Spicy Raspberry

The Framboise Épicée cocktail was created to showcase raspberry liqueur from the Cap-Chat distillery. It is made with Akenes Bull's Head gin from Domaine Nokomis inc.Akenes Bull's Head Gin, with its notes of ginger, serves as a spicy, aromatic base, giving the cocktail its distinctive, bold character. Raspberry liqueur adds a fruity, slightly tart depth, balancing the gin's spicy heat with elegant sweetness. Les Iles triple sec adds an orange note that enhances the other flavors.

Chances are you don't own this gin. In that case, I recommend using Pin Gris gin and a small piece of peeled fresh ginger about the size of your fingertip. You can cut this piece into small cubes and crush it in the base of your shaker. Since Pin Gris gin is colorless, the color of your mix will be different, as will its taste, but you'll still get a delicious cocktail.

The secondary elements in the blend are fresh lemon juice, which balances the sweet flavors from the vanilla syrup and liqueurs. The vanilla flavor adds a gourmet edge to the blend. Fresh basil leaves introduce an herbaceous note that accentuates the complexity of the flavors.

Light 1642 tonic is used to lengthen the blend, while a skewer of raspberries, a head of basil and a small piece of ginger are used as garnish elements.