Buckthorn Toddy

COCKTAIL INGREDIENTS:
- 30 ml Irish Whiskey
- 22,5 ml Fresh Lemon Juice
- 30 ml Sea Buckthorn Syrup
- 10 ml Apricot Liqueur
- 200 ml Hot Water

GARNISH:
- Dehydrated White Grapefruit Wheel
- Dried Clover Blossoms

INSTRUCTIONS:
• Combine all of the ingredients in a heat proof glass.
• Stir to combine.
• Top with hot water.
• Garnish with a dehydrated white grapefruit wheel and a dried clover blossom.

Here is the second cocktail in my series of hot winter style cocktails: Buckthorn Toddy. Continuing the theme of obscure local ingredients, this particular cocktail, as the name implies, has been built around Sea Buckthorns, specifically Sea Buckthorn Syrup.

For the base spirit of the cocktail I have chosen Irish Whiskey, for its lightness and subtle fruit notes, which enables it to blend with wide range of ingredients, but still provides the sharpness and subtle pepperiness of whiskey. I paired it with Sea Buckthorn Syrup which features such a specific taste, that it is difficult to describe. It is fruity, sweet and sour, it really gives your tongue the run for its money. Additionally, it pairs fantastically well with a modest dose of apricot liqueur, building on and expanding those fruity notes. I balanced the cocktail with some tart lemon juice, which enables flavors to pop to the forefront as well as tames the sweetness of syrup and the liqueur. Dilute that with some hot water and you will have yourself a steaming hot toddy style drink for a cold winters evening.