Around the World in 60 Cocktails: Trade Secret

Spices didn’t just make merchants and traders sail across the globe; they helped establish vast empires and helped Europeans discover new continents. Can you unearth what wonders are to be found in this powerful port and gin cocktail?

Trade Secret, our spirit-focused signature serve, is inspired by the vast history of the Indian port city of Cochin. Set on a magnificent estuary, the city has been drawing traders, explorers and travelers to its shores for over 600 years. Nowhere else in India could you find such an intriguing mix: giant Chinese fishing nets, a 450-year-old synagogue, ancient mosques, Portuguese – and Dutch-era houses and the crumbling remains of the British Raj.

This potion celebrates its unique cultural heritage by including luxury cocktail ingredients from all over the globe: Stranger & Sons Gin from neighboring Goa, Ruby Port from Portugal, Genever from the Netherlands, and Germany’s Bitter Truth Golden Falernum, featuring spiced Caribbean rum. Care to share our secret?

Ingredients:

  • 3 dashes Chinese Secret Bitters
  • 2 bsp. Bitter Truth Golden Falernum
  • 1/2 oz. Genever
  • 1 oz. Ruby Port
  • 1 oz. Stranger & Sons Gin
  • Lemon zest

How to Prepare:

  1. Chill a Nick & Nora glass and put to one side
  2. Collect a mixing glass, fill with cubed ice and add all of the ingredients
  3. Stir for 10-15 seconds
  4. Discard ice from the Nick & Nora glass and pour
  5. Express the lemon zest coin garnish over the top of the cocktail and carefully float on top