To drink or not to drink?

As far as we're concerned, the question isn't whether you've decided to go Dry or not this January, it's about your relationship with alcohol going forward. Obviously, as Cocktail Lovers, we'll be drinking cocktails, at home and in the bar, but the key word for us in 2022 is 'balance'.

We start with our two product reviews which take in a non-alcoholic and an alcoholic drink, both packed with flavour and their own distinct style. The first is Sprigster, a complex and tasty n/a shrub infusion, the other is Engine, an organic sage-infused gin packing 42% abv inside in its playful motor oil-inspired can.

Lyaness on the South Bank is our pick of one of the best spots in London to enjoy both imaginative and downright tasty no, low and full-on alcohol packed cocktails of every description, while we look to Katana Kitten in New York for our cocktail book porn, delving into the decidedly gorgeous, hugely inspiring 'The Japanese Art of the Cocktail' by Masahiro Urushido and Michael Anstendig.

Everyone needs a bit of Claire Warner in their lives and we've made it our duty to share her wisdom with you. In this week's episode, the former Head of Spirit Creation at Belvedere Vodka and co-founder of Æcorn Aperitifs talks about finding and maintaining a realistic approach to drinking and why abstinence isn't always the answer.

What we're mixing:

Bobby Burns

2 part blended whisky (we used Ballantine's 12)

2 parts sweet vermouth (we used Martini Rosso)

1 part Benedictine

Lemon zest

Method:

Stir all ingredients over ice. Pour into a chilled Cocktail glass. Spritz with lemon zest then discard

The Cocktail Lovers theme music is by Travis 'T-Bone' Watson

For more from The Cocktail Lovers, including signing up for our digital and print magazine, visit our website, thecocktaillovers.com

To see the products featured in this episode, check out our Instagram page @thecocktaillovers and see their websites below:

Æcorn Drinks

Engine Gin

Lyaness

Sprigster

'The Japanese Art of the Cocktail' by Masahiro Urushido and Michael Anstendig is published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing

For more insights from Claire Warner, follow her on Instagram @helloclairewarner

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