I have made it my personal mission to drink every Gin we sell (as well as some of those we don’t!) Here are some more of my favorites, ready to go for the upcoming holiday season-- or you know... to just get you through our final weeks of this insane year: 

Alright, so…. Here we are. It's been 7 months of Netflix asking us "Are you still watching?" Grocery stores are keeping a steady flow of paper goods again, restaurants are opening back up, and the missing puzzle piece is well... still missing but you have moved on for the sake of your friendship and sanity. Some of you (and by you I mean me) have dipped into your stash of the 'good stuff' a few more times that you had initially intended, but the perfect pairing of Red Burgundy, a Door Dash Chipotle burrito, and  cozy pajamas was totally worth it. But to avoid having to turn to my Royal Guard of wine soldiers too many more times, I decided to turn to my liquor cabinet more for something different and a little stronger. Coupled with the inability to make it out to any of our local watering holes and being stuck to my own entertainment, I decided I wanted to take a stab at creating some fun gin cocktails, just for kicks. Being the resident gin aficionado here at PRIMA, it's my go to drink for really any occasion. 

Did you know, true Gin is a distillate of juniper berries and historically known for reducing inflammation and insomnia, helping your skin, and reducing heartburn and bloating? Pliny the Elder’s Naturalis Histora mentions juniper over twenty times, celebrating the berry’s natural effectiveness for some ailments such as bronchitis, bladder infections, and curing coughs. Oh wait, did you say CURING COUGHS? I don’t know about you but in this time of crisis, I’m sure we can all get on board with not having people give you the stink eye every time you have a tickle in your throat. Though, to be PERFECTLY clear, I am not promoting gin as an actual cure for any virus, cold, or for any other health ailments. But it couldn’t hurt to mix it up a bit during your holiday season. We have some really beautiful options here at PRIMA: 

Bulldog London Dry Gin 1L- $29.99: Solid and reliable, this is perfect for those who are into a lighter, less juniper-y, more citrus driven style of gin. Plus, get a load of that bottle design! Pretty cool if I say so myself. Conceived in 2006 (the year of the dog) and released in 2007, BULLDOG is a refreshing gin that is smooth enough to drink on the rocks, bold enough to perfect the gin & tonic, and versatile enough to shake up any cocktail. Try this on for size: 2 oz of Bulldog Gin, 1/2 oz lime juice, 1/2 oz lemon juice, and 1/2 oz agave syrup. Fill your cocktail shaker with ice and pour in your ingredients. Strain into a coupe or martini glass and garnish with just a lemon twist. Easy, delicious, and perfect for handing out candy this Hallow............ oh wait. Well, it's perfect for the alternative scary movie marathon under the Full Moon this Halloween. 

St. George Distillery Dry Rye Gin 750ml- $34.99:  

Now, if you couldn't already guess by the name of this one, this is not your normal style gin. St. George Spirits in Alameda, CA makes their Dry Rye Gin in the same way as their Botanivore and Terroir style gins with obvious notes of botanitcals and woody features, but instead they use unaged rye as their base spirit. This small change results in a signature warm malty flavor and mouthfeel. Just six botanicals in this one, it lends to a spicier, pepper flavor rather than notes of pine or citrus. My cohort here at PRIMA, Mr. Brandon Muller, recommended using this Dry Rye gin for the classic Italian cocktail, the Negroni. You'll need equal parts of all your ingredients-- 1 oz St. George Dry Rye Gin, 1 oz Campari, 1 oz Sweet Vermouth, then garnish with an orange peel. We actually have everything you need for your Negronis on sale here at PRIMA. Email us for more information at info@primawine.com. You may just need to find your own orange. 

Harahorn Gin 750ml- $42.99: The Norwegian Distillery, or Det Norske Brenneri, is the first private distillery in Norway. They specialize in small batch spirits, specifically their small batch gin, which they only produce 300 liters at a time. Naturally, they use over 20 different berries and herbs native to Norway for a spectacular blend of juniper, red and blue berries, citrus, and floral characteristics. This gin impresses the best of us, receiving the USA Spirits Rating award for Gin of the Year in 2019. For this, I utilized my experimentation different Simple Syrup recipes, another newly acquired quarantine talent. If you're up for something fresh and a little fruity, you're going to LOVE this. I call this the Blackberry and Thyme Gin and Tonic-- I know I'm super creative. Start with your simple syrup base, one part sugar, one part water, and heat on medium high. Add 6-7 blackberries and 4-5 sprigs of thyme. When it starts to boil, bring it down to a medium simmer. Use a fork and lightly squish the blackberries to extract a little more color out of them, you'll end up with a beautiful magenta hue. Let this simmer for another 4 or 5 minutes. Remove from heat and strain into a container. For the cocktail, fill your glass with ice, 2 oz of Harahorn Gin, 1 oz Blackberry Thyme simple syrup, 1/2 oz lemon juice, top off with Fever Tree Light Tonic Water OR if you are feeling fancy, top off with Prosecco. Garnish with a sprig of thyme. This is perfect if you want to impress those in your family "POD" this Thanksgiving! 

Now, finish that episode and go have some cocktail making fun!  – Erin Cadwallader