Common Ground Spirits March Blog 2023

Hello Friends,

We’ve been busy hosting tastings in both Northern and Southern California, and this month you’ve got several opportunities to swing by, meet the Common Ground Spirits founders, and sample some stellar craft gins! Plus we’ve got a recipe for an elegant Last Word punch—the perfect herbaceous tipple for a spring evening.

Join us in Georgia for Brunch at Forks & Flavors April 1st!

We’re gearing up for our big meeting this month with RNDC, our Georgia distributors, and after that we’ll be hanging out in Kennesaw, GA, for a gin tasting and brunch at Forks and Flavors!

Where and When: If you’re in the Georgia area, please join us  for brunch at Forks and Flavors, April 1st, from 10 am – 3pm. Julian and Tory will be pouring tastings of Gin Recipe 01 and Gin Recipe 02, and the bar will have a special cocktail featuring our gin! This is not a ticketed event, so bring your friends for gin and brunch!

Friends in the D.C. Area—Join us for a tasting and cocktail collaboration April 4th!

We’re collaborating with our friends at Bite Club in D.C. on April 4th to host a gin tasting and cocktail collaboration with the talented Bite Club DMV crew. Sweet beats will be provided by DJ Father Fonz, and Chef M T Briggs, along with a custom-made Common Ground Spirits cocktail.

Where and When: Join us at Eaton House from 6 pm – 11 pm for a gin tasting hosted by Julian and Tory, Common Ground Spirits gin cocktails, and delicious eats. Admission is complimentary if you RSVP www.BiteClubDMV.com

Gin Milk Punch

If you’re not familiar with clarified milk punch, trust us, it’s got nothing to do with creamy cocktails. Milk punch originated in 17th century Northern Europe, and it’s essentially a combination of citrus, alcohol, and milk. When citrus and alcohol are added to milk, they clarify the liquid, meaning the acids curdle the milk, separating the whey from the curd. When the curds are strained and discarded, the remaining liquid is essentially preserved, since all of the perishable solids have been removed, and the punch has a sweet and slightly slippery mouthfeel from the whey. This makes for an especially sexy cocktail, and one that will keep well in your fridge for several weeks. 

You’ll want to make this punch ahead of time, as it takes about four hours and up to twelve hours to clarify the punch, and another half or or so to strain it slowly through a cheesecloth or coffee filter. The longer you let the punch sit, the easier it is to strain and the clearer the final cocktail will be. Once you’ve gotten the hang of clarifying milk punch, you can apply the technique to a whole slew of cocktails!

The results are worth the effort, but if you want a quicker cocktail, you can easily skip the milk and throw the rest of the ingredients in a shaker. The difference? The milk-less cocktail is all tartness and bright flavors, whereas the milk punch is softer, more slippery, and ever so slightly sweeter thanks to the whey. Either way, you’ll love this libation, and our Basil and Elderflower gin adds just a touch of herbaceous florality to the tart fruity notes. 

Gin Milk Punch

Serves 4

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

3 oz lemon juice, strained

3 oz Maraschino liqueur

6 oz whole milk

1. In a large pitcher or jar, combine the gin, lemon juice, and maraschino liqueur and stir to combine. 
2. Slowly stream the milk into the gin mixture, whisking or stirring all the while until all the milk has been incorporated. You will notice the milk beginning to curdle.
3. Allow the mixture to sit, covered, at room temperature for at least four hours or up to twelve hours, until there is a thin layer of clarified liquid floating on top of the solidified milk curds at the bottom of the container.
4. Place a coffee filter or doubled-up cheesecloth over a strainer or a pour-over funnel, and place it atop a small pitcher, jar, or bowl.
5. Pour the punch into the filter until it is full, allow the liquid to slowly strain into the pitcher below, topping the filter up with the remaining punch as it drains until you’ve strained all the punch. Discard the milk solids.
6. Serve immediately or store the punch in a bottle in the fridge until you are ready to serve. The punch will keep well in the fridge for several weeks, but we doubt it will last that long.