Cocktail of the Month ::The Rare Fellow Cocktail

Full disclosure: people never invite us to dinner. I am not sure why, but only a handful of our friends invite us. It may have something to do with what I do for a living, but believe me, I love coming to dinner, and I am very happy with anything that's served.Recently Frank and I were invited to dinner by an old friend, Lisa Burnett and her husband Bobby. Some of you may know Lisa; she is the owner of Inner Pieces and beautiful European Antiques showroom in Chamblee, and she's also been a regular at Scott's Antiques Market since forever. In fact, it's where we met 17 years ago. Since then, we have become friends; she's an amazing resource for me, and I actually shot some of my book Picture Perfect Parties at her location.Bobby is an amazing guy, too.  He's personable, interesting, and is a great cook, along with being an excellent host. He's a rare fellow. We started dinner with an wonderful cocktail. So wonderful, in fact, that I am sharing it here with you today. I tweaked his recipe a little and renamed it the "Rare Fellow" in honor of Bobby. Dinner was delicious, oven baked branzino, with tomatoes onion, olive oil and lemon, and served with a celery and fennel relish. It was divine. Dessert was made by Lisa, a lemon chiffon piece of heaven.Make this spicy and savory cocktail; it's the perfect spring elixir.

The Rare FellowServes 1

You will need:- 2 slices of jalapeno pepper ( + 1 slice for garnish)- 1/2 inch slice of ginger peeled and grated on a microplane- 2 oz. of fresh orange juice- 1/2 ounce Triple Sec- 1 oz. Martin Millers Gin- 2 oz. fresh squeezed lemon juice ( or lemonade)To prepare:In a Cocktail Shaker, muddle the ginger, orange juice and jalapeno slices. Add Triple Sec, Gin and lemon juice, and ice, shake until combined, Strain into an ice-filled highball glass and garnish with a jalapeno slice. *Option - For a sweeter version, lemonade can be substituted for the lemon juice.Enjoy and Happy Spring!Photo: by Moi