This week's Off The Counter features my favorite cocktail, The Ginger Rogers. We were first introduced to this refreshingly spicy drink at Absinthe's in San Francisco, and ever since it's been dear to my heart (or should I say liver?). So last Saturday, when my husband and I organized an impromptu bar crawl through our neighborhood, we decided to start it off at our place, with a round of Ginger Rogers for all. As you most likely guessed, we never left the house. A good thing. Take a peek at the cocktail that immobilized us for the evening (ingredients and instructions below):

Ingredients: Ginger syrup (recipe below), mint leaves, gin, ginger ale, lemons and limes

Ginger Simple Syrup

Combine 2 oz of thinly sliced ginger root with 2 cups of sugar and 1 1/2 cup of water. Simmer for 30- 40 minutes stirring occasionally until the sugar dissolves. Let it cool and strain

Ginger Rogers

Add mint leaves to the glass, cover with ginger syrup and muddle until the fragrant oils are released. Fill glass with ice; add gin, lemon and lime juice then top it off with ginger ale. Garnish with mint leaves and lemon or lime wedges.

Sit back and sip. Heaven in a glass.

(P.S.: we're still planning a bar crawl for the near future.)