I found this small batch gin outside of Lewisburg, West Virginia. They get the grains, and botanicals locally, and have won a couple of bronze medals at weighty spirits competitions.

I’m usually a beer guy, but it’s been a rough week full of sickness, tantrums, and potty accidents—and that’s just me. Don’t even get me started on the week my kids have had.

Pour copious amounts of Smooth Ambler gin and two splashes of olive juice into a shaker with half crushed ice and half cubed ice (no, I don’t use vermouth). Shake the hell out of it, so the ice breaks down, watering the gin just a little. When you pour the martini into your glass, the liquid should be slightly cloudy and just a little bit slushy with ice crystals.

Drop a jalapeno stuffed olive into the glass and drink it fast, while it’s still ice-cold. You have another one waiting.

Find Smooth Ambler here.