The Blackcurrant Holmen Collins

One of our favourite parts of the summer is when the blackcurrant bush is bursting with green leaves, it simply smells like heaven. We must be patient for the berries to ripen, but for now the tasty leaves are more than enough to make the perfect summer drink; the Blackcurrant Holmen Collins.

Devised by our favourite bartender and resident of Kitchen On The Edge, Nick Strangeway, it sums up this time of year perfectly. Why not make one?

Ingredients
30ml Hepple Gin
30ml Blackcurrant leaf infused Lillet Blanc*
10ml Blackcurrant syrup**
10ml Malin and Citric acid mix***
50ml soda water


Method
First garnish a highball glass with de-hydrated blackcurrant powder and licorice powder. Next add the first four ingredients to the glass and stir to mix. Now fill the glass with ice and stir again. Top the glass up with extra ice and the soda water before giving it a final stir. Garnish with poached blackcurrants and a sprig each of blackcurrant leaves and sweet cicely.


*put a dozen tender and young blackcurrant leaves in a bottle of Lillet Blanc and leave to infuse for 24 hrs in a warm place.


**cover 200g of blackcurrants with 100g of caster sugar and stir to mix. Then leave for a couple of hours to allow the sugar to start extracting the blackcurrant juice. Place in a pan and add 100ml of boiling water. Stir to mix and place on a low heat for 10-15 minutes. Allow to cool and carefully strain off the resulting syrup. Reserve the poached blackcurrants to use as a garnish 


*** dissolve 7.5g of citric acid and 2.5g of malic acid in a litre of water and bottle for use