The boy and his poison: The Archangel

A hangover from the Domestic Sluttery belated Christmas party wouldn't usually be the best foundation for an inspiring cocktail recipe. A hazy memory of salted caramel brownies, a few cheeky vodka royal gimlets and some superficial bathroom renovations (I may have broken the shower pole) left me in a sorry state Saturday morning. However this was no normal Saturday, this was my first PDT Saturday.

Please Don't Tell is a New York speakeasy described as a hot-dog joint for grown-ups. The main bartender Jim Meehan shakes a mean drink and finally published a recipe book last year. For some reason the UK release isn't for a few more weeks but I managed to get a friend to smuggle one back for me and thought the Archangel would make the perfect first recipe to share. With a bit of muddled cucumber and the absence of martini its a sophisticated negroni variant thats perfect to alleviate those winter blues.

You'll need:

• 50ml of a good gin
• 10 ml of Aperol
• 3 slices of cucumber

Then make it:

• Muddle the cucumber and aperol using a pestle in the bottom of a shaker
• Top up with ice and the gin
• Stir with a bar spoon for 10 seconds
• Strain into a martini glass
• Garnish with a strip of lemon peel