London Fog and Kentucky Sunset Sour

We've been talking for years about starting a dinner club.  A night in with other couples, filled with great food and hopefully great company.  Between young kids and a shift working husband, it just never came together: until now.  We hosted three other couples recently for the inaugural event and I must say, I don't know what took us so long.  The plan is for each couple to host once a year.  The catch?  The entire menu must come from the most current issue of Food and Drink.  

Why create rules for hosting? Perhaps it was knowing all participants are die hard foodies and up for a challenge.  In many ways, it limits your choices which for me is likely a good thing.  I'm known to spend weeks thinking about a menu, perusing websites, cookbooks and magazines.  An added bonus to the LCBO magazine is that it suggests a wine or beer with each course.  We started our evening with a choice of cocktails from the magazine.  London Fog, featuring gin and Kentucky Sunset Sour, featuring bourbon.  This is not the first drink on this site using Dillons gin, and I have a feeling it won't be the last.  This stuff is seriously good and worth seeking out.  

Both drinks pack a good punch, but with a fair amount of ice they make for tasty sipping.  London Fog uses marmalade and it was a great chance for me to highlight some of the Seville Marmalade Josilin and I made earlier this winter.  Store bought would work just as well and that's exactly what I used in the bourbon drink, a cranberry port cheese topper spread.  I suspect any cranberry or cherry chutney/jam would work.  Lastly, if you find the Sour a little too strong, it tastes great topped with some seltzer.  It brings it more into warm patio drink territory and I hope that is in all of our very near futures.  Cheers!

London Fog

adapted from LCBO

1 oz gin

2 oz cold chai tea

2 tsp marmalade

1 oz lemon juice

1/2 oz simple syrup

ice

Put all ingredients in a cocktail shaker (or mason jar) and shake vigorously with ice.  Strain into a tall glass full of ice and enjoy!

Kentucky Sunset Sour

1 1/2 oz bourbon

1 oz lime juice

1 oz simple syrup

1 tsp cranberry jam

ice

Put all ingredients in a cocktail shaker (or mason jar) and shake vigorously with ice.  Strain into a short glass with ice.  Alternately, pour into a tall glass and top with seltzer.