What do you call it when four creatively prepared courses are paired with a selection of imaginative gin-based cocktails? Ginner, of course.

And you won't want to miss this uniquely paired gin cocktail dinner Friday, June 9 at Blue’s Egg, 317 N. 76th St. Consider it a pre-celebration in preparation for National Gin Day,  which takes place on Saturday, June 10. 

Featured gins

Ginner will take diners on a tasting journey exploring the botanical flavors and aromas of both new and old world gins, including these unique selections: 

• Beefeater 24: a London Dry gin steeped for 24 hours with Japanese and Chinese teas and citrus botanicals
• Tanqueray Bloomsbury: a Juniper-forward London Dry based on an 1880s recipe;
• Twisted Path Gin: a Milwaukee-made gin boasting 11 botanicals, including African Honeybush, cinnamon, cardamom, angelica root, coriander, sweet and bitter orange peel, lemongrass and vapor-infused hops to round out the citrus notes
• Driftless Glen Double Cask: which is aged in new charred oak and used bourbon barrels in Baraboo, Wisconsin

Best of all, each gin cocktail will find its perfect marriage alongside deliciously complementary dishes created by Black Shoe Hospitality chefs.

Menu

The evening will begin with a reception. Indulge in a French 75 along with bites like Korean shrimp tacos, glazed pork riblets, taleggio cheese toasts and chickpea samosa.

Dinner will begin with rosemary olive bread with roasted tomato and provolone spread paired with a Tanqueray Bloomsbury negroni. Additional courses include:

• Blistered sea scallop, charcoal-grilled baby octopus with spring onion risotto and a Plymouth Sloe Gin fizz.
• Avocado salad with house-cured salmon, hearts of palm, pickled rhubarb, salty almonds and radish paired with a Twisted Path Gin gimlet
• Slow-roasted veal loin with gin morel ragout, egg noodles, charred asparagus, sweet pea puree and prune demi alongside a Fords Gin Martinez.
• Pavlova with berry stew, olive oil orange cake, lemon curd, chocolate sponge and hazelnut with a Driftless Glen Double Cask ramos.

Throughout the evening, Badger Liquor’s Tripp Duval will introduce cocktails, ideas, and history about each featured cocktail, including the Sloe Gin Fizz, Negroni, Gin Gimlet, and the French 75.

Ginner begins at 6:30 p.m.; cost is $85 plus tax and gratuity and includes hors d’oeuvres reception and four-course dinner paired with gin cocktails. Call Blue’s Egg at 414-299-3180 for reservations.