Ingredients

Mountainside Cocktail
2 ounces Japanese whisky, such as Suntory's Toki
1/4 ounce fennel syrup (recipe below)
3 dashes orange bitters
Grapefruit peel, for garnish
Fennel Syrup
1/4 cup (30g) whole fennel seeds
1 cup prepared simple syrup

Instructions

1. Combine all ingredients in a mixing glass or shaking tin. Add ice and stir gently for 20 seconds. Strain into an old fashioned glass with a large clear ice cube (see below for how to DIY one). Garnish with a grapefruit peel expressed over the top of the drink, and then perched on the rim of the glass.
2. For fennel syrup: Combine whole fennel seeds with simple syrup in a blender. Blend on high for three minutes until the . Strain through a fine-mesh strainer—the finest you own, such as a gold coffee filter. This mixture will keep in the fridge for up to three weeks, or frozen for up to six months.
3. For a large, clear ice cube: Line an insulated mug with straight sides with a plastic bag and fill halfway with water. Let freeze for at least 36 hours. Once ice is completely frozen, remove mug from the freezer and let thaw for a few hours, until you can slide the bag out of the mug without much effort. Run the ice cube under cold water to polish any rough edges.