Land of Happy Cocktail

“Sweet, herbaceous and acidic all at once, this is a great pre-dinner cocktail before a nice glass of white wine,” says 312 Chicago head bartender Jenn Knott of her cocktail. She experimented with using a syrup instead of a shrub, but the latter ended up keeping the drink more fresh and tart. White balsamic vinegar, made in Italy from the trebbiano grape, is mixed with white wine vinegar and cooked at a low temperature to retain its clearish color.

Ingredients in The Land of Happy Cocktail

1 ¹⁄₂ oz Fords gin

1 ¹⁄₂ oz Honeydew-basil-white balsamic shrub*

Prosecco, to float

Lemon wedge, to rim glass

Basil salt (chopped fresh basil combined with coarse salt), to rim glass