NEW YORK – Stray Dog Wild Gin founder Johnny Livanos shared with The National Herald the following cocktail recipes to enjoy responsibly this spring and summer.

As noted on the Stray Dog website, “Stray Dog Wild Gin starts with wild botanicals, herbs and citrus hand-foraged from the Greek countryside, where the Mediterranean sunshine and crisp Aridea spring water conspire to create bright, savory flavors unique to the region… and to the world of gin.”

Chef Diane Kochilas, cookbook author and host of PBS’ My Greek Table, said of Stray Dog Wild Gin, “The first thing that came to me when I took a sip of Stray Dog is that this gin actually has flavor! And then it dawned on me that the flavor is both familiar and elusive. It tastes of the air on a Greek spring day! What do I mean? The subtle complexity of Greek herbs is evident in that first sip. It's exciting to me that there's a delicious Greek gin, not just one arbitrarily ‘made’ in Greece, but one that actually tastes of Greece. It's delicious and I am looking very forward to many more sips of Stray Dog, straight up, or in, as the Greeks call it, a good ‘tzintonik!’”

Fix Me Up

2 ounces Stray Dog Wild Gin

1 ounce Pineapple juice

0.5 ounce pomegranate syrup

0.5 ounce fresh lemon juice

Shake, strain into a cocktail glass and garnish with hand crushed pink peppercorns.

Pomegranate syrup recipe:

Equal parts of POMM pomegranate juice brand with sugar. Heat the juice until it simmers, add sugar, stir to incorporate, remove from heat, cool.

Wild Smash (perfect for spring/summer)

2 ounces Stray Dog Wild Gin

2 muddled strawberries

1 ounce watermelon puree

0.75 ounce lemon juice

0.75 ounce agave syrup

Top Ginger beer

Shake, dirty dump into a tall glass, add more ice, top with Ginger beer. Garnish with mint.

Evil Eye

2 ounces Stray Dog Wild Gin

.5 ounce mastiha

.75 ounce cucumber juice

.5 ounce lemon juice

.5 ounce simple syrup

Shake, strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a cucumber slice or cucumber snake.

Dirty Dog Martini

3 ounces Stray Dog Gin

.5 ounce dry vermouth

.75 ounce olive brine

Stir, strain into a chilled cocktail glass and garnish with 3 olives.

Wild Dry Martini

3 ounces Stray Dog Wild Gin

.5 ounce dry vermouth

Lemon twist

Stir, strain into a chilled cocktail glass, garnish with a lemon twist and 1 olive (optional).