It’s time for me to pick a signature cocktail of my own to help define the upcoming season.

This is a new tradition for Sup! so I want to choose something that will be just right for all the outdoor activities I have planned. This concept was the brainchild of the girls at LoveFeast Table.

You see they choose a cocktail every summer that sets the tone for the warm weather festivities. They asked me to help them this year and I was happy to oblige them by creating something just for them.

So one week ago today I presented my version of a Long Island Iced Tea. It’s called a Tickled Pink Tropical Island Iced Tea. If you remember it was a pretty girly drink– despite the crazy amount of alcohol in it. So it’s not quite the cocktail that Sup! would feel comfortable grasping in his manly hand night after night, week after week, month after month this whole summer long.

But I will let you in on a secret. It seems that my girly cocktail was a big hit. I don’t just mean with LoveFeast either. It seems you guys really drank my cocktail up in massive quantities! That post got more than twice my usual traffic the day it came out. It has taken an entire week for my numbers to taper back down to normal.

Well I’ll drink to that!

Gin is the most subtle and sophisticated of all the spirits. It is also under-appreciated, or down right loathed by way too many people.

But as America begins to expand its palate, gin is making a comeback. Because more and more people like you and me are broadening our perspectives. Loving great food is often the first step.

Because as you train your palate to appreciate subtlety in foods, it only makes sense that what you have learned will show itself in other areas and with other tastes.