Saint Patrick’s Day is for amateurs.  There, I said it.  I know, I know, I’m going against all that Southie holds sacred but we both know it’s true.  St. Patrick’s Day is right up there with New Year’s Eve as far as buffoonery goes.  That being said, I am not advocating staying home this week not refraining from celebrating, unless you are effing terrible, if you are effing terrible I’m advocating you stay home all the time.  The rest of you should skip celebrating St. Patrick and celebrate Evacuation Day this week instead!

For those of you who slept through US History (SHAME, SHAME I say like the nun from Cersei’s walk of, well, shame), let me enlighten you.  Evacuation Day took place on March 17^th, 1776 and was the ending of an eleven month siege of Boston.  George Washington fortified Dorchester Heights by using cannons captured from Fort Ticonderoga and, long story short, British General William Howe retreated to Nova Scotia when he realized how high the British/Loyalist body count would be if they stayed and fought.  It was Washington’s first victory and he was presented with the first medal ever awarded by the Continental Congress.  There’s a lot more backstory involving Henry Knox and John Thomas among others, it’s super interesting and you should read 1776, at least until my episode of Drunk History.

Ok, now that the history lesson is out of the way, let’s talk booze.  While we celebrate we should keep with the spirit of the day, aka Suck It, Brits.  What should we drink?  Personally I think it should be a Boston version of a beverage they hold near and dear, you know to really twist the bayonet.  My first instinct was tea, but much like every other instinct I’ve had this was wrong.  So what’s an iconic British booze?  Gin.

Gin has a long and storied history in England (thanks in part to William of Orange), so long and storied that I’m just going to ask you trust me on this one instead of having me get into all details because I already gave you a history lesson today and how much do you want from me?  But stuff like the Glorious Revolution, the government allowing unlicensed gin production, and a heavy tax on imported spirits lead to gin’s huge popularity in England.  I mean look at Beefeater Gin, not only is it produced and distributed in England, but it’s named after the Yeoman Warders, aka the ceremonial guards at the Tower of London.

Now obviously you don’t want to drink just any old gin to celebrate Evacuation Day.  In part because crappy gin tastes like a mouth full of Pinesol (I’m looking at you, Tanqueray) but also because in order to celebrate Bostonians holding off the British you want to drink Boston gin.  Luckily for us we Grand Ten Distillery right in our backyard, and they just happen to produce a fantastic gin.

Grand Ten Distillery’s Wire Works American Gin is the perfect way to toast sending the Redcoats packing!  It’s distilled from cranberries for crying out loud!  Does it get any more Massachusetts than cranberries?  Wire Works American Gin has a crisp, clean, and refreshing citrus flavor that elevates any cocktail, even cocktails you drink alone on your couch in your Snuggi.  I like a gin and tonic with two lemons, but the guys at Grand Ten gave us an awesome cocktail recipe when we told them how we were planning on celebrating Evacuation Day, Patriot Punch!  So this year sluice your gob (that means take a big drink in old timey colonial talk, I swear) to those brave men and women who fought for and aided the Continental Army.  And don’t forget to show us how you’re celebrating Evacuation Day on social media with #CaughtInSouthie!  Make sure to follow Grand Ten on twitter and Instagram too!

Patriot Punch
Can be made individually or batched in punch formats
2 oz Wire Works American Gin
1 oz Cranberry Juice
1/4 oz Lime Juice
1/2  oz Simple Syrup (Sugar)
Shake for 10 seconds and strain into cocktail glass. Garnish with lemon, orange peel or cranberries.
or
batch together as a punch and top with sparkling water or champagne