A drink at the end of the day

Late October Sunset in the marina on s/v Florian

Up to now, our blog posts have focused on what some may call the less-than-exciting topics of boat acquisition; cleaning, trouble shooting, upgrading, etc.  Even though we're still having fun with these projects, in the interest of our friends & family who aren't boaters, and to those who would probably choose to walk barefoot on hot coals rather than, say, repair a boat toilet, or swab the decks, we're going to throw in some subjects that speak universal languages. Like cocktails. :)

This is one of our favorite drinks, by Douglas Ankra,
called a Jadoo, which is the Hindi word for "magic".

Sundowner, in colloquial British English, is an alcoholic drink enjoyed after completing the day's work, usually at sundown. (It's also the name of a particular drink recipe, but I'll save that for another post.) In boating, a sundowner is pretty much any sort of cocktail, sipped casually on board, as the sun goes down. Here's one of our favorite drinks - a cousin to the gin & tonic, but a little sassier.

Here is the recipe snapped directly from our favorite bar book.

We used New Amsterdam gin, and simple syrup, with lots of fresh Kentucky Colonel mint (mentha spicata) that we grow in a pot for just such occasions.  Keep the skins on the lime as you muddle it with the mint. The fragrance is outdoorsy fresh and green, and your galley will smell heavenly.


Our favorite bar book, by the founder of the London Academy of Bartending - Douglas Ankrah: Shaken and Stirred.