We wanted something Negroni-ish that took longer to drink.

This recipe is a fluke. I had bought unfiltered apple juice to make another cocktail and had added some to the iced soda water I drink in the evenings. To cut the sweetness and add some punch I reached for some Tanqueray Sevilla on impulse and I was stunned how well the juice and gin complemented each other once I had the proportion right. A simple mixture but a brand-new flavor, fruity, astringent and slightly bitter all at once.

I've tried to adapt a dessert I ate at Michalak's pastry shop in Paris a few years ago.

Looking for something in the Lychee martini vein, but with gin and not so sweet or kitchy, and came up with this one. Liked it so posted...

In the mid 00's, before I spent a few hundred bucks on books about tiki drinks from the likes of Vic Bergeron, Beachbum Berry and such, I had been toying with recipes for a "Mai Tai" because, you know, there weren't enough of them out there already. This is my latest iteration, which my friends seem to like. I'd say the "secret" ingredient is the homemade orgeat, which really makes a huge difference in the depth and complexity of the drink. I've switched up the rums several times over the years, and I have to say that, despite the gimmicky name, Real McCoy makes an excellent rum that works really well in this recipe.

List of distilled ingredients for this Gin among others:

Sichuan and Timut pepper, citron, yuzu, bitter orange, kumquat.

It's 47%.

I concocted this in August as a black Manhattan riff with loads of lush grape and berry flavor. I originally used just the orange garnish, and have added a dark Luxardo cherry since it fits so well with the motif and flavor.

I considered some Deep Purple references, but saved that for the Montreux, another Pasubio cocktail.