Drink of the Week: Red Geisha Cocktail

Happy World Cocktail Day! On this date back in 1806 The Balance and Columbian Repository first defined the word “cocktail” in print, describing it as a drink “composed of spirits of any kind, sugar, water and bitters,” and bars and bartenders across the country have been toasting all week long. Bars including the Crunkleton in Chapel Hill, N.C., which for the past four nights has been hosting a series of tastings representing different milestone eras for cocktails. Today’s Drink of the Week comes from their closing class tonight, which is dedicated to contemporary cocktails. Combining fresh strawberries, ginger and vodka, this cocktail, from bartender Wesley Wolfe, highlights the current trend of using fresh, local ingredients, and it’s a refreshing way to toast the defining moments in cocktail history. Want to know where else you can raise your glass to the cocktail? Click here for a list of celebrations, courtesy of the Museum of the American Cocktail.

Red Geisha
2 oz. vodka
2 fresh strawberries
1/2 oz. fresh ginger, roughly chopped
1/2 oz. fresh lime juice
1/2 oz. simple syrup (1:1)
Ice cubes
Tools: muddler, shaker, strainer
Glass: Old Fashioned
Garnish: lime wheel

In a shaker, muddle strawberries and ginger. Add the remaining ingredients and shake with ice. Strain into an ice-filled glass and garnish.