The Botanist B-Corp Month Cocktails

To celebrate B Corp Month in March, Trash Collective partnered with The Botanist Gin to create a series of cocktails that were simple to make for the home bartender, but could also be applied to a bar setting. Each uses commonly found would-be waste ingredients, so find the ones you might have and give them a try!

Pineapple Negroni

This cocktail uses leftover pineapple skins to create a bright, green pineapple aperitivo that we'll use in a classic negroni recipe.

PINEAPPLE APERITIVO RECIPE:

200g Pineapple Skins & Cores
300 ml Bitter Aperitivo

1. Cover pineapple skins & with bitter aperitivo in blender
2. Blend on a medium setting for about 1 minute
3. Strain through mesh strainer
4. Bottle, date and refrigerate

TO MAKE THE COCKTAIL:

1 1/4 oz The Botanist Distiller's Strength Gin
1 oz Pineapple Aperitivo
1 oz Sweet Vermouth

Measure all ingredients to a cocktail tin or mixing glass with ice, and stir until well chilled. Strain over fresh ice in a rocks glass. Garnish with a pineapple frond if you like!

Pomme Pom Spritz

We've used apple pulp leftover from juicing (if you juice at home!) and something all bars have leftover: mint stems to make a acidified syrup. Perfect for a bright refreshing spritz.

APPLE MINT SYRUP RECIPE

600 g Apple Pulp
400 ml Water
600g Fine Sugar
100 ml The Botanist Gin
25 g Mint Stems
10 g Malic Acid
2 g Ascorbic Acid (optional)

1. Add sugar, water, ascorbic acid and apple pulp to a blender and blend until sugar is fully dissolved
2. Strain through a fine strainer or superbag, squeezing to get all liquid out of pulp
3. Add mint stems and gin into blender and flash blend 3-4 times. Leave mixture to infuse for about 20 minutes.
4. Strain the mint stems out, add remaining liquid to apple pulp and stir in malic acid until fully dissolved.

TO MAKE THE COCKTAIL:

1 1/2 oz The Botanist Islay Dry Gin
3/4 oz Apple Mint Syrup
1 dash Absinthe
1.5 oz Soda
1.5 oz Prosecco

Build all ingredients into a wine or highball glass, add ice and stir to combine. Garnish with a sprig of mint.

Banana Coffee Sour

Some of the most commonly found kitchen waste ingredients are coffee grounds and banana peels. This is a quick and easy recipe to give your breakfast ingredients a second life for later in the day.

BANANA COFFEE SYRUP RECIPE

400g Banana Peel
30g Leftover Coffee Grounds
500g Cane Sugar
1L Water

1. Chop banana peel and add to a pot with 1L water
2. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to a low simmer for 30 minutes. Rem
3. Add coffee and allow to sit for 30 seconds before straining through a fine strainer or superbag
4. Add sugar and stir to fully dissolve

TO MAKE THE COCKTAIL:

1 1/2 oz The Botanist Islay Cask Rested Gi
3/4 oz Banana Peel & Coffee Cordial
1/2 oz Fino Sherry
3/4 oz Fresh Lemon Juice
2 Dash Salt Solution (20g Salt to 100ml Water)

Add all ingredients into a cocktail tin, add ice and shake. Strain over fresh ice, add a recyclable or compostable straw and garnish with a banana chip.

Green Gimlet

This drink is a take on the classic gin gimlet, using leftover cucumber peels, which contain a ton of chlorophyll that gives it a really wonderful bright ‘green’ note and vibrant color.

Cucumber Honey Syrup

250 g Cucumber Ends & peels
250 ml Honey
1 g Sodium Citrate (optional)
1 g Ascorbic Acid (optional)

1. Add cucumber, honey and water to blender
2. Blend for 30 seconds to 1 minute until well blended
3. Strain mixture though fine strainer and stir in sodium citrate and ascorbic until fully dissolved (optional)
4. Bottle and refrigerate

TO MAKE THE COCKTAIL:

2 oz. The Botanist Islay Dry Gin
3/4 oz Fresh Lemon Juice
1/2 oz Cucumber Honey
1/4 oz Belvoir Elderflower Syrup
2 Dash Saline
1 Dash Absinthe

Add all ingredients into a cocktail tin, add ice and shake. Strain through a fine mesh strainer in a nick & nora glass & garnish with a cucumber ribbon.

Champagne Martini

This cocktail uses wine that's been left open too long, or sparkling that's gone flat alongside whatever herbs you may have on hand to recreate a vermouth perfectly paired with The Botanist Gin.

CHAMPAGNE VERMOUTH RECIPE

100ml Sherry

550 ml Flat Sparklikng
2 g Dried Lemon Peel
2 g Dried Orange Peel
1 g Dried Chamomile Flower
2 g Mint Stems
1 g Thyme Stems
1 g Sage Stems
15 ml Saline Solution
15 ml Honey

1. Measure all botanicals, including herbs and add to wine
3. Finely chop herbs - use 1g each of whatever you have, use 2 g of mint if using, and add to champagne
4. Leave all to infuse for 24 hours at room temp
5. Strain out all herbs & botanicals from wine through fine strainer, coffee filter if necessary to filter out all sediment
6. Stir in honey & sherry
7. Bottle and refrigerate

TO MAKE THE COCKTAIL:

2oz The Botanist Islay Dry Gin
0.5oz Champagne Vermouth
1 Dash Orange Bitters

Measure all ingredients into a cocktail tin or mixing glass with ice, and stir until well chilled. Strain into a chilled martini glass and garnish with a sprig or leaf of your favorite herb.