Top 5 Galentine’s Day Cocktails
By Andrew Tardif
As Valentine’s Day approaches we wanted to highlight a day that is important to the gals out there. If you’re looking to spend some time cherishing friendships over some cocktails, we at Chemist Spirits wanted to provide 5 Galentine’s Day cocktails that are easy to make but still have a Valentine’s Day flair.
What is Galentine’s Day?
Galentine’s Day was made famous by the fictional character Leslie Knope from Parks and Recreation. The day before Valentine’s Day (February 13th) the ladies celebrate their friendship with each other. It’s about, “Ladies celebrating ladies.”
Although Leslie Knope likes to celebrate her friendships at JJ’s Diner, alongside their famous waffles, we thought some Galentine’s Day cocktails would be a great way to celebrate.
“It’s like Lilith Fair minus the angst…plus frittatas”
- Leslie Knope
This day focuses on the ladies, but we believe it can also be a time where all folks celebrate their friendships. So get those cocktail shakers and Chemist spirits ready and enjoy these 5 Galentine’s Day cocktails the way they should be enjoyed – with friends.
Strawberry French 75
The French 75 is a classic cocktail that includes gin, simple syrup, lemon juice, and champagne. Its origins are murky, but many sources claim the name is related to a piece of artillery used by the French during WWI. This 75mm weapon was encountered by American soldiers and was referred to as the “French 75.”
Many renditions of the cocktail can be found throughout the early 20th century, but the recipe that most bars follow is a take on the Tom Collins. The Tom Collins is gin, lemon juice, and simple syrup topped with soda water. The simple change from soda to champagne made the classic French 75.
Strawberry French 75 Recipe
A piece of French artillery is not very Galentine’s Day, if you ask us, but this is the perfect Galentine’s Day cocktail to enjoy with the ladies. Although the classic cocktail is perfect for any occasion, we think the addition of a strawberry syrup adds much desired color and fruitiness, especially paired with our Chemist American Gin.
Strawberry Syrup Recipe:
Take 180 grams of strawberries and gently mash them with a muddler, or with whatever you can mash them with. Add 180 grams of granulated sugar and stir to make sure all of the sugar makes contact with the strawberries. Let this mixture sit for up to 2 hours.
The sugars will draw out the natural juices and will result in a beautiful red syrup. You can then blend the mixture and strain. Now you have a lovely strawberry syrup for a nice strawberry lemonade, strawberry soda, or the fanciest of these Galentine’s Day cocktails.
Strawberry French 75 Ingredients:
1 ½ oz Chemist American Gin
¾ oz Strawberry Syrup
¾ oz Lemon Juice
Champagne to Top
Strawberry French 75 Instructions:
Pour gin, strawberry syrup, and lemon juice into a shaker tin with ice
Shake for 10-15 seconds, or until ingredients are thoroughly chilled.
Strain into a champagne flute
Top with champagne
Express lemon oil over top and garnish with the lemon peel.
Red Snapper - A Perfect Galentine’s Day Brunch Cocktail
If you want to recreate the JJ’s Diner experience with some brunch Galentine’s Day cocktails, you may want to reach for a Mimosa or Bloody Mary. But how about a Red Snapper? This rendition of a Bloody Mary uses gin instead of Vodka to add some botanicals while maintaining the tomato-based mix that made it popular.
The name Red Snapper was originally intended to give the Bloody Mary cocktail a less vulgar title. Post prohibition, gin was more common than vodka and the name Red Snapper eventually became associated with the gin version.
Red Snapper Recipe:
Like a Bloody Mary, the Red Snapper recipe is made with a tomato juice base which can be played with in myriad ways. Feel free to adjust the recipe to your spice level and liking, but this recipe is a nice start. We also like to use our Barrel-Rested Gin since it smooths out any possible bite from the gin.
Red Snapper Ingredients:
2 oz Chemist Barrel Rested Gin
4 oz Tomato Juice
¾ oz Lemon Juice
4 Dashes Tabasco Sauce
3 Dashes Worcestershire Sauce
2 Pinches Celery Salt
2 Pinches Ground Black Pepper
Red Snapper Cocktail Instructions:
Rim a highball glass with celery salt and ground black pepper
Pour all ingredients into a shaker tin with ice
Roll the cocktail shaker to mix the ingredients
Fill highball glass with ice
Strain ingredients over ice
Garnish with a celery stalk, lime wedge, and whatever extra garnishes you typically enjoy with a Bloody Mary.
Galentine’s Day Punch
The punch is the first true cocktail and many of the cocktails we know today originated from this primordial recipe of spirit (aquae vitae), sugar, juice, spices and water.
The history of punch goes back centuries with one of the first mentions of it found in the 17th century in a letter from a fellow working for the British East India Company. Its origins can be traced back to India where the spirit arrack was mixed with sugar, citrus, and water, but it was the English that made the punch what it is today.
The origin of the name is debated, but it can come from the Hindi term for five, paanch, or, most likely, it comes from what the English term for the stout barrel it was served from, punch.
Punch is great for a Galentine’s Day gathering since it gives you an excuse to buy a beautiful punch bowl, and because it can be prepped ahead of time so you are ready for any gathering.
Galentine’s Day Punch Recipe:
Luckily, like cocktails, a punch is limitless in its possibilities. You can mix a wide array of citrus, fruit, spices, and spirits to make your punch. Don’t feel limited by this recipe and instead let it be a starting point for your own punch. First we start with an oleo saccharum, a sugar syrup made with citrus peels.
We suggest using a Navy Strength Gin for this recipe since over time the punch will dilute more from the ice block, and therefore will lose strength.
Oleo Saccharum Recipe:
Put 150 grams of lemon peels and 150 grams of sugar into a mason jar and let it sit for 24 hours stirring occasionally so that the sugar crystals can come into contact with the lemon oils. After 24 hours, add 150 grams of lemon juice and shake. Set aside.
Galentine’s Day Punch Ingredients:
Bottle of Chemist Navy Strength Gin (750 ml)
Oleo Saccharum Mixture
Slices of Lemon
Mint
Water (750 ml)
Block of ice (750 ml)
Galentines’ Day Punch Instructions:
Take a bread mold (or any mold that can fit inside your punch bowl) and fill it with water.
Freeze the mold.
When fully frozen, place the resulting giant ice block into your punch bowl.
Pour the gin, water, oleo saccharum mix, slices of lemon, and mint into your punch bowl.
Use a ladle to serve your punch into cups for your Galentines
For a more in-depth exploration of punches, we want to refer you to the Difford’s Guide for punch, which really breaks it down.
The Italian Greyhound
The Greyhound is a classic cocktail that can be found in Henry Craddock’s The Savoy Cocktail Book from the 1930s. Originally called the Grapefruit Cocktail, this originally called for grapefruit jelly and lemon juice. The alternative used grapefruit juice and simple syrup, the recipe common today.
As with the Red Snapper, gin was the common ingredient until vodka took over and became more accessible. The Italian Greyhound, however, embraces more grapefruit flavors with the addition of Campari or Aperol. And, I mean, look at that color.
Italian Greyhound Cocktail Recipe
This is the more bitter of the Galentine’s Day cocktails, but is still a refreshing option that embraces the bright citrus of our American Gin. You can use either Aperol or Campari, or you can mix them together. In our recipe, we like to stick with the Campari since the color is brighter and since it balances out the grapefruit juice.
This cocktail is also easy since all you need to do is build it in the glass.
Italian Greyhound Ingredients:
1 ½ oz Chemist American Gin
¾ oz Campari (or Aperol)
4 oz Grapefruit Juice
½ oz Simple Syrup
Soda Water to top
Italian Greyhound Cocktail Instructions:
Fill a highball glass with ice
Pour gin, campari, simple syrup, and grapefruit juice into glass
Top with soda water
Garnish with a rosemary sprig and grapefruit wedge.
Gimlets With the Gals
The origin of this cocktail isn’t so Galentine’s Day, unless the Gals were gathering on a British Royal Navy ship. During the 19th century, rum became a common ration at sea for many sailors while gin became a common staple for naval officers.
In order to fight scurvy, officers were ordered to add lime juice to their gin and in many cases they would acquire rations of sugar to mix in in order to make the beverage more palatable. Regardless of its origins, the Gimlet is one of our top choices for Galentine’s Day cocktails, especially since it is light, refreshing, and simple.
Gin Gimlet Recipe:
The original Gimlet recipe was made with a lime cordial, which combined the lime juice and sugar. You can certainly make your own lime cordial, but really you can just use fresh lime juice and a simple syrup, which is less labor intensive.
At the Antidote Cocktail Lounge, we like to use our Chemist Barrel-Rested Gin to add extra depth. However, the Chemist American Gin makes for a light and refreshing Gimlet as well. Tired of gin? That’s okay, why not try it with our Chemist Vodka?
Gin Gimlet Ingredients:
2 oz Barrel-Rested Gin
¾ oz Lime Juice
¾ oz Simple Syrup
Gin Gimlet Instructions:
Place ingredients into a shaker tin with ice.
Shake ingredients until fully chilled
Strain into a chilled coupe or gimlet glass.
Garnish with a dehydrated lime wheel.
Here’s to Cocktails with Friends and Loved Ones
This Galentine’s Day, we at Chemist recommend getting the ladies together for a nice meal and indulging in one of these Galentine’s Day cocktails. The classics and twists on the classics are a great chance to have some laughs and conversations.
Don’t feel limited by these recipes, after all you are the chemist in your laboratory. One thing is for sure, if you use Chemist spirits, anything Galentine’s Day cocktail you make will be a cure for the common cocktail.
