An EnGINeered Tom Collins
Spring has a way of waking everything up around the Pacific Northwest. After months of gray skies and cozy winter cocktails, the first hints of green start appearing – daffodils popping up in Skagit Valley, longer daylight in the evenings, and that unmistakable fresh scent of the Pacific Northwest coming back to life.
At Speed Shift Distillery, that seasonal shift means one thing: spruce tips. Our Spruced Up EnGIN, distilled with bright Pacific Northwest spruce tips, was made for this moment. Crisp, aromatic, and just a little wild, it brings a fresh forest character that feels right at home in one of the most refreshing classic cocktails ever created – the Tom Collins.
So naturally, we took the classic and gave it a little Speed Shift tuning.
Meet the Evergreen Express – an EnGINeered Tom Collins designed specifically to showcase Spruced Up EnGIN and the vibrant flavor of spruce tip simple syrup. Think of it as a Tom Collins that took a scenic drive through an evergreen forest.
Bright citrus. Effervescent bubbles. A subtle evergreen lift that makes the whole drink feel alive.
Why the Tom Collins works so well with Spruced Up EnGIN
The Tom Collins has been refreshing people since the 1800s for a reason. Its simple structure – gin, lemon, sugar, and soda – is the perfect platform for highlighting a great gin.
When you add in the Spruced Up EnGIN then swap standard simple syrup for spruce tip simple syrup, something magical happens. The cocktail takes on a subtle alpine brightness – slightly citrusy, gently piney, and incredibly fresh. It doesn’t taste like a Christmas tree. Instead, spruce tips add a delicate green note that amplifies the botanicals in the gin and the brightness of the lemon resulting in a cocktail that feels unmistakably Pacific Northwest.
Ingredients
- 2 oz Spruced Up EnGIN
- 1 oz fresh squeezed lemon juice
- ¾ oz Spruce Tip Simple Syrup
- Club Soda
- Ice
Garnish
- Lemon Wheel
- Optional: fresh spruce tip (if you happen to have one!)
How to Make an Evergreen Express
1
Fill a cocktail shaker with ice. Add Spruced Up EnGIN, fresh lemon juice, and spruce tip simple syrup. Shake until well chilled.
2
Strain into a tall Collins glass filled with fresh ice.
3
Top with club soda.
4
Give it a gentle stir to combine.
5
Garnish with a lemon wheel and, if you’re feeling particularly Northwesterly, a fresh spruce tip.
Tasting Notes
The Evergreen Express opens with bright lemon and lively bubbles. The spruce tip syrup brings a soft evergreen aroma that blends beautifully with the botanicals in Spruced Up EnGIN, creating a cocktail that’s crisp, refreshing, and surprisingly complex for something so easy to drink.
It’s the kind of cocktail you reach for on a sunny afternoon, whether you’re sitting on the tasting room patio or dreaming about your next road trip through the mountains.
One More Reason to Love Spring
The Evergreen Express is proof that sometimes the best cocktails come from small seasonal shifts – a new ingredient, a fresh botanical, a classic recipe with a little creative tuning.
And when that ingredient happens to come from the forests of the Pacific Northwest, well… that’s just our style.
So grab a bottle of Spruced Up EnGIN, mix yourself an Evergreen Express, and toast to longer days, greener landscapes, and the open road ahead. Cheers!