What is Dutch Courage!?

noun

1. strength or confidence gained from drinking alcohol.

…has anyone seen Flight? I don’t know about you, but if I have to drive with two hands on the wheel – so does he.

I have many reasons why I choose Dutch Courage:

Primarily, it’s historically exciting and theoretically proven via a war that lasted 30 years – creatively named “The Thirty Year War” which was one of the longest and most destructive conflicts in European history. If drinking rum before 10am makes you a Pirate, I definitely would go as far as saying drinking gin in your waking hours makes you a seasoned soldier. Secondly, I can’t do a hand stand to save my life, so Cross Fit was never an option.

Me last Tuesday.

When I practise the art of Dutch Courage, I usually don’t discriminate and don’t dismiss anything with an alcohol content higher than 4%, however if you want to be historically accurate, Dutch Gin also known as jenever or genièvre is the way to go.

Jenever which translates as Juniper was well known as the medical cure for many health concerns back in the day, including The Black Plague which claimed over 25 million lives… to think, if they only had more gin…

Notes to take home:

1. Gin will give you the strength of a warrior without having to sign up to a gym.
2. It’s a superfood – never heard goji berries or kale helping cure the bubonic plague.
3. It’s delicious.

So imagine my delight when I went out to get a bottle of gin to experiment with and found this handsome number:

When life just works…

Oh yeah, I got excited.

So how should you prepare your dose of Dutch Courage? Well, I’m glad you asked.

Some Ginspiration

White lady

I’m sure this is what the soldiers strolled into battle with…

45ml Gin
15ml Triple Sec (I’m using Peach Schnapps.)
30ml Lemon Juice
10ml Sugar Syrup (I went with 5ml agave)
1 egg white

1. Add all ingredients into shaker (or nutribullet) without ice, shake (or blend) until fluffy, then add ice momentarily to chill.
2. Double strain into coupette.
3. Enjoy!

Southside Fizz

Can’t go 5 posts without a fancy mason jar cocktail 😉 #thepeerpressuresofsociety

60ml Gin
30ml Lime Juice
15ml Sugar Syrup
7 Mint Leaves ***
Soda Water

1. Put Gin, lime, & sugar syrup in a shaker. Shake-shake-shake!
2. Get the mint leaves, clap to allow the minty freshness to exude, then add to shaker. Don’t shake-shake-shake, instead, stir briskly.
3. Top with soda!
4. Garnish with mint, and look down at your masterpiece in sheer awe and enjoy!

*** I don’t like shaking mint because I find it makes cocktails bitter. Little experiment to decide for yourself: put a mint leaf on your tongue and you’ll taste a minty sweetness, then bite the leaf and taste how bitter it gets. You’re welcome.

Happy sipping and enjoy your long weekend Melbourne peeps! For everyone else, happy Friday!

Prost!