So putting on my best Stacy and Clinton demeanour, I set about to make her prettier without losing the baseline flavour!   Here we go!

We needed to opt out of anything other than green or clear spirits, so I replaced the Cynar with Vermouth Bianco.  This meant, however that the sweeter, more wormwood flavours in the Bianco wouldn’t be balanced out if I stuck with the Genever, soooo, we made a switch to Beefeater 24.  The proportions remained the same, with the exception of the five spice syrup, which got cut down slightly — partly because the Bianco is sweetish, and partly because it has a slight brownish tinge.  I also strained the heck out of this with my finest tea strainer to remove any stray debris.

The key herb here is the lovage, which has a very distinct flavour — somewhere between celery leaves, parsley and angelica.  I opted to substitute Sweet Cicely this time instead of the tarragon — it has an anise note like the tarragon, but a bit sweeter.

So here we go … the grand unveiling!  Isn’t she so much prettier?!?

the Green Goddess (post makeover!)

muddle together:

• 3-4 slices cucumber (or 1/2 mini cucumber)
• 1/2 oz. five spice powder syrup
• 4-5 leaves lovage
• 1-2 sprigs sweet cicely
• 1-2 stems cutting celery
• 2-3 sprigs salad burnet

Add:

• 1 1/2 oz. Beefeater 24 gin
• 1/2 oz. Green Chartreuse
• 1/2 oz. Bianco vermouth
• 1/2 oz. fresh lime juice

Shake with ice, double strain with a very fine tea strainer into a cocktail glass rinsed with Absinthe.  Garnish with a lime twist, lime wedge and seasonal herbs.

So for those unfamiliar with some of these herbs, these were taken today in my garden:

Lovage (young sprigs)

Salad Burnet

Cutting Celery -- this has been outside unprotected all winter