Winner of MIXLDN 2017 Denmark by Curfew Cocktail Bar bartender Marianna Kozanyiova

Recipe :

5cl Beefeater London Dry,

3cl Buckthorn(+ dill,caraway) Oxymel

1,5cl lemon juice,

1,5cl Lillet Blanc,

2dash orange bitters,

2 spray absinthe

Method: Shake all the ingredients over ice , strain into a vintage cocktail glass

Garnish: dry buckthorn powder rim

Inspiration behind it:

The North Land Reviver was created as a tribute to Copenhagen, to its colorful creativity, inspired by drinking culture, healthy Nordic life-style and Danish land.

The main objective of this cocktail is to revive the connection of Danish national spirit Akvavit to modern drinking culture by using dill, caraway and buckthorn (ingredients from the Danish land) within oxymel, historically used for medicinal purposes as well as gin, that calls for herbs and pairs well with sour notes. Therefore, creates a perfect combination with the base spirit, Beefeater London Dry gin (gin that represents bold and creative city, London), unique by its big juniper character and strong citrus notes. Dill and caraway as 2 main herbal flavors of the Danish national spirit, both interacting perfectly with botanicals of the gin, combined with local healthy sour buckthorn berries, which are rich on antioxidants, representing the healthy approach of the city.

As a citrus part of the cocktail, lemon juice, complementing the lemon peel within Beefeater London Dry.

Followed by Lillet Blanc, a tonic wine, which acts as a modifier of the cocktail and enhances all the flavors, brings dryness and fruitiness, but also contains orange citrus and quinine, both interacting well with Beefeater gin.

2 dashes of orange bitters, also, to enhance all the flavors and strengthen the citrus character of the base spirit.

And as the last ingredient, absinthe, which brings out together all the herbal flavors, especially from gin and the oxymel, but also represents the Danish love for licorice by enhancing the anise flavor (complementing the licorice within Beefeater gin).

The style of the cocktail is sour, well balanced and all the ingredients interact with each other. As a garnish, edible buckthorn powder rim which complements the sour style of the cocktail and balances it by little bit of earthiness, served in a vintage cocktail glass (we use at Curfew).

-Marianna Kozanyiova