Kelly Brisson, the voice behind the delicious blog The Gouda Life, shares her perfect summer libation for this week’s Cocktail Friday.
I’d like to start by being very frank about something; Cocktails make me a very happy lady.
Colour me a lush, but there is nothing I relish in quite like an aprés-work cocktail on a Friday (…or Monday, or Tuesday) after a busy, stressful week. Somehow, sipping slow on something icy-cold and refreshing ushers the day’s woes right out the front door. Even better, if you can scrounge up a few good girlfriends (or boyfriends!) to sip along with you. Today I bring you just that. A simple, refreshing cocktail to sip while you recount the weeks affairs with those you cherish the most.
Lemon-Thyme Tequila Spritzer
makes 4 tall glasses
If you’ve ever tasted lemon and thyme together, you know they are a match made in mouth-heaven. Tart and herbal, this cocktail both refreshes and delights with it’s perfect balance.
Since you’re using the lemon zest for the simple syrup, I suggest you try to buy organic lemons so you’re not ingesting anything too icky. As far as tequila goes, buy whatever brand you like best.
Ingredients
Lemon-Thyme Simple Syrup:
Zest of 1 lemon
3 sprigs of fresh thyme
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 1/2 cups water
To Finish:
Juice from 4 whole lemons
Club Soda/Seltzer Water
½ cup silver tequila
Thyme Sprigs, to garnish
Thin Slices Lemon, to garnish
To make simple syrup:
In a medium saucepan add; lemon zest, thyme sprigs, sugar and water. Bring to a low boil and reduce heat to simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let the syrup cool for 10 minutes.
Strain the syrup into a 1L pitcher and add the lemon juice and tequila. Add a handful of ice cubes and fill the rest of the bottle with seltzer water. Stir well to combine. Add ice cubes, 1 sprig of thyme and a slice of lemon to a tall glass and top with cocktail. Sip and enjoy!
Kelly Brisson is a Canadian foodie hailing from Ottawa. She’s the brilliant voice behind the blog “The Gouda Life,” and focuses her time writing about healthy, but still decadent, home-cooked meals. Be sure to visit her blog at thegoudalife.tumblr.com.
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This looks and sounds awesome!
This sounds so delicious! BUT, I don’t think the proportions are right. Unless suuuper sugary sweet cocktails are your thing, don’t make this according to the recipe. It’s SO sweet. The second time I made it, I cut the amount of sugar in half (also have to cut water, simple syrup is a 1:1 ratio), and I also doubled the tequila, and added 5 thyme springs instead of 3. When I made it according to the recipe, it just wasn’t right. Super sweet. No zing from the tequila (if you’re going to bother with the calories of liquor, you might as well get a few of the affects). And the thyme was absolutely undetectable. I liked it MUCH better with the adjustments above. But, like I said, if super-sweet cocktails are your thing, you’ll probably like the original version just fine.
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