My mission this month: to design a worthy successor to the gin and tonic. Folly, you say? Perhaps. Admittedly, the G&T has a lot going for it. It’s refreshing. It’s fortifying. It wards off malaria. For all these reasons, I thought it couldn’t be topped. Then I tasted Hendrick’s Gin and I got to thinking. This gin has prominent flavours of rose petal, coriander and cucumber – not the characteristics you’d typically associate with gin. The floral notes suggest a perfect partner: Shobu, a Japanese sake scented with iris blossoms. Add a splash of fresh lime juice, sparkling soda water and a swizzle from a fresh-cut stick of cucumber to bring it all together. And forget about malaria: The irises in Shobu are believed to ward off evil spirits. Fortifying indeed.

• 1 oz Hendrick’s Gin
• 2 1 / 2 oz Shobu (try Gekkeikan’s)
• 1 / 4 oz fresh lime juice
• splash soda water
• 1 fresh cucumber stick, ends trimmed

Combine all ingredients in a highball glass full of ice and stir well, using a cucumber as a swizzle stick. 

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Chris Stearns is one of Canada’s foremost mixologists. You can reach him at cstearns@enroutemag.net.