Sometimes a guy just has to try a cocktail because of the, um, compelling name. I had a fresh batch of blood orange juice (yum), so went looking for interesting new recipes to use it.

This cocktail isn’t presented as a blood orange drink – it was simply “Monkey Gland” as I found it – but really … any drink that calls for regular orange juice is a great candidate for blood orange instead. So that’s what I did with this one. 

Don’t let the name put you off; it tastes great, and no monkeys were injured or neutered in the making of this drink.

BLOODY MONKEY GLAND
2 oz Gin of choice (London Dry or close)
2/3 oz Blood orange juice (freshly squeezed)
1/2 tsp Grenadine syrup
1/2 tsp simple syrup
3 Dashes (1/4 tsp) absinthe

Shake all ingredients with ice and strain into a chilled stemmer. Garnish with a monkey tail of orange zest. 

There’s a LOT going on in this drink – so many strong flavors. Don’t overdo the Grenadine syrup or absinthe, because either could smother the other flavors. That said, the absinthe adds a nice layer of complexity to the drink – and that’s something you’d *never* have heard me say until a couple of years ago.