The London best: Obscure spirits

1. Byrrh

Recently reintroduced to the British market, Byrrh is a French quinquina that was much prized in the golden age of cocktails. It is a muscat-based aperitif, with notes of cherry fruit and cocoa, with a bitter quinine tang. £19.95 for 75cl

2. Kamm & Sons

A bitter ginseng liqueur, distilled by the clever London bartender Alex Kammerling. It is splendid in a Negroni (in place of the Campari), and very fine neat, too. A contemporary classic, in fact. £17.95 for 50cl

3. Bitter Truth Crème de Violette

This excellent company specialises in recreating hard-to-find cocktail ingredients, including a sumptuous violet flower liqueur, essential in Twenties mixes such as the Aviation. The classy way to turn your drinks blue. £23 for 50cl

4. Chartreuse

The thinking man’s absinthe. An intoxicating herbal elixir, distilled by Carthusian monks and sipped in Brideshead Revisited, Chartreuse is renowned as a cure-all. Since it contains 55 per cent alcohol, it has a secondary reputation as a ruin-all, too. £35 for 75cl

5. Zirbenz Stone Pine Liqueur

A wood-fresh Austrian liqueur, a little like a liquid pine cone, Zirbenz lends a compelling Alpine note to the Sazerac served at the Bulgari Hotel. It’s only available in bottle form from thewhiskyexchange.com. £21.49 for 50cl

Available at Gerry’s on Old Compton Street (020 7734 2053) or online at thewhiskyexchange.com