Somerset Applecart

This cocktail was created to mark Saint George's Day, normally on 23 April. It needed to be quintessentially English, seasonally fresh and with a bite like Saint George's slain dragon! The result is a sharp, fresh cocktail with a little history of its own. Our Somerset Applecart cocktail combines the brilliantly smooth apple taste of our 10 Year Old West Country Cider Spirit 42% and the delicious marmalady twang of our Seville Orange Gin 26%.

Ingredients

• 1 measure 10 Year Old West Country Cider Spirit 42%
• 1 1/2 measures Seville Orange Gin 26%
• 1 measure lemon juice

Preparation

Add ingredients to a cocktail shaker filled with ice, shake and strain cocktail glass. Garnish with slices of lemon and orange. Drink slowly to unleash the dragon!

Anything else I should know?

I always like a twist of cocktail trivia with each of our cocktails as there is generally an underlying reason for each creation. This one certainly appeals to my military roots as our Somerset Applecart is a derivation of the famous Sidecar cocktail created after the First world War at Harry's Bar in Paris. The story recounts that an Army Captain was in the habit of arriving in a chauffeur driven motorcycle sidecar at the Bar and that Harry created a cocktail for him. Using cognac, cointreau and lemon juice he created the drink known now as a Sidecar. Our cocktail uses this marvelous complement of tastes and the best of British handmade drinks to create a new English classic the Somerset Applecart!