Here’s the thing.

I’m trying to pretend it’s still the season of summery cocktails.

Remember this?

The drink I had that night was amazing.  It was simply the best drink I’ve ever had.  Hands down.  It was that good.

It’s deceptively simple.  And perfect.  It’s strong without being too strong.  You can taste the alcohol, but it doesn’t bite.  This drink is fruity, without being girly.  No umbrellas are invited to this party.  It’s loaded with fresh mint.  It’s light and refreshing.  It’s is the epitome of the summer cocktail.  And I’m going to keep drinking it all winter long.

I had planned to go back to Graze, to sit at the bar and order this drink so I could see exactly how they make it.  But I couldn’t wait.  Also I decided I would probably spend less on the ingredients to make 20 of these then I would going out.  I tried it a few times.  This was one of my first attempts.

The menu lists four ingredients: Cognac, Pimm’s No. 1 Cup, fresh mint and lemon.  I’m 99% certain there is club soda or some type of fizzy beverage involved as well.  If that were all it involved, it would be super alcoholic and tart.  Not the case.

So I went and bought Pimm’s, which I’ve been wanting to try since I saw it mentioned on Boardwalk Empire (which by the way is an amazing show.  You should totally watch it).  I bought some cognac too, which they keep locked up at the store I went to.  Apparently it gets stolen a lot.  I bought some lemons and some lemon lime soda. I have fresh mint in my back yard so that was a no brainer.  I used my pineapple mint, pretty much just because it’s fun.

So muddle, muddle, pour, pour and voila, you have a cocktail that tastes almost exactly like the one I had at dinner.  Sooooo good.  I could seriously drink these everyday.  They taste that good.

I’m still going back to see exactly how they make them, and also because they post their soup of the day on Facebook everyday and it makes me sooooo hungry.

This cocktail is definitely going down in my book as one of the best ever.

Here’s how I got there.

My own Mint Condition

1.5 ounces of Pimm’s no.1 cup

1.5 ounces of cognac

10 leaves of fresh mint

Juice of 1 lemon

1.  Mix all ingredients in a martini shaker.  Shake vigorously.  Pour over ice into a tall glass.  Top with lemon lime soda.