New cocktail idea

Dear readers,

I am not, as a rule, much of an innovator when it comes to cocktails. I tend to respect the Herculean efforts of those who have gone before, and generally stick to tried-and-tested ideas like martinis and gimlets. I actively disapprove of a lot of the trendy and "wacky" rot that some bars serve, and I have a particular bugbear when it comes to describing anything that is quaffed from a cocktail glass as a "martini". I am willing to make exceptions - never let it be said that The Sybarite is inflexible! - and an honourable mention must, for example, go to Ian Fleming for his creation, in 1953's Casino Royale, of the Vesper: three measures of Gordon's, one of vodka and half a measure of Kina Lillet. (Alas, Kina has not been in production for twenty-five years, so recreation of this is a tricky business these days; I am told that Cocchi Americano is a reasonable facsimile.) On a side note, it is interesting, and perhaps an illustration of changing times, that Bond orders his cocktail in a "deep champagne goblet".

Where was I? Oh yes, innovation in cocktails. Not generally my bag, but the other week, I was making a martini and my mind idly turned over the sort of variations one could make to the recipe. For some reason, carrot and ginger popped into my head, and I started to wonder... So I bought a bottle of (reasonably cheap) vodka, downed a shot, and put in a chopped-up lump of ginger. The bottle was then resealed and put away for a few weeks. (I found a quick tasting every week was a pleasant way to monitor its progress.) The ginger infused rather nicely; it gave the vodka a distinct and distinctive but not overpowering undercurrent of ginger, while retaining the spiritous kick which gives vodka its reason to be.

I daresay that this ginger vodka could be put to a good many purposes. In this case, however, I added to probably three measures of it one of Lillet Blanc, a dash of orange bitters, and, rather than a twist, a generous curl of fresh carrot. The effect was deeply pleasing. Ginger and orange go well, and the sweetness of the carrot was a pleasant and quirky whisper in the background. I advise trying it. The only problem now is that I can't think of a name for my new creation...