The Dante

Named after the poet who wrote about circles and fire and the journey through the unknown, The Dante is a cocktail with more going on than it first lets on. It looks like a long, easy drink — and it is — but the detail in the build is what separates it from anything ordinary.

Landlocked Tangerine Rum forms the base, bringing its characteristic citrus brightness and warm molasses backbone. Aperol adds a bitter-orange sweetness that plays directly to the tangerine character of the rum, deepening and widening it. A squeeze of lime juice cuts through both, providing the acid structure that stops the drink from becoming cloying.

Then comes the crowning touch: a top of basil-infused frothed orange juice. The basil adds an herbal, slightly peppery edge that transforms the nose of the drink, and the frothed texture creates a visual drama as it layers over the liquid below. It's showy in the best sense — the kind of garnish that tells you something interesting is about to happen.

Build it over ice in a highball glass, add the frothed orange top last, and garnish with a wedge of orange. Drink it slowly. Like Dante's journey, this one's worth savouring.

THE RECIPE