Nectarine Thyme Martini

I am not a gin drinker. Just thought I’d put that out there in case anyone who has read my Martini Madness recipes couldn’t tell yet by the number of vodka recipes I’ve posted. I really don’t care for gin much at all unless it’s in a Long Island Ice Tea or Hurricane. But I think I’ve finally found a gin cocktail I actually really enjoyed! This is truly a miracle. This Nectarine Thyme Martini is a winner of a gin drink in my book.

First you start with making a thyme infused simple syrup (you can read more about making infused simple syrup here). Who knew thyme simple syrup would be so delicious? Perhaps many of you did but not me. I’ve never made it before and now I’m wondering why. It’s really good. Then you blend a nice, ripe, juicy nectarine with some simple syrup in the blender to make a puree. If you don’t want to go to the trouble of blending it, I suppose you could muddle the nectarine in a cocktail shaker. I like a puree so I don’t have so much pulp in my drink. So in the cocktail shaker you’ll have the nectarine and simple syrup. Now it’s time to add the gin, a little lime juice and the special ingredient…St. Germain liqueur. That stuff is wonderful. It has a floral, citrusy flavor. So delish! If you’d rather make this martini with vodka, go right ahead. It’s really good that way too! Trust me, I tried it both ways. When made with gin, the cocktail has a bit more herbal undertones than when made with vodka.

I add a little bit of club soda to the cocktail shaker, just to lighten it up a bit. But I’ve also had this drink in a tall glass full of ice and topped off with club soda, which is super yummy too! So try it both ways and see what you like best.

Now for a little inside information…Typically, when I’m experimenting with cocktails during the day I’ll take a taste and save the rest in the fridge or freezer until I have some friends over to drink up my experiments with me. I don’t like to drink alone in the middle of the day. But I will admit, I ended up drinking one (the club soda version on ice) all by myself with no one around. In the middle of the afternoon! Oh well, I’m bored, why not?

Nectarine Thyme-tini

St. Germain is a wonderful liqueur made from Elderflowers. It has a nice floral, citrusy flavor.

Serves: 1 Martini

Ingredients

1 nectarine
1 oz. thyme infused simple syrup
2 oz. gin (or vodka)
½ oz. St. Germain liqueur
½ lime, juiced
1 oz. club soda

Instructions

Puree nectarine and simple syrup in blender. Strain through a fine mesh strainer, pressing with a spatula to get all the juice out of the pulp. You should have about 2 ounces. Reserve puree juice and throw out the remaining pulp. You can skip the straining if you don't mind the pulp in your cocktail.
Add puree to cocktail shaker with ice. Add gin or vodka, St. Germain, lime juice, and club soda. Shake well and strain into martini glass. Garnish with sprig of thyme.

To make the simple syrup:
Combine one cup sugar and one cup water in small saucepan with a bunch of thyme sprigs. Bring to a boil to dissolve sugar, turn off heat and let cool. Remove thyme sprigs and store syrup in refrigerator.

Optional:
Try serving this cocktail in a tall glass with ice and top with club soda. Just omit the club soda when shaking the ingredients and top off the drink with it.