

There's also the matter of the super great neato bottle that looks like it was dusted off after a long stint on a tall shelf in some ancient apothecary and the cork top rather than the metal screw cap that comes standard on most models of booze, and whose tinny chime has always held a happy place in my heart which will now be replaced with the the cheerful 'pop' of the cork sliding out of this bottle's spout.

And I'm sure there are more folds into which I could delve if I hadn't gone on a mild binge enjoying the unusual responsibly and all that. And I consider it to be responsible enjoyment if the neighbors don't flee the dinner table because I've flung my skirt over my head, I remember the night's events and I don't wake up with a hangover.

So you know, I wasn't even wearing a skirt. But still, behavior was tempered.

Based on those qualifications, I enjoyed this, My Official Drink, as responsibly as can be imagined.

And so you know, the official drink of finnyknits is now, OFFICIALLY: Hendrick's and Diet Tonic with a slice of Lemon Cucumber.

I will allow slight variations based on seasonality and variety of cucumber and the availability of the illusive diet tonic. I will NOT, however, allow ridicule regarding the Diet nature of my tonic. What? Do you want me to be a total fatty? No. You don't.

Cheers.