#1: GRAVLAX-TO

When you mix a Gin & Tonic with salmon gravlax, you get a salty, herbaceous drink with a fresh bittersweet kick!
1.5cl of dill-infused gin 3cl of lemon juice 3cl of skinos mastiha 8cl of tonic with smoked salmon (marinate the smoked salmon in tonic water for 24h then re-fizz before bottling)
Put it all together in a glass, on ice, then mix by giving two slow stirs from the bottom of the glass to the top so as to keep the bubbles. Decorate with a little piece of smoked salmon on a cocktail stick, doused with two or three drops of génépi or green chartreuse. here

The Port Flip is a very old cocktail that used to be served to sailors in taverns. Port wine mixed with spirits and an egg to strengthen the texture. It feels therefore appropriate to combine it with a beer, a dark and dense Porter, with its aromas of roasted coffee and tonka beans, to create a hybrid cocktail-cake to be enjoyed at the end of a meal.
1.5cl of syrup from a reduction of Porter with tonka beans (I use the Slap a Banker – hence the name of the cocktail) 1.5cl of Armagnac 4.5cl of red port 1 whole egg
Mix in a shaker first without ice, then with ice. Filter through a fine sieve. Decorate by grating a tonka bean onto the glass. here

A variation on the Negroni, that famous, sophisticated and tasty derivative of the americano. Add wine spirits and a combination of smooth and full-bodied bitters, and you get a drink which is easy to make, with depth and a refreshing taste ideal for an aperitif in the sun!
2cl of Grappa 1cl of Marc de Raisin 2.5cl of Campari 0.5cl of Fernet Branca 3cl of red Vermouth (personally, I use Carpano Antica Formula for this cocktail because of its sharp, spicy notes, but red Dolin also works)
Put it all together in an “Old Fashioned” glass filled to the brim with ice cubes and mix well to dilute the drink until it is nicely chilled. Top up with more ice and serve. here here

The legendary Mai Tai with an acidic and exotic twist: the acidity takes on all its nuances when the lime and passion fruit mingle, all of it sweetened by a frothy and creamy macadamia nut orgeat. The combination of three rums, far from making the drink too strong, instead brings a great depth to the notes of alcohol and gives each sip a unique and evolving flavour. The most beautiful of beach cocktails!
2.5cl of white rum (I use Thai Chalong Bay rum for its smoothness) 1.5cl of Clairin Communal rum 1.5cl of lime juice 1cl of passion fruit juice 1.5cl of macadamia nut orgeat 1.5cl of Grand Marnier A few leaves of Thai coriander
Put it all together in a shaker with four or five ice cubes, mix vigorously, then “dirty pour” into a tumbler or “Old Fashioned” glass. Decorate with half an empty passion fruit filled with “overproof” rum (over 50° alcohol). Flambé the rum with a lighter and serve at once. here here

An original Piña Colada recipe is always a delicate subject because the coconut has an overwhelming quality. It is therefore important to try and use the coconut as a background colour onto which other colours can be added: here, some peach, jasmine and cane sugar caramelised with Jamaican rum perfectly blend with it to provide a light, generous dessert drink that melts in the mouth.
5cl of Jamaican rum 2cl of lime juice 2cl of coconut syrup 2cl of peach juice with jasmine (infuse the jasmine on a low heat for 30 minutes)
Shake energetically with ice cubes and filter into a champagne glass. It can also be served as a granita. To do so, place the cocktail in a granita machine, then add 5cl of water per cocktail into the mixture so that it freezes.

This version of an Old Fashioned, made with enhanced cereal and woody notes, provides a supple and mouth-lingering alternative to the classic whisky cocktail. The pineapple provides a touch of colour which rounds off this original and elegant combination of sunset colours.
5cl of rye whisky infused with flambéed pineapple 1cl of Calvados 0.5cl of wood-smoked maple syrup A few drops of walnut-flavoured bitters Orange zest
Put it all together in an “Old Fashioned” glass on ice cubes. Mix well and fill up the glass with ice cubes, then rub the rim with the orange zest.

Chrysanthemums numbers 1 and 2 are classic drinks, greatly appreciated by dry cocktail lovers. Less strong than Dry Martinis, they provide a great freedom for improvisation and a lovely freshness, while keeping the straight and dry aspect one looks for in this type of drink. This #3 is my interpretation of the cocktail. It is incisive and herbaceous, while honouring Benedictine, a mild aromatic liquor made by Benedictine monks which helps cheer up people who might feel gloomy towards the end of the year.
5cl of Dry Vermouth (Noilly Prat or Dolin Dry) 2.5cl of Benedictine 1cl of lemon juice 2 dashes of aromatic Angostura Bitters
Rinse a champagne glass with absinthe (pour a few drops into the glass then turn it to dampen the sides). In a large glass, mix all the ingredients with ice cubes, then pour the mixture into the champagne glass while straining it from the ice. Decorate with a flower soaked in lavender fragrance (my advice is to use a lavender-flavoured bitter, which is easier to work with than essential oil – which needs to be carefully dosed).