- 50ml of Gin
- 25ml of Campari
- 25ml of a simple dry vermouth
- 25ml of freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 25ml of sugar sirop
- A dash of a French pastis,such as Pernod
- A dash of salt
- Garnish with an apple slice fan
Add all the ingredients in a cocktail shaker and shake the living hell out of it. Strain into a large cocktail glass, and garnish with an apple slice fan garnish.
Essentially, this cocktail is a gin sour, one of my favourites. I'm also a fan of Campari, and the bitterness, so I'm trying to find a way to harmonise the sweet/sour balance of a spirit sour cocktail with it. Adding in the pastis is the "phantom" rogue element to it, and adding in the salt as an "umami" (a popular cocktail ingredient at the moment) is there to boost the flavour.
One thing to remember, is to munch on the apple garnish as you drink. It helps balance with the bitterness of the Campari, and the choice of apple will also help with your appreciation of the drink. Apples can be sharp or sweet, so you can tailor your experience.
Another detail is that if you add in a bit of raw egg white, you can add through that vigorous shake a spectacular foam to the top of the cocktail and a smooth silky mouth texture to the drink. Some people are a bit freaked out by drinking raw egg, and that's not a problem. The drink is fine on its own.
I hope you enjoy it, and I'd appreciate your feedback. Drop me a line at [email protected]
Many thanks, Neato