We know what you’re thinking, the year is winding down, soon it will be summer, you want to sit in the back yard, kick your feet up and pretend its vacation, or at the very least happy hour.

Well we’ve got the perfect drink for you.

It’s blood orange season, you can’t not find them at your local store, and they make a fresh, sweet, juicy addition to the pine-like flavours in our Bobby's London Dry gin. We also use our own creation of thyme flavoured simple syrup and we will be teaching you how to make that too!

Creating drinks for our mobile bar is one of the more fun aspects of the job, and we’re huge fans of blood oranges in this business so when you’re doing your weekly shop chuck in some:

Blood Orange: Fresh blood oranges are available year long, (especially right now) but if you can’t find them don’t stress, you can squeeze a regular orange and mix it with a little bit of bitters or some cranberry juice. Cane Sugar: This will be used for the thyme flavoured simple syrup that you’ll be making yourself, you can use caster sugar if you must, we won’t judge. Thyme: and lots of it! Soda: Get this cocktail nice and bubbly. Gin: don’t forget you need to use ours if you want the full experience!

How to make thyme simple syrup:

• ¼ of a cup of cane/caster sugar
• ¼ of a cup of water
• 5-10 springs of thyme (Depends how much you like thyme)

Bring sugar and water to a boil in a small pot. Give it a spin a few times to make sure the sugar is dissolving properly. Remove from the heat and add five springs of thyme to the mixture and leave for 10 minutes to let the mixture take on the flavour of the thyme. Now give it a taste if it’s too strong add more water and sugar if it’s too weak add some more thyme. If it’s just right you’re ready to go! Strain the thyme and store in a container. (FYI chill before using in a cocktail).

Cocktail Recipe:

Ingredients:

• 1 part Unexpected Guest Bobby's London Dry Gin 
• 1 part Fresh Blood Orange
• ½ part Thyme Simple Syrup (Or to your taste)
• Soda or Mineral Water
• Garnish with slice of orange and thyme

Method:

• Juice one blood orange through a strainer (if you don’t like pulp). Add to a cocktail shaker with a handful ice, gin and simple syrup.
• Shake vigorously 5 times. Strain in glass over fresh ice.
• Top with soda and garnish with orange slice and thyme.