Common Ground Spirits August Blog 2023

Hi Friends,

BOWSFEST is fast approaching and we can’t wait to see you there! See below for ticket links and read on for a juicy, stiff, and refreshing cocktail that will ease you through these last days (or months) of summer!

See you at BOWSFEST September 30th!

We’re gearing up for the Black Owned Wine and Spirits Festival in Washington, DC, this September 30th! BOWSFEST is an event like no other—a wonderful way to support and get to know Black beverage entrepreneurs from around the country. This is the highlight of our year and we hope you’ll join us for the fun! Get your tickets HERE.

Cool off with an Aqua de Valencia Cocktail!

Meantime, it seems like everyone everywhere this summer is hot, hot, hot, and soaring temperatures require large, icy beverages and plenty of them. In our efforts to cool off, we’ve developed this riff on Spain’s classic mimosa-adjacent powerhouse, Aqua de Valencia. If a mimosa and a French 75 had a love child, this would be it—strong, refreshing, and packed with juice and ice to round out the gin, vodka, and Cava. 

We made some adjustments to tart up the flavor a bit by adding a little lemon juice and substituting the traditional Valencia oranges with juice from the slightly less sweet and more complex (not to mention incredibly eye-catching) blood orange. If you can’t find blood oranges, buy the juiciest oranges you can find (Valencia, if possible) and dial up the lemon juice in half ounce increments until you achieve your ideal sweet-sour balance. If you prefer a sweeter cocktail, try adding ¼ ounce of simple syrup to the cocktail glass before adding the Cava.

¡Salud!

Aqua de Valencia

Serves 1

Ingredients

1 oz. Common Ground Spirits Gin Recipe 01 (elderflower and basil)

1 oz. vodka

2 oz. fresh blood orange juice (or substitute for Valencia orange juice)

1 oz. fresh lemon juice

Cava (any decent dry Cava will do here, no need to break the bank)

Ice

Instructions 

1. Fill a large (16oz) stemmed beer glass or wine glass halfway with ice, then add the gin, vodka, orange juice, and lemon juice and stir a few times to combine.
2. Top with Cava (about 3 or 4 ounces depending on the size of the glass) and serve with a straw.