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How to add some fresh, unique flavours to your cocktail game

Fun drinks to make with a new local, custom raspberry gin
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If ever you needed proof that a market exists for fresh flavours and cool innovations in the drinks industry, look no further than Dixon’s Distilled Spirits in Guelph. 

Their latest offering has been performing remarkably well and it was only released two months ago.

Last year, the company launched their custom blueberry gin. It was so well received it quickly became the #1 flavoured gin in the Ontario market. Just a few weeks ago they launched a brand-new raspberry gin, and it is already competing in the same category as the #1 or #2 selling product.

“People are happy to try new things and different flavours,” says co-founder Jeremie Dixon. “A lot of people who are used to the old Tanqueray and Beefeater are looking for something unique.”

The team at Dixon’s has developed a number of recipes to whet customers’ appetites. They also serve a practical purpose. 

“One of the most common questions we get, if not the most common, is what do you mix with it or what do you make with it?” says Dixon. 

With the blueberry gin their approach had been to just release the product and see how customers would react, to let them decide how they liked to use it and to be inspired by their creations. The overwhelming response was clear: it was all about blueberry lemonade. 

This time around, he and his talented team got to work creating a bunch of different recipes. While customers have definitely been enjoying making raspberry lemonade too, they now have over a dozen other drink options to add to their rosters as well. 

Developing these recipes was a collaborative effort, an idea they had talked about for more than a year. Cassidy Massey, Vicky and Jeremie Dixon worked with Recipes by Debbie and also did some of their own experimenting in-house. They narrowed down nearly 30 recipes to their favourite 14, which are now up on their website for all to try.

“To be honest, I’m a soda water and gin kind of person,” Dixon admits, “but when you have friends over, you want to get a little more creative, right?”

Their chocolate raspberry martini is Dixon’s favourite. In the spirit of summer and backyard entertaining, he is sharing that recipe here. 

Chocolate Raspberry Martini

Raspberry-Chocolate-Martini

INGREDIENTS

Chocolate syrup
Ice
2 oz Wicked Raspberry Gin
2 oz Simple syrup (equal parts granulated sugar and water, boiled to dissolve the sugar)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Rim a martini glass with chocolate syrup and add some to the bottom of the glass.

2. In a shaker, add ice, 2 oz of Wicked Raspberry Gin and 2 oz of simple syrup. Shake well.

3. Pour the drink from your shaker into a martini glass. Enjoy!

“We’ve had lots of fun making the cocktails and maybe people will join us,” he says.

There is even more innovation in the works. Look for a new launch to happen sometime in October: rumour has it that Dixon’s will be venturing into vodka.

For more information, visit Dixon's Distilled Spirits or call 519-362-3358.