Proper Cocktail Hump Day: The Major Tom Collins

If you’ve read our blog previously…or spoken to us, like, ever…you know that we’re cocktail enthusiasts. While we still down our share of well drinks when we go out dancing at 80s Night, we much prefer a proper cocktail, carefully prepared. To expand our own knowledge (and our home bar), we’ve decided to try our hand at making a bunch of new cocktails this year. Whether the recipe comes from a book, an app, or our own imaginations, the rules for this achievement will be:

1) The drink must be one we’ve never tried to make at home before;
2) The drink must be delicious;
3) The results must be posted every other Wednesday.

Last night, we spent some time brainstorming a drink for the first installment. It was the one-year anniversary of the passing (ascension to the stars?) of David Bowie, so we knew we wanted to make something Bowie-inspired. After much searching (and disappointment — throwing Goldschlager on some flavored vodka doesn’t make it more “glam”), we decided to just make something up. Fox and I went through the many iterations of Bowie, and after numerous false starts, we hit upon something simple and pleasing:

Inspired by the song Space Oddity, we decided to mash up two classics we’d previously made, the Tom Collins and the Aviation. After tinkering with the proportions of each ingredient a bit to avoid over-sweetening, here is our David Bowie cocktail:

The Major Tom Collins
2 oz Hayman’s Old Tom Gin
3/4 oz fresh lemon juice
1/2 oz Luxardo maraschino liqueur
1/2 oz simple syrup
1/4 oz Crème de Violette
top off with club soda
Luxardo cherry garnish
lemon slice garnish

And the end result?

It had the basic character of an Aviation, but with a bit more effervescence. This, I would say, is more of an Aviation-lite…or a Brunch Aviation. All in all, it’s a good starter for this new feature.

Check in two weeks from today for the next installment of Proper Cocktail Hump Day!