I fell madly in love with gin a few years ago at a bar in Barranco, a lively neighbourhood in Lima, Perú. I was feeling adventurous enough to try something other than my usual go-to drink that day, and having sipped a bit of my friend’s gin and tonic, I was blown away by the crisp and fresh taste of this incomparable spirit.
Since then, I have made sure to include a bottle of gin on my list of must-buy items when I travel.
Recently however, I had the pleasure of tasting what has instantly become my favourite gin. It wasn’t purchased during my travels, but right here in Ontario where Muskoka Brewery is distilling one of the best gins I’ve ever tried.
Muskoka Brewery is well-known for their superior beers, but in 2016 they decided to venture into the land of spirits. Drawing inspiration from tales of early Muskoka settlers who often chose the road less travelled, the brewery decided to incorporate ingredients from their Legendary Oddity beer to make a small-batch gin.
In doing so, Muskoka Brewery has excelled in crafting an all-Canadian spirit that, bottled at 40 per cent alcohol, has a perfect balance of aroma and flavour. In other words, this will be in my bar cart at home all summer long.
If you are a gin and tonic lover like me, you will notice that this gin is unique in every way as soon as you open the beautifully-branded Legendary Oddity Gin bottle. Legendary Oddity has light floral notes that blend effortlessly with the more traditional juniper and pine. However, the most delightful surprise comes from the fragrant and crisp citrus undertones, brought forward by the hops used in their own Muskoka Legendary Oddity beer.
The Sorachi Ace beer hops provide a slight bitterness to balance out the unique gin flavour, delivering a velvety-smooth finish. I fell in love at first taste with how nicely the juniper berries came through, which was followed closely behind by a citrusy orange peel that makes this gin stand out among other gins.
You can enjoy Legendary Oddity entirely on its own as a fragrant, full-bodied and dry spirit. But with summer finally around the corner, I’ve crafted a few cocktails to set you up for all the beautiful long weekends ahead. The recipes below are easy to put together and perfect for impromptu summer get-togethers.
You can purchase Legendary Oddity Gin at select LCBO stores, and the rest of the ingredients are also easily available at your local grocery store. No obscure ingredients here because summertime gatherings should be simple and stress-free. Cheers to a Legendary summer!
Kombucha & Gin Mule
Serves 1
Ingredients
- 2 oz Legendary Oddity Gin
- 125 mil ginger kombucha
- 75 mil ginger beer
- juice of ½ lemon
- Mint sprigs for garnish
- 2 inch piece of thinly sliced fresh ginger
Directions
In a glass filled with ice cubes, add the gin, kombucha, lemon juice and ginger beer. Stir until mixed and add a few sprigs of mint and ginger.
Watermelon & Citrus Smash
Serves 2
Ingredients
- 4 ounces Legendary Oddity Gin
- 3 cups watermelon, cubed
- ¼ cup water
- 2 tbsp simple syrup
- Juice of ½ lemon
- Juice of ½ lime
- 225 ml club soda
- Mint sprigs (extra for garnish)
Directions
In a high speed blender, combine the watermelon, water, simple syrup, lemon juice and lime juice. Blend for a minute until smooth.
In 2 glasses filled with ice, add 1.5 oz of gin to each, top with equal parts of watermelon juice and club soda. Garnish with mint sprigs.
Pomegranate & Thyme Gin Cocktail
Serves 2
Ingredients
- 4 ounces Legendary Oddity Gin
- 3 ounces pomegranate juice
- 3 ounces club soda
- juice of ½ lemon
- 5 small thyme sprigs (1 sprig for the cocktail and the rest for garnish)
- 8-10 pomegranate seeds (for garnish)
Directions
In a cocktail shaker filled with a few ice cubes, add the gin, pomegranate juice and one thyme sprig. Shake until mixed.
Strain on two glasses, top with club soda; add a few pomegranate seeds and thyme sprigs to each cocktail.
