Rhubarb Tom Collins

Rhubarb Tom Collins 

From Fruitful: Four Seasons of Fresh Fruit Recipes by Brian Nicholson and Sarah Huck of Red Jacket Orchards in Geneva 

An all-American cocktail, the Tom Collins is said to have been created on the East Coast in the late nineteenth century. The original was an easygoing libation of simple syrup, carbonated water, lemon juice, and a douse of gin.  Since then, all kinds of variations have popped up, substituting rum or whiskey for the gin, and limes for the lemons. Here’s an orchard-inspired version to add to the mix—rhubarb’s light herbaceous notes work beautifully with the gin.

Makes 1 serving

For the Rhubarb Syrup:

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

1 1/2 cups thinly sliced rhubarb

For the drink:

1 1/2 ounces gin (Finger Lakes Distilling offers two different and distinct gins)

1 ounce lemon juice

Seltzer, as needed

Make the rhubarb syrup: In a small pot, bring 1 cup of water to a boil, add the sugar, and cook until the sugar is completely dissolved. Stir in the rhubarb. Remove the pot from the heat and set it aside to cool completely. Store the rhubarb in its syrup in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Fill a Collins glass with ice cubes. Stir in the gin and the lemon juice. Top with seltzer, and drizzle in rhubarb syrup to taste. Garnish with some rhubarb slices from the syrup.