The Master's golf tournament is underway and while I can't pretend that watching golf on TV is anyway interesting, I am captivated by the thought of what one should drink while watching grown men golf. Perhaps its best to approach this question from two perspective.

You are a golf enthusiast and really enjoy watching on TV
You are married to golf enthusiast and suffer through having this on TV all day

Let's consider case 2 first. What is the best cocktail for the person marking time until the golf game is over? The person for whom every time they come in from outside or pass the TV room has to hear the hushed voices of commentators doing their best to make something utterly boring seem remotely exciting.

Let's examine the variables, the venue for the Masters is the deep South. Its spring; the trees are in full bloom and a gentle breeze carries a hint of warm Atlantic sea salt. Great athletes from around the world are gathered to compete for the singular glory of winning a green blazer. What cocktail could capture all that better than the Scarlett O'Hara - the state cocktail of Georgia. At our tasting room, the Scarlett O'Hara has a quixotically elegant charm

2 oz Don Quixote Single Cask Blue Corn Bourbon
0.25 oz Mon Cherie Dark Cherry Port
1/4 Fresh Lime
4 oz Cranberry juice

Combine bourbon and port in glass. Squeeze in fresh lime and fill with crushed ice. Pour in cranberry juice. By the third iteration, you'll come to terms with telling your golf watching associate whenever you walk by, "Frankly my dear..."

Now for the interesting issue of what to serve a golf enthusiast as he/she sits for hours watching people push a golf ball around a course they could probably never. . . wait for it . . . 'master'. So what should the perfect golf watching cocktail be? Since anyone who watches golf long enough is going to wind up napping, the goal for this cocktail has to be getting to that train station as quickly as possible. And, what better cocktail to accomplish that task than the Martini - an elegantly sophisticated cocktail tailor made for the quiet pageantry that is golf. While I personally like an old school gin Martini, the most popular Martini in our tasting rooms is a gin/vodka combo. For spring, we recommend using our Mint/Lavender gin along side our Polish rye vodka

1 oz Don Quixote Mint Lavender Gin
1 oz Don Quixote Rye Vodka
1 oz dry vermouth
Twist of lemon garnish (or olives if your feeling dirty)

Combine the gin, vodka and vermouth in a shaker filled with ice and shake vigorously until well chilled. Strain into a martini glass. Add a lemon twist. If you like things a little dirty, pour in a splash of olive juice.