Common Ground Spirits September Blog 2023

Hi Friends,

We’ve had a busy month hosting tastings and events while preparing for BOWSFEST, the Black-Owned Wine and Spirits Festival, in Washington D.C. on Saturday, September 30th! 

Read on for updates, tasting announcements, sponsored events, and a deliciously slippery Not So Dirty Martini recipe!

Expanding in Georgia with RNDC

We traveled back down to Georgia this month for RNDC’s trade show at Zoo Atlanta and had a great time meeting prospective buyers from bars, restaurants, and bottle shops all across Georgia. We’ll be expanding our reach in Georgia, so keep your eyes peeled for more delicious Common Ground Spirits gin in your favorite Georgia watering holes!

BOWSFEST September 30th!

The 7th annual Black Owned Wine and Spirits Festival in Washington, DC, is a huge highlight for us and a wonderful way to get to know and support Black spirit entrepreneurs from across the country. If you haven’t gotten your tickets yet—what are you waiting for? We can’t wait to see you there!

Gin Tasting at Bottle Barn, October 7th

Join Julian at the Bottle Barn in Santa Rosa, CA, from 12pm-4pm for a tasting of our Gin Recipe 01 and Gin Recipe 02!

Sponsored Events

We love to share our spirits with organizations that do good work supporting our communities. Here are a few of the events we are sponsoring in the coming weeks:

• We’ve donated our spirits to MOAD’s (Museum of the African Diaspora) Afropolitan Ball, and we’ll be there lending support to the celebration.

• St Jude’s Childrens’ Research Hospital is hosting its 11th annual Miracles by the Bay Gala to raise funds for pediatric cancer research, and we are honored to be a sponsor this year. 

• This month, the Creative Artists Agency hosts its Young Hollywood Party to raise funds for Communities In Schools of Los Angeles, and we are thrilled to sponsor their work and meet the folks who are contributing to the educational success of their community!

Olive Oil Martini

This martini really showcases the subtle notes and slippery texture of olive oil and is a great alternative to the dirty martini, with all of the olive and none of the brine.

By infusing our gin overnight with olive oil—what’s called a fat wash in bartending lingo—we impart a ton of rich olive oil flavor in the gin. Freezing the infused gin for a few hours allows for easy straining and results in a seductively slippery mouthfeel and pronounced flavors of olive oil balanced by the clean, savory elements of gin and dry vermouth. 

And the best part? You don’t need fancy olive oil to make this cocktail. Any decent extra virgin olive oil from your grocery store will yield surprising and delicate olive flavors! But feel free to mix up a few batches with different oils. From spicy to vegetal and fruity to floral, there are any number of fabulous olive oils to play with at your local grocery store, all of which will yield a lovely, elegant libation. 

A few notes about this recipe:

• We batched this recipe out to yield multiple cocktails, because this makes the most of the overnight infusion time, and the fat-washed gin will keep for up to two months in the fridge. 
• If you’re an olive lover, take our advice and use Castelvetrano olives for your garnish. They serve as a rich, buttery accompaniment to the olive oil in the gin, but are much less salty than the pimento-stuffed green olives you typically find in a dirty martini.
• If you like a little salt in your martini but are avoiding olive brine, make a quick saline solution by mixing 5 oz of hot water with 1 oz of salt and adding this solution in ¼ oz increments to your cocktail until you achieve your desired level of saltiness.

Olive Oil Martini

Serves 4

Ingredients:

12 oz. Common Ground Spirits Gin Recipe 02 (black currant and thyme)

4 oz. extra virgin olive oil

2 oz Dry Vermouth 

Ice

Paper coffee filter

2 Mason jars or other clean containers with tight-fitting lids

Castelvetrano olives for garnish

Instructions 

1. Measure the gin into a large bottle or mason jar with a lid (an old wine bottle or even olive oil bottle will work), followed by the olive oil. 
2. Place the gin and olive oil mixture in the fridge for 24 hours.
3. Once the olive oil and gin mixture has rested for 24 hours, place it in the freezer for a minimum of three hours or overnight until the olive oil has frozen solid.
4. Remove the mixture from the freezer and use a spoon, spatula, or butter knife to remove the frozen puck of olive oil from the gin. Discard the olive oil or better yet, save it for a pasta dish later on!
5. Place a paper coffee strainer over a clean mason jar or similar wide-mouthed container and begin pouring the gin through the filter. The mixture will strain slowly through the paper filter, so you may have to add the gin in batches until all of the mixture has been strained.
6. If you plan to store this gin away for later, simply seal the jar with a lid and store the gin in the fridge until you are ready to make your martinis.
7. When it’s cocktail hour, chill your cocktail glass with ice for 2-5 minutes.
8. Discard the ice, shake any moisture out of the glass, then add 2 ounces of the olive oil gin followed by ½ oz of dry vermouth.
9. Stir the cocktail briefly, garnish with a Castelvetrano olive if you like, and serve immediately.