Treeminders are one of my favourite factions of any Fallout game: the idea of a bunch of post-apocalyptic hippies armed with assault rifles really tickles me. The fact that they acted as a way to reintroduce Harold, one of the best Fallout characters ever, was just the icing on the cake.
To honour these brave nature-lovers, I devised a cocktail that reflects their green values: herbaceous, earthy and refreshing. The herbal simple syrup adds some earthy tones without being overpowering, while the mint and gin keep the flavour fresh and clean. Definitely one for the summer!
Read more: 5 Strange Cults in Video Games (That Actually Had Pretty Good Ideas)
One note though for all the Fallout 3 fans reading: if you decided to use the firey option during that questline, you are absolutely banned from making this, you monster.
Ingredients
- 2 parts gin
- 2 parts dry apple juice
- 0.5 parts herbal simple syrup (recipe below)
- 3 – 5 fresh mint leaves
- mint sprig for garnish (optional)
- Place the gin and fresh mint leaves in one half of your cocktail shaker.
- Muddle the leaves thoroughly to release the minty freshness.
- Add ice to shaker and pour the apple juice over the top.
- Stir for about 20 seconds to chill the mixture.
- Coat the inside of a chilled martini glass with the herbal simple syrup.
- Strain the cocktail mixture into the glass.
- Garnish with a mint sprig and serve!
Making the herbal simple syrup
Simple syrup is a staple of many cocktails, adding some sweetness without having to rely on gritty granulated sugar. However, that is just the very beginning of what simple syrup can do; you can infuse a wide variety of flavours during the process too.
In this case, the flavours we added are celery, mint, rosemary and parsley. Here’s how to make it:
- Combine 1/2 cup of water and 1/2 cup of granulated sugar in a saucepan and heat slowly.
- Once the water reaches a simmer, add a generous pinch of mint, rosemary and parsley along with a single stem of chopped celery.
- Simmer for five minutes.
- Remove from the heat and pour into a heat-proof container. Leave to cool.
NB dried herbs will do in a pinch (hurr hurr), but use fresh herbs if you can.
This will make a batch enough for a fair few Sappy Treeminders, so remember to keep it stored in the fridge—or get some mates round for a drink or two.