Greenback

I am usually wary of creme de menthe drinks designed to make use of the color with no thought to the flavor of the cocktail, like the Greenback. A greenback is an antiquated term for American paper dollars, which used to be very green. Now only ones, fives, and twenties are green (and other colors as well) so the term is losing its relevence.

The Greenback cocktail runs the risk of becoming a Christmas cocktail with gin and creme de menthe making a minty and piney drink that reminds one of a Christmas tree. I countered this with the use of Commonwealth Gin, which is a less junipered American gin. The effect was that you experience the drink as a gin sour with a minty finish. The maltiness of Commonwealth Gin made it almost like having a whiskey drink like a mint julep, so it was actually very pleasant. There are, however, some horrid combinations of cheap gin and cheap creme de menthe that could go really wrong.

• 2 oz. gin (Commonwealth Gin used)
• 1 oz. lemon juice
• 1 oz. creme de menthe

Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a rocks glass with fresh ice.