A bittersweet aperitif built on gin, fresh grapefruit and floral elderflower tonic, brightened with lime and a whisper of salt. Built to get you hungry before a big meal, not to sip mindlessly through one.
From the Chef
This drink leans on bitterness balanced against grapefruit’s sourness and elderflower’s floral sweetness, which is exactly the tension that makes a good aperitif work. Spend the extra money on good tonic water rather than a fancier gin, the jump in price is small and the difference in the glass is not. A small pinch of salt does real work here too, it tones down the bitterness slightly and helps the other flavours come through more clearly, the same trick that shows up in a lot of good cocktails.