On Wednesday May 11, the great and the good of Country Life's past and present gathered at Claridge’s, London W1, to celebrate the magazine’s 125th anniversary.
To mark the occasion, the bartender of the hotel’s Painter’s Room bar, Maddalena Sommo, created a bespoke cocktail called The Hudson. Named in memory of Country Life's founder Edward Hudson, it's a cocktail with gin and Italicus, an Italian liqueur containing bergamot peel, Cedro lemons, chamomile and lavender. It’s refreshing, aromatic and not too sweet.
The version served at the party will use Bullards London Dry Gin, a former brewery turned distillery in Norwich, Norfolk, that is still run by direct descendants of the founder.
If you’d like to try it at home, you’ll need a cocktail shaker, strainer and an Old Fashioned-style glass. Here it is being mixed by Paolo Perrini, one of the wonderful mixologists at Claridge's (you can see it here on our Instagram page if you don't see the embedded video below.)
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