The Ginpari Cocktail

When it comes to cocktails, my favourite drinks fall along the sour axis, though I also enjoy a good dose of bitter as well. (And you can decide for yourself what it means that I prefer sour and bitter over, say, sweet and savoury.)

Recently a good friend tipped me off about Fentimans Ginger Beer. I can see why: this is good stuff.

Fentimans good, Canada Dry bad

One sip sent spicy ginger tickling up my nose while a lovely heat rose across the back of my palate. There’s just enough sweetness to balance the spice. I’m definitely picking up some of this for the summer.

I keep Campari around for making my beloved Jasmine cocktails, but today I was struck with an idea: what if I mixed Campari with ginger beer? So I poured about an ounce and a half of Campari over ice and topped the rest up with the Fentimans, and this was the result:

Yes, that's snow in the background. Yes, it snowed almost a foot today. Yes, it is the middle of April. Yes, I'm bitter about it. Yes, I'm going to lock myself indoors and drink Ginparis until mid-May. No, you can't stop me.

It’s a rather pretty pink beverage (I fancy it’s the colour of spring blossoms, though I’ve become deeply suspicious over the existence of such seemingly mythical things), and one that perfectly marries Campari’s stout bitterness with the spice and sweetness of the ginger beer.

There may be another name for this creation, but henceforth I shall refer to it as the Ginpari.

Cocktails, Liqueur