Thanksgiving drink :: whiskey sunshine

I made this up... but I was inspired by the delightful boys at Dutch Kills when we met them at the Martha Stewart Made in America event at Grand Central Station a few weeks ago. I have been working on it since and I have come up with this version. I think it's pretty darn good and I am going to serve it at Thanksgiving dinner, I will also add that I am pretty good at this.. drink making... it's become a bit of a thing for me in the last few years. It started with Manhattans, I make a really REALLY good Manhattan and maybe one day I will tell you how to do that...

Whiskey Sunshine

make in advance: simple syrup
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
one stick of rosemary
8-10 orange rinds (they are a nice garnish so put in as many as you want to make drinks)
cook until sugar dissolves and just a tad more and then turn off heat and let cool

take a nice drink shaker (got this nice one at the MS event - the Mason Shaker) and use approx. 4-5 ice cubes, a couple of jiggers of a nice whiskey (I like Hudson or Temptation) a tablespoon of your simple syrup (+orange rind) and shake until frothy and nice - take a glass and a few cubes of ice and squirt a wedge of lemon into it and rub lemon around rim. Pour your whiskey mixture to 1/2 the glass and then sparkling water the rest and stir. garnish with rosemary and orange rind.

You will find the right combination of sweet and not sweet for you and your people...

I hope you love these!! (sorry for the under-par photo.. but there you go.. at least you get the idea)

The simple syrup also makes a great hostess gift! It will last 2-3 weeks in the refrigerator

cheers!