melancholy moment

3/4 oz City of London Gin
3/4 oz Punt e Mes
1/2 oz St. George Raspberry Liqueur
1/2 oz Grapefruit Juice

Add 5 mint leaves to the bottom of a Collins glass, add rest of ingredients, fill with crushed ice, and swizzle to mix and chill. Float 1 1/2 oz Fever Tree tonic water, top with crushed ice, and garnish with a mint sprig.

Each year, I have began my Tuesday night before Tales of the Cocktail starts by visiting Cure. Luckily, this coincided with bartender Ryan Gagnon's schedule for we had been on the same USBG-sponsored trip to Mexico to visit the Patron distillery. As a first drink, I asked Ryan for the Melancholy Moment, a "low proof botanical Swizzle" created by Alexandra Anderson.
The Melancholy Moment gave forth a mint aroma that preceded a grape note leading into grapefruit on the sip. The swallow was a combination of raspberry and the Punt e Mes' bitterness with a mint finish, and as the tonic top entered the equation, the balance became cleaner with a quinine finish.