Local Heroes 3 - Water of Love

This is a very simple drink to make, although one of the ingredients needs a little advance planning!

Ingredients:
40mls Local Heroes No. 3 Gin
20mls Tokaji
10mls Oleo Sacharum
Orange Leaf Garnish

When you have assembled all your ingredients, just pour the required measurements into an ice-filled mixing glass, stir for around 20 seconds, and then pour the drink over a single, large, clear ice cube.

Top with an orange leaf, which your grocer should be able to provide you with for free when buying fresh oranges.

Local Heroes No.3 features orange, lemon and lime amongst its botanicals, combined here with zesty lemon syrup and the rich, layered flavours of Tokaji. This is a drink which really showcases the freshness and the complexity of the Local Heroes No.3 gin, one to savour and enjoy.

Tokaji is a delicious Hungarian dessert wine, available at better supermarkets and all good wine merchants, you only need a little bit for this drink, but it keeps well in the fridge.

Commercial lemon syrups are available, but it is easy to make a far more delicious one yourself. It depends how much syrup you want to make but use this as a guide:

Take off the peel off one lemon using a vegetable peeler, being careful to peel just the zest not the white pith.

For each lemon used place the peel in 30 grams of sugar.

Leave for around 24 hours.

Remove the peels.

Use the, now lemony, sugar to make a sugar syrup by blending it 2:1 with water in a food or drinks blender. So 15mls of water for every 30 grams of sugar.

Strain into a bottle and store in the fridge.

Serve Water of Love in a rocks glass with a single large ice cube.

Water of Love is a song written by Mark Knopfler which first appeared on Dire Straits eponymously titled debut album.