Jasmine Blossom – cocktail of the month

Celebrating all things in bloom this May, we're offering floral-inspired cocktails at Tom and Ed Martin's Botanist on Sloane Square to coincide with the Chelsea Flower Show, which runs at London's Royal Hospital from 25 to 29 May.

The Botanist, which is our flagship site, takes its name from Sir Hans Sloane, a pioneering naturalist and Chelsea Physic Garden benefactor, who was our inspiration for the floral menu.

The key cocktail in our range is the spring-like Jasmine Blossom, made with Hanger One Mandarin Blossom vodka, seasonal fresh mandarin, homemade jasmine syrup and topped with Joseph Perrier Champagne.

Hanger One Mandarin Blossom is a high-end vodka, made by infusing mandarin flowers, which must be picked at the height of bloom. The flowers are able to capture the complex floral citrus characteristics of the mandarin without having to depend on the unstable acids from the fruit's juice.

The Botanist makes its own jasmine syrup using Jing jasmine tea pearls sourced from the Fujian province of China. Each pearl is hand-rolled and set aside until summer when the jasmine comes into season. It is then scented with fresh jasmine flowers.

The combination of all these wonderful botanic flavours results in a fresh and light cocktail with floral and citrus notes.

JASMINE BLOSSOM

INGREDIENTS

• 10ml Hangar One Mandarin Blossom vodka
• ¼ fresh mandarin
• 10ml homemade jasmine syrup
• Champagne to finish

METHOD

For the jasmine syrup

Make 250ml of a very strong good quality jasmine tea. Add 250g of caster sugar while the tea is still very hot.

To finish

Place the fresh mandarin into a Boston glass and muddle gently, then add the vodka and jasmine syrup. Fill with ice and shake hard for 7-10 seconds. Strain into a flute glass, top with Champagne and garnish with orange peel.

Paulo Brammer, operations manager,
ETM GroupThe Botanist, London SW1W 8EE
Tel: 020 7730 0077