29) Fortunella

2 oz. Bluecoat Gin
.5 oz. Simple Syrup
3 kumquats
4 sprigs fresh thyme (about 1 inch in length)

Muddle kumquats and thyme in a boston shaker. Add the rest of the ingredients and fill with ice. Shake vigorously and double strain into a Collins glass filled with ice. Top with soda and garnish with another sprig of thyme.

When I showed up at the bar, I was pleasantly surprised to find that the bar had gotten a nice rasher of late winter/early spring fruits. As Ed was running down the list of what had come in, I locked in on Kumquats. I've been a big fan of kumquats since I was a kid, and the idea of using them in a cocktail was a no brainer. Ed being Ed, he casually suggested tossing in some thyme. It was certainly an intriguing idea, and if there's anything we're good at it's trying something without the slightest idea of how it might turn out.

I have to admit that I'm not actually much of a fan of savory drinks, but this one came out pretty tasty. The bitter sweet components of the kumquats matched the subtle hints of thyme. The Bluecoat gin (rapidly becoming a favorite) added excellent notes both spicy and slightly sweet. Fortunately for me, it also happened to be one of the rarely hot days in San Francisco, and can say this is one nice summer drink. So I guess I'll be waiting till sometime in October before I get another.

This would probably be a good time to let you all know that upon the completion of the drink, I blurted out "Kumquat on Thyme" as the drink name. I'm not proud, then again Ed was insistent that I use that name because it's "awesome". Guess who won?

Still, it's kind of a cool name.

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