The Right Honorable Winston Cocktail

I call this cocktail The Right Honorable Winston. With a nod to the prime minister, make this cocktail with Plymouth Gin.

My recipe for pomegranate molasses yields the perfect amount of sweetness for this cocktail. If your molasses is sweeter than you'd like, or if you are using grenadine, use a little less than requested, although that will aversely affect both the color and taste of the drink. If your molasses is unsweetened, as many excellent imported Middle Eastern molasses are, you may add a teaspoon or two of agave syrup.

Lillet is a French apéritif wine. It is produced by mixing wine with citrus liqueurs. It is then matured in oak. The resulting drink is not unlike a vermouth flavored with fruit instead of bitters and herbs. Lillet, particularly in its modern formulation, is fruity and refreshing. In France it is commonly enjoyed without additive, on the rocks.

Makes 1 drink.

Ingredients:

2 ounces (2 pony shots) gin, preferably Plymouth
1 ounce (1 pony shot) Lillet
1 tablespoon pomegranate molasses (recipe)

Fill a cocktail glass with ice and set aside to chill.

Fill a cocktail shaker with large ice. Combine the gin, Lillet, and pomegranate molasses. Shake vigorously for 15 seconds. Let rest until the outside of the shaker starts to sweat.

Discard the ice from the cocktail glass. Strain the contents of the cocktail shaker into the cocktail glass. Serve ungarnished.