At Apricity, a restaurant in Mayfair in central London, they serve a fig-leaf martini, using gin infused with leaves from a tree near the home of the chef, Chantelle Nicholson. It’s smoother than a classic martini, evocative of the fruit, but not at all sweet. It’s also delicious. I am drinking one on a rainy Wednesday just before the restaurant opens and seriously thinking about ordering another.
Nicholson came up with the drink three years ago. “When I first rediscovered fig leaves, I found they infuse the gin in a really lovely way. I’m a big martini fan, so I was like: let’s make it into a martini.”
