If you think of pepper in cocktails, you might be hard pressed to think of any drink aside from a Bloody Mary that it’s used in, yet pepper can really add an aromatic, slightly spicy flavour to your creations.

Normally relegated to dining, pepper has not had as much influence on drinks or been heralded among the bartending community as much as it’s paler sister salt, but can easily have just as much impact.

Since Roman times, pepper was one of the most important spices and was one of the first known items to be traded across Asia and Europe.

It is said that in the Middle Ages, Europeans often used pepper to pay rent, dowries and taxes and it was the continued need for pepper that inspired the 15th-century Spanish exploration and spice trade.

(And in case you wanted to know, white peppercorns are just black peppercorns that have had their skins removed – all part of the service here at Cocktail Collective’s house of useless knowledge.)

So what has all of this got to do with cocktails, you ask. Well, let’s just say that nothing gives more depth to Scotch than a little pepper, as it is a master at both balancing and taming the peaty flavours.

But how to use it, I hear you further ask. Well, this is where a little tincture treatment comes into its own.

For those of you not adept at the art of tincturing, the easiest way to describe it is that it sits somewhere between an infusion and a bitters preparation but unlike bitters, it is made with a single flavour. In the same way as bitters, its concentrated, flavourful and a little goes a long way.

For Black Pepper Tincture:

Ingredients

• 2 ounces whole black peppercorns
• 6 ounces Everclear or alternative high-proof spirit

Instructions

Place peppercorns and Everclear in a medium bowl. Let rest for two days. Pour mixture through a sieve, reserving liquid.