The Botanist: Sustainable Cocktails by Kelsey Ramage

Ingredients
2 oz The Botanist Islay Dry Gin
¾ oz lemon juice
½ oz cucumber honey*
¼ oz elderflower syrup
2 dashes salt solution
1 dash absinthe
Garnish: cucumber ribbon

Method
Measure all ingredients into a cocktail tin, add ice and shake hard. Strain through a fine mesh strainer into a chilled Nick & Nora glass & garnish with a cucumber ribbon.

*Cucumber honey syrup
1 cup cucumber ends & peels
1 cup honey

1. Add cucumber and honey to a blender
2. Blend for 30 seconds to 1 minute until well blended
3. Strain mixture though fine strainer
4. Bottle and refrigerate

Ingredients
1 ¼ oz The Botanist Distiller's Strength
1 oz pineapple aperitivo*
1 oz sweet vermouth
Garnish: pineapple frond

Method
Measure all ingredients into a cocktail tin or mixing glass and add ice and stir with a barspoon until well chilled. Strain over fresh ice in a rocks glass and garnish with a pineapple frond.

*Pineapple aperitivo:
200 g pineapple skins & cores (1 pineapple)
1 ½ cup bitter red aperitivo

1. Cover pineapple skins & cores with bitter aperitivo in blender
2. Blend on a medium setting for about 1 minute
3. Strain through mesh strainer
4. Bottle, date and refrigerate

Ingredients
1 ½ oz The Botanist Islay Cask Rested Gin
¾ oz banana coffee cordial*
¾ oz lemon juice
½ oz fino sherry
2 dashes salt solution
Garnish: banana chip

Method
Measure all ingredients into a cocktail tin, add ice and shake well. Strain over fresh ice, and garnish with a banana chip.

*Banana coffee cordial
4 banana peels
4 cups water
2 ½ cups cane sugar
30 g leftover coffee grounds

1. Chop banana peel and add to a pot with 4 cups of water
2. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to a low simmer for 30 minutes
3. Add coffee and allow to sit for 30 seconds before straining through a fine strainer
4. Add sugar and stir to fully dissolve
5. Bottle & refrigerate

Ingredients
2 oz The Botanist Islay Dry Gin
1/2 oz Champagne vermouth*
1 dash saline solution
1 dash orange bitters
Garnish: leftover herbs

Method
Add all ingredients to a mixing glass, add lots of ice and stir with a barspoon until well chilled. Strain into a chilled Nick & Nora glass. Garnish with a few leaves of fresh herbs.

*Champagne vermouth
4 ½ cups sherry
2 ½ cups flat sparkling wine
½ cup honey
½ cup salt solution
20 g lemon peel
20 g orange peel
20 g mint stems
10 g thyme stems
10 g sage stems
10 g dried chamomile flower or chamomile tea

1. Finely chop herbs & citrus and add to sparkling wine
2. Leave all to infuse for 24 hours at room temperature
3. Strain out all herbs & citrus from wine through fine strainer, coffee filter if necessary to filter out all sediment
4. Stir in honey, sherry and saline
3. Bottle and refrigerate

Ingredients
1 ½ oz The Botanist Islay Dry Gin
1 ½ oz soda
1 ½ oz prosecco
¾ oz apple mint syrup*
1 dash absinthe
Garnish: mint sprig or leftover herbs

Method
Measure each ingredient directly into your favourite wine or highball glass, add ice and stir with a barspoon to mix through. Garnish with a sprig of mint.

*Apple mint syrup
3 cups apple pulp (~4 apples)
2 ½ cups fine sugar
1 ½ cups water
3 ½ oz The Botanist Islay Dry Gin
~10 mint stems
¼ cup malic acid

1. Add sugar, water, and apple pulp to a blender and blend until sugar is fully dissolved
2. Strain through a fine strainer, squeezing to get all liquid out of pulp
3. Add mint stems and gin into blender and flash blend** 3-4 times. Leave mixture to infuse for about 20 minutes
4. Strain the mint stems out, add remaining liquid to apple pulp and stir in malic acid until fully dissolved

**Flash blend: uses a standup mixer to blend from the top down to help achieve aeration and dilution