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The Spirited Traveler: Bootlegging in Minneapolis

stuffaboutminneapolis:

(Reuters) - Perhaps Minneapolis never quite got over the Prohibition era of the 1930s. How else to explain the popularity of its iconic cocktail, The Bootleg?

The city’s signature drink - heard of by few outside of Minnesota - is a relatively homely one, a fizzy, sweet-and-sour concoction akin to a Tom Collins goosed with mint.

Everyone seems to have their own interpretation. Some are made with frozen lemonade mix and 7-Up, blended until slushy; others are spiked with grenadine, orange juice, even green food coloring.

“It was pioneered by a local Minneapolis country club in the early 20th century and soon became a staple at all the finest clubs in the Twin Cities,” explains Dean Phillips, President and CEO, Phillips Distilling Company and a fifth-generation spirits producer based in Minneapolis.

But you won’t see The Bootleg on any cocktail menu. That doesn’t mean you can’t get one. “Strangely, it’s not widely featured in public drinking holes,” Phillips muses. “But ask the right bartender and you’re in for a treat.”

RECIPE: The Bootleg This variation on Minneapolis’s iconic cocktail, attributed to La Belle Vie bartender Johnny Michaels, is among the most appetizing.

1 oz. vodka 1 oz. gin 1 oz. mint syrup (1 cup water, 1 cup sugar, and a handful of chopped mint leaves) Fresh lemons/limes Cava Sparkling wine Chartreuse Mint sprig, for garnish Over high heat, mix sugar and water with chopped mint leaves, stirring until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat, strain mint and let cool. Shake vodka, gin, mint syrup, and freshly squeezed citrus juice, pour over ice. Top with Cava and a splash of Chartreuse. Garnish with a fat sprig of mint.

To be honest, I had no idea Minneapolis had it’s own signature drink called “The Bootleg”. I guess that will happen when you spend a lifetime drinking Grain Belt.

1. curiousabode reblogged this from stuffaboutminneapolis
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7. nusquamexemplarcastesermo reblogged this from party-wok and added:

   This only applies to people who can afford to spend 30 dollars on a drink. (strikethrough bolded for emphasis.)

8. i-have-nightmares likes this
9. mplsinneoi reblogged this from stuffaboutminneapolis and added:

   sounds delicious, but I sure don’t want...syrup. Maybe in the summer

10. erinjoan likes this
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13. hummingnerd said: As I read this all I could think was .. “I have never heard this, and I am pretty well read on all things Minnesota.” Then you had that little blurb at the bottom, and I felt good. I’d still drink this though. Sounds okay.
14. sinkingfast likes this
15. wickedwitnesswizardry reblogged this from stuffaboutminneapolis and added:

    Well, I’m legally...still had never heard of this before.

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24. scullness reblogged this from stuffaboutminneapolis and added:

    reblogging for my bartender roommate

25. convincingindie reblogged this from stuffaboutminneapolis
26. liquidchroma reblogged this from stuffaboutminneapolis and added:

    “public drinking holes”...my favorite thing about...(I also...

27. kristinaslovelythings likes this
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31. party-wok reblogged this from stuffaboutminneapolis and added:

    Bolded for emphasis. I’ve never even heard of this. I thought our signature cocktail was Grain Belt.

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