Sichuan Bitter

Bitter, spicy, and mostly bubbles — the Aperitivo spritz that should not work but does.

Ingredients

• 3cl C.I. Sichuan Bitter
• 1cl Ginger simple syrup
• 2cl Lemon juice
• 10cl Sparkling water

Method
Build directly in the glass over ice. Pour in the Sichuan Bitter, ginger syrup, and lemon juice, then top slowly with sparkling water. One light stir.

Serving & Garnish
Serve in a highball glass filled with ice. Garnish with a lemon wheel or a curl of lemon peel.

Top Tip
Add the sparkling water last and pour it gently down the inside of the glass — keeps the fizz instead of losing it to the stir.

The one that started as an Instagram taste test and ended up on the menu. Five colas, one bottle, no clear winner except "make it yourself and decide."

Ingredients

• 3cl C.I. Sichuan Bitter
• 9–10cl Cola of your choice
• Lime wedge

Method
Fill the glass with ice, pour the Sichuan Bitter over, top with cola. Squeeze the lime wedge in and drop it.

Serving & Garnish
Serve in a highball glass. Garnish with the spent lime wedge on the rim.

Top Tip
The cola you pick changes the drink more than you'd think — a sweeter cola leans dessert-y, a sharper one lets the peppercorn come through. Worth trying two or three before you settle.

Grapefruit and Sichuan pepper were made for each other — this one's got a bit more going on than the cola version, and it drinks like it. Sometimes I call it the Don Julian.

Ingredients

• 4.5cl Sichuan Bitter
• 1.5cl Fresh lime juice
• Pinch of salt
• Top with grapefruit soda

Method
Build in the glass over ice. Add the Sichuan Bitter, lime juice, and salt, stir to combine, then top with grapefruit soda.

Serving & Garnish
Serve in a highball glass over ice. Garnish with a slice of grapefruit and a salted rim.

Top Tip
Salt the rim before you build the drink, not after — dip the rim in lime juice or water first, then salt, so it sets before the ice goes in. Grapefruit and salt do a lot of the lifting here, so don't skip the rim.

Cachaça brings the funk, Sichuan Bitter brings the tingle, lime keeps it honest. Named for the obvious reason — Brazil meets Sweden meets Vienna, in one glass.

Ingredients

• 5cl Cachaça
• 2cl Sichuan Bitter
• 3cl Lime juice

Method
Add all ingredients to a shaker with ice. Shake hard until well chilled, about 10–15 seconds. Double strain into an ice-cold martini glass.

Serving & Garnish
Serve in a chilled martini glass, no ice. A twist of lime peel over the top before serving.

Top Tip
Chill the martini glass properly — pop it in the freezer for a 10-15 minutes beforehand, since this one has no ice in the glass to keep it cold once poured.