While we dearly love gin in its purest form here at HC towers, there is nothing like a perfectly mixed cocktail to set the taste buds aflame. We also believe that the true elixir of love is not found in a champagne bottle, but in a silver shaker, which is why we’ve gone to the trouble of devising some romantic recipes of our own.
Whether your date is a longstanding partner or a new presence, we thought they might appreciate something unusual in their glass.
Have a look at our recipes below, and see if there isn’t one that might take your lover’s fancy…
Aviation
As you may have guessed from our cover image, we’re huge fans of this blend of sour, floral and herbal flavours. Light but deep, this blue valentine makes the most of violet’s perfume and maraschino’s luxurious edge. A real showstopper that is a lot more subtle than the stunning colour suggests.
15ml Bitter Truth Violet Liqueur
15ml Luxardo Maraschino
10 ml Freshly squeezed lemon juice
Maraschino cherry and lemon slice, to garnish
Get a Nick & Nora glass nice and cold in the fridge. Once well chilled, add your gin, maraschino, violet liqueur and lemon juice. Marvel as the acidic lemon turns the purple concoction gently blue. Stir gently to combine. Thread your lemon slice onto a cocktail stick, followed by the maraschino cherry, and float it opulently on top.
Also available as a pre-mix cocktail
French Martini
Photo credit: Steve the Bartender
A twist on the classic Martini, this richer, sweeter version is truly delicious, with the combination bringing out the complexity of the fresh pineapple. Use pressed juice rather than concentrate, or even better, juice your own…
25ml Chambord raspberry liqueur
60ml fresh pineapple juice
Wedge of pineapple, to garnish
Add the gin, Chambord and pineapple juice to a shaker with ice. Wet shake vigorously - you want the pineapple to froth up a little. Strain into a chilled Martini glass, then garnish with a chunk of fresh pineapple.
Elderflower Gin Fizz
The gin fizz is a classic, as is the combination of our favourite spirit with elderflower. This version adds a herbaceous complexity, with the rosemary and elderflower a stunning Scandinavian partnership.
25ml Elderflower liqueur - St Germain or similar
15ml fresh lemon juice
Dash of elderflower cordial (a good one - Belvoir, Bottle Green, Teissere etc)
Top up with soda water
Sprig of mint or rosemary to garnish
Add your gin, elderflower liqueur, lemon juice and cordial to a tall glass. Stir to combine, then add ice and top up with the soda - this is liable to fizz up heavily, so add slowly! Garnish with a sprig of fresh mint or rosemary, allowing the oily leaves to mingle with the drink.
Pro tip - Should your valentine prefer to avoid alcohol, leave out the gin and the St Germain and add a little more cordial and lemon juice for a beautifully grown-up soft drink.
Nakamura 75
Named for the Japanese footballer Shunsuke Nakamura, who started his career in our home-from-home in Yokohama (inspiration for our Aranami strength gin), then went on to play for Espanyol in Catalonia. This play on a French 75 replaces champagne with cava for a lighter, drier finish, with the sherbert flavours of the gin working beautifully with the yuzu juice. The sweet maraschino does the work of the sugar in the original.
The real yuzu is worth seeking out, with its unmistakable perfumed flavour doing wonders for the combo. Thankfully, retailers are beginning to stock this magical citrus as it grows in popularity.
35ml Hidden Curiosities Aranami Strength Gin
25ml Triple Sec
15ml (ish) Luxardo maraschino liqueur
15ml fresh yuzu juice (lemon or clementine is an acceptable substitute)
60ml Brut Cava
Add the gin, triple sec and maraschino to a champagne saucer, add the yuzu juice and stir. Gently top up with the chilled cava, and sip elegantly by candlelight. A word of warning, this has some power, so do take care if you don’t plan on this being the end of your night…
Bleeding Heart Negroni
An improvisation on the theme of the mighty Negroni, this mix of floral, bittersweet and sour flavours is a rich and heady blend. We’ve added a little fruit here to enhance the flavours, as well as to tame this robustly alcoholic classic. A note on the bitters - we use Dashfire Bitters’ Cardamom from here in the UK, which has a flavour all its own. If you’re struggling to source it, you can use bitters of your choice. The drink will be slightly different, but still fabulous. As for the fruit, we source ours from an online bar supplier, but it’s just as good from a carton or freshly squeezed.
35ml Belsazar Rosé Vermouth
35ml Campari
5ml Strawberry Purée
5ml Pomegranate Puree
Dash of Cardamom Bitters
Stir the campari, gin and vermouth together gently in a cut glass tumbler. Add the fruit purée to taste, then a couple of drops of bitters. Serve with ice and, if you like, a fresh strawberry and cardamom pod garnish. Decadently, heartbreakingly romantic.
Also available as a pre-mixed cocktail
Martinez
A true classic, a hero among cocktails and probably the progenitor of both the classic Martini and the Negroni. This taste of bygone times is redolent with flavour; sweet, rich and elegantly powerful. Feel free to use whatever bitters you’d prefer - we’ve used Angostura as not only are they delicious, but widely available too.
50ml Sweet vermouth - we use Cocchi Torino
10ml Luxardo Maraschino liqueur
Dash of Angostura Bitters
Orange twist, to garnish
Stir together your gin, vermouth, maraschino and a dash of bitters. Strain into a chilled Nick & Nora glass and garnish with the orange twist. Being a London Dry Gin, Hidden Curiosities is subtler than the Old Tom that the original recipe calls for, though the extra kick of pepper will be highly appreciated.
Hanky Panky
If the Martinez above sounds good but the sweetness puts you off, we recommend the aptly named Hanky Panky, with its herbal, sinus-clearing hit of Fernet. We use Asterley Brothers here as it’s wonderfully citrussy, though menthol, minty Fernet Branca would work too.
50 ml Hidden Curiosities Gin
35ml Cocchi Torino Vermouth
10-15ml Asterley Brothers Fernet
Orange peel, to garnish
Add your ingredients to a stout tumbler or whisky glass, preferably over a single large rock of ice. Stir gently to combine and to gain a little dilution from the ice. Garnish with a fresh orange twist to bring out the deep flavours of the vermouth.
Also available as a pre-mixed cocktail
Sakura Negroni
Another sly twist on the Negroni, this Sakura version is deliciously floral and complex, using Amaro instead of Campari to dial down the bitterness. This also makes great use of Mancino Sakura vermouth, with its beautiful saline finish and elegant colour. Garnish with ruby red grapefruit peel and it’s springtime in Yokohama all over again.
35ml Mancino Sakura Vermouth
35ml Asterley Brothers Dispense Amaro
Red grapefruit, to garnish
Stir the ingredients together with a large rock of ice in a heavy glass until they are nice and cold, and slightly dilute. Add the garnish and sip contemplatively, perhaps considering the mysteries of love…
Also available as a pre-mixed cocktail
As ever, these are merely ideas, and we encourage you to bend your menu to accommodate your loved one’s tastes; it is, as ever, the thought that counts. We hope you have a wonderful evening with your date of choice, and don’t stay up too late now…
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