Appearance, aroma, flavour – the enjoyment of great drinks works on many levels – driven by aesthetics or emotions. Behind them, though, is often a great deal of deep and demanding thinking. This episode celebrates this thinking.

We have two products which take on the difficult task of creating delicious non-alcoholic drinks: the complex Crossip Blazing Pineapple and, the delicious ready-to- drink Jasmine and Lily Highball created in partnership with the bright minds at Tayer + Everleaf.

Then there's our book choice… This week we're taking a deep dive into the many and varied thought processes that go into becoming a great bartender, via the tome that is The Cocktail Balance 2.0, by Stanislav Harcinik. Our bar choice takes us to The Rivoli Bar at The Ritz where they unveil their first new concept cocktail menu in the history of the bar, it's the playful yet thought-provoking 'Biodynamic Forces Through The Alchemy of Planets and Plants' Then we catch up with Ben MacFarland and Tom Sandham to chat to them about bringing the stories behind drinks to life in their award-winning comedy shows, where they go by the aptly named The Thinking Drinkers.

What we're mixing:

Adonis

45ml fino sherry

45ml sweet vermouth

4 dashes orange bitters

Orange zest (discarded)

Method:

Combine all ingredients in a mixing jar, add ice, and stir until well chilled. Strain into a cocktail or wine glass. Aromatise with a spritz of orange oils from orange zest, then discard.

In this episode:

Campari Bar at The Alchemist

Crossip Drinks Blazing Pineapple

Press Club DC

Tayer + Everleaf Jasmine + Lily Highball

The Cocktail Balance 2.0 by Stanislav Harcinik

The Rivoli Bar at The Ritz

The Thinking Drinkers

Waldorf Astoria New York

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