Even in everyday life, it is nice to create little time-outs for yourself or even to let something like a vacation feeling arise. Particularly well suited for such moments are flavors that let you reminisce, so you can just taste the sun. If one thinks only of countries such as Portugal, Spain or Italy, the delicious Mediterranean dishes from the last vacation come directly to mind. It usually does not take much, just good ingredients and a lot of love.

Those of you, who have already red a little through my recipes will know that I also enjoy good wines, cocktails and aperitifs. Cocktail classics like dry Martini, a good Sour or even a bitter-sweet Negroni are often used as a base for my drink recipes or simply served in their traditional form with my food. Besides spirits like whiskey and vodka, gin is one of the most important base ingredients for me when it comes to cocktails and long drinks for aperitifs. Today I’d like to introduce you to a gin I’ve been quite unfamiliar with until now and show you how quick and easy it is to serve a delicious aperitif.

The London N°1, which is produced in the north of London and distilled exclusively in small batches, was named after the London townhouse from the Duke of Wellington built in 1771, who was victorious over Napoleon in the Battle of Waterloo (a little history is always good) and since then was known as London N°1. In 1947, the house was bequeathed to the state and has thus been open to the public as the Wellington Museum since 1952. The London N°1 Gin is synonymous with elegance, art and culture, just like the museum itself.

In the 19th century, when the London Dry Style Gin was introduced, gin was not clear and transparent. After distillation, the gin had a hazy, cloudy color with light blue reflections. The London N°1 Gin combines both factors: the traditional style with a modern twist. Its 12 botanicals, including berries from the Croatian mountains, bergamot from Bergamo, iris roots from Italy or cassia from China, give it all its own personality. The gin has pleasant aromas of juniper berries and herbs, with well-integrated alcohol, making it elegant and clean. It is spicy with a long, fresh aftertaste and a dry mouthfeel.

When we think of gin, the first thing that comes to mind is Gin & Tonic. Besides this refreshing British long drink, the dry Martini would certainly be the best-known gin cocktail, which not only James Bond likes to order again and again at the bar. Nevertheless, to get back to Mediterranean tastes, it should be a Negroni in this case. Negroni consists of gin, red vermouth and Campari or Aperol. For drinks of this type and especially with so few ingredients, the quality of the distillates used is essential for me. Due to its simplicity and little preparation, Negroni is gladly served as an aperitif in my case. The taste then speaks for itself.

Bruschetta, just like the Negroni, relies on good ingredients because of its simplicity of preparation, as well as its minimalist ingredient list. The original poor people’s meal consists of freshly roasted bread, which is then rubbed with garlic and drizzled with salt, pepper and olive oil. Here, however, Bruschetta with tomatoes is the better-known variation and since in the garden our tomatoes are already shining red ripened by the sun, I wanted to serve the aperitif snack also in this form with the Negroni. Now, Bruschetta may not sound like high class cooking, but it is the essence of the products that make this antipasti appetizer so brilliant. Refined with good olive oil and some orange, the Bruschetta are a wonderful snack to the bitter-sweet Negroni and a little Italian moment in the garden or on your balcony at home.

The full recipe and more inspiration can be found on my site Eatery Berlin!