Wills & Kate's Honeymoon Cocktail

According to the Canadian Press, Prince William and his bride, Kate Middleton, can toast the start of their honeymoon, following their wedding today, with a cocktail designed just for them. And their special honeymoon tipple has a decidedly Canadian twist: it features Gibson's Finest Canadian whisky. Charlotte Voisey, a mixologist with William Grant & Sons, created several custom cocktails that “honour tradition, embrace the future, and salute Canada's ties to the Monarchy." Grant owns the Gibson's brand.

Personally, I prefer my whisky straight and don't claim to have any expertise with cocktails. However, according to a press release from Gibson's, William & Kate's Honeymoon Cocktail is based on a classic 1930’s Honeymoon Cocktail, that was a favourite at Hollywood’s famed Brown Derby. Voisey found her inspiration for the new Honeymoon Cocktail in Harry Craddock's classic 1930 Savoy Cocktail Book.

As the bartender for London's swanky Savoy Hotel, Craddock became a legend, exercising significant influence in the development of the cocktail. Craddock's book itself has become a genuine classic and remains an important reference for bartenders around the world. More than 80 years later it is still in print. As America was suffering through Prohibition when the book was first published, no doubt bartenders at the Brown Derby drew their own inspiration from Craddock. Charlotte Voisey has tailored her Honeymoon Cocktail to the royal family's Canadian ties, basing it on Gibson's 12 year old, one of Canada's favourite rye whiskies.

William and Kate will still be honeymooners when they arrive in Canada on June 30 to celebrate Canada Day, and kick off their first official visit as a married couple. The royal couple will then spend the following eight days visiting Alberta, the Northwest Territories, Prince Edward Island, Quebec and Ontario. If you decided that sleep trumped watching the royal wedding this morning, and you missed the honeymoon toast, don't worry. Wills and Kate's Honeymoon cocktail will still be de rigeur come Canada Day.

For those who wish to join Prince William and Princess Kate in a honeymoon toast here is the recipe:

Ingredients

• 1 oz (30 mL) Gibson’s Finest 12 year old Canadian Whisky

• ¾ oz (20 mL) Benedictine Brandy

• 1 oz (30 mL) fresh apple juice

• ½ oz (15 mL) freshly squeezed lemon juice

• 2 dashes Angostura bitters

Mixology

• Combine ingredients and shake well

• Strain up into a coupe (rounded martini glass)

• Garnish with an apple fan dusted lightly with cinnamon

*More of Pete and Jack and thousands of whisky reviews are waiting to be discovered on Serge's Whisky Fun website.