I came across this cocktail recipe while looking into Bombay Sapphire Revelation. The Sapphire Revelation was created as part of the collaboration effort that saw these fantastic bottles created.

Anyway, enough of the blather, on with the recipe; I give you the Sapphire Revelation…

Ingredients:

• 75ml Bombay Sapphire gin
• 2 drops rose water
• 2 tsp elderflower liqueur

Preparation method:

• Stir ingredients together in a mixing glass filled with ice.
• Strain into chilled martini glass.
• Garnish with a single rose petal.

Verdict:

The word ‘revelation’ doesn’t begin to do this drink justice. It is an incredibly heady, floral nose-explosion of a drink. Keep your martini, the Sapphire Revelation is an incredible rollercoaster ride of floral notes that keeps on giving.

I didn’t have any Bombay Sapphire in, so I tried it firstly with Juniper Green, and secondly with Blackwood’s. I used St Germain elderflower liqueur and some rosewater I bought on a business trip to Abu Dhabi.

The Juniper Green, carrying a B52-sized payload of Juniper, retains the strong character of the gin, but underpins it with the sweetness of the Elderflower and follows through with a floral tail that smoothes the whole experience into something almost erotic.

The Blackwood’s was a different prospect entirely. The subtlety of the Blackwood’s gin blended sublimely with the floral notes of the rose and elderflower and left me with a glass of religious epiphany. It was almost hallucinogenic in its silky headiness and its floral complexity suffused my entire being in warmth and desire; not bad from a chilled drink.

It is not often that I am aroused by an alcoholic beverage and even less frequently will I admit to it. If martini is the preserve of James Bond, then the Sapphire Revelation absolutely has to be the preserve of Casanova. Bring this one out for Valentine’s Day.