the berry essence

1 1/2 oz Martin Miller Gin
1/2 oz Dry Sack Medium Sherry
1/8 oz Boiron Raspberry Purée (sub 1-2 muddled raspberries)
1/8 oz Boiron Blackberry Purée (sub 1-2 muddled blackberries)
1/2 oz Boiron Blood Orange Juice (sub fresh)
1/2 oz Lemon Juice
1/2 oz Agave Nectar
2 dash Orange Bitters
1 Egg White

Shake once without ice, add ice, and shake again. Double strain into a cocktail glass and garnish with a fresh raspberry and a rosemary sprig.

Tuesday last week, I was invited to attend a Martin Miller event held at the Back Bay Social Club to promote their gins here in Boston. In attendance was the delightfully eccentric Martin himself whom I had met at Tales of the Cocktail in 2009 when he hosted a bloggers' cocktail hour in 2009. And to further the Tales of the Cocktail connection, behind the bar was Miami's Freddy Diaz whom I had met the next year when he was promoting Dos Maderas Rums with the El Quijote and other cocktails. One of the drinks Freddy made with Martin Miller's gin was the Berry Essence which recently took first place at the Wine & Spirits Wholesalers of America convention in Las Vegas.
The Berry Essence greeted the nose with a raspberry and rosemary aroma from the garnishes. The fruit notes continued into the creamy, tart sip that contained berry, orange, and grape flavors. Finally, the gin along with a citrus peel note wrapped up the swallow. While I expected the drink to be a lot like the Clover Club, the extra flavors from the sherry, blood orange, and perhaps other ingredients took the drink in a different direction.