A Cocktail For Spring

It may be the official start of Spring, but the seasonal transition is on hiatus.

Realistically, that's not going to stop me from pretending though. We're edging out of the slump period of the year when seasonal eating feels like scraping by and I'm salivating for the first tender flavours of Spring.

This is a bit of a seasonal-transition drink, using sweet, vibrant rhubarb - a sunbeam in the depths of winter. But it's pretty pretty pink makes it an aesthetically Spring-like drink.

I came across a recipe for sharbat in Diana Henry’s excellent Salt Sugar Smoke. I'm an endemic pantry-stocker and rhubarb lover so it lit up all sorts of olfactory bulbs. Sharbats are traditional in Eastern Muslim communities: soft drinks or syrups scented with fruit, flowers or herbs. It's the perfect heady, exotic antidote to the drabness of London streets.

It's perfect drunk like a pressé, served over peels of ice with a little water on the side. But it's also divine incorporated into this fragrant cocktail, spiked with a little rose water to play to my love of Turkish Delight.

Rhubarb & Rose Sherbert, serves 1

2 shots rhubarb sharbat
2 shots gin (I used Salcombe Gin, but anything with similar citrus botanicals would do)
2 large drops rose water
Prosecco to top up

I like to serve this in an old fashioned glass with a single giant ice cube. Add the first 3 ingredients and stir vigorously. Top up with prosecco and garnish with a dip-dab lolly (sherbet on the side).