For Day Twelve of the cocktail advent calendar, I created a "Mediterranean Christmas Wreath." I incorporated an assortment of ingredients from the Mediterranean and featured blood oranges, a citrus that ripens in the Mediterranean during the winter. I even used a gin from the Spanish Mediterranean island of Menorca.
For the drink:
-2 oz gin (Xoriguer Mahón)
-1 1/2 oz fresh blood orange juice
-1/4 oz fresh lemon juice
-1/2 oz spiced simple syrup
-6 chocolate mint leaves
Garnish:
Chocolate mint sprig
Glassware:
Nick and Nora
Add the mint leaves and lemon juice to a cocktail shaker and muddle for about 5 seconds. Combine the rest of the ingredients in the shaker and fill with ice until it's about three-quarters full. Shake until chilled, about 5-10 seconds. Pour through a Hawthorne and fine mesh strainer and garnish.