In this Collins-style cocktail, Julia McKinley builds on a base of Pineau des Charentes and fino sherry, supplemented by a small measure of Japanese gin, all topped with lemon tonic. Like Madeira, Pineau des Charentes offers both sweetness and an inherent drying effect, while the gin, Nikka Coffey gin, adds a brightening effect. “You can use a very small amount of it and it adds really beautiful lift,” says McKinley of the Japanese gin, “and then if you pair it with any kind of citrus it just explodes.” The end result is, in McKinley’s words, “super crushable, but it has enough complexity to make it something interesting.”
Hey High Hello
Julia McKinley, Young American | Chicago
Ingredients
Serving: 1
- 1 ounce Pineau des Charentes
- 1 1/2 ounces fino sherry, preferably Hidalgo
- 1/2 ounce Japanese gin, preferably Nikka Coffey
- 1 barspoon Petite Canne Sugar Cane Syrup
- 1 lime coin
- Fever Tree Sicilian Lemon Tonic, to top
Directions
- Combine all ingredients, except the lime coin, in a Collins glass.
- Squeeze the lime coin into the drink to express the oils and drop it into the glass.
- Add ice and stir.
- Top with the tonic water.