Weekly Drink Me Recipe: Summertime Rolls

We here at BAS Headquarters are always thinking of new awesome things to bring to you, our dear (and depraved) readers.  So with this in mind we’ve teamed up with the fine folks over at Drink Me Magazine to bring you a new drink recipe every Thursday.  That way you can make yourself a little special sumptin-sumptin to aid you in your weekend wickedness.

This week’s recipe, brought to you by the esteemed Patrick Poelvoorde, is Summertime Rolls.  Take it away Patrick!

The Weekly Drink Me Recipe: Summertime Rolls

By Patrick Poelvoorde

I was asked to make a drink for a friend’s wedding recently and came up with this little ditty that I’m sure spiced up the usual open-bar pours (I’m looking at you, lame-ass vodka tonic). Like a union of two, this week’s cocktail utilizes two ingredients that marry fantastically well: juniper and thyme. The dominant flavor here is honey infused with fresh thyme, which is great to keep on hand at all times as it is also tasty with cheese or bruschetta. Infused honey is an amazingly simple and relatively cheap component for many drink recipes. It also has a long shelf life, being that honey is a natural preservative. In this cocktail, I chose to use Bombay Sapphire gin for its smooth blend of citrus and juniper and balance of spice and nuttiness (not to mention, it won’t force you to sell plasma to afford it). But as Lil’ Wayne so existentially put it, 'œIt’s my cup,' so if you want to use a different gin, rock on with your bad self.

Summertime Rolls $ 3.25/drink

750 ml Bombay Sapphire Gin   $21
2 lt club soda $2
1 lb raw honey $ 10
1 bunch thyme $2
15 fresh limes $4

Let’s start by making the honey syrup:

Step 1– Empty contents of the jar/bottle/can of honey into a non-reactive pan (ie. not copper or aluminum). Set the heat to medium, stirring the honey occasionally until it starts to bubble.

Step 2- Allow honey to caramelize for about 5 minutes and then remove from heat.

Step 3- Add ½ bunch of thyme to honey and reserve the other ½ for garnish. Let the honey cool for about 20 minutes to allow the thyme to steep.

Step 4- Whisk in ¾ cup of water to dilute.

Step 5- Stain into clean jar or squeeze bottle and set aside to cool to room temperature.

After honey has cooled, combine in clean shaker 60 ml of gin, 45 ml of thyme-honey syrup and 45 ml of lime juice. Shake vigorously for 20 seconds and strain into Collins glass filled with fresh ice. Top with club soda and insert a thyme sprig between the glass and ice to garnish. The amounts shown will make about 12 cocktails.

*To answer the question once and for all, the name comes from a Jane’s Addiction song and is not a reference to chubby girls in bikinis.