Slow days at a fly shop can lead to interesting conversation. The other day the talk shifted to Florida, saltwater fishing and booze. Brantley has ties in Florida, so he had lots of stories for Steve and me. One thing he did share really piqued my interest; a drink his girlfriend shared with him: the Green Snapper.
Upon doing a little more research it sounds like the Snapper has been around a long time (indeed it is even regarded as the precursor to the Bloody Mary!) and has many variations. The Green Snapper sounds pretty damn intriguing. Here’s the recipe:
10 parts fresh pineapple juice
1 part fresh lime juice
Sugar to taste (how much depends on how sweet your pineapple juice is)
Pinch of both fresh mint and fresh cilantro (about that much)
Green Tabasco or other green hot sauce (about that much)
Pinch of sea salt (again, about that much)
Beefeater dry gin
Dump all the ingredients except the gin into a blender and mix until the cilantro and mint are chopped pretty fine. You’ll want to stop blending before the concoction gets too foamy. Taste it at this point and add more greens, Tabasco or salt as needed. When you have the mix right, strain it out into a pitcher.
Fill a highball glass (or, if you’re poor like us, any glass will do) with crushed ice and about that much gin. Yes, I use “about that much” as a measuring standard quite a bit. Fill the glass with the blended mixture, stir and enjoy. If you’re feeling fancy, garnish the glass with a slice of pineapple and a sprig of coriander.
Sadly, the bank account dictated waiting until after payday (tomorrow) to try this drink, but I have it on good authority that it is pretty damn good.
