Martian Defense Minister Pyotr Korshunov is a powerful government official and an accomplished diplomat. He admires Earth’s culture, especially opera and fine Scotch. A Marine for 45 years, Korshunov is a tough negotiatior, but one who does not forget the cost in lives if diplomacy fails.

We really enjoyed discussing this drink after we released it with Jeff Seymour, the actor who played Korshunov. He was confused, then pleased and honored.

Korshunov is elegant, self-aware, and well-spoken, so we used Cognac and a confident garnish. He has Earth culture envy, so we used luxurious Earth produce, the blackberries, and backed them up further with crème de cassis.

However, Korshunov is still a tough, realistic negotiator, so the Averna brought strength, balance, and a little bitterness to the drink.

While making this, we pondered whether to include Scotch. There was some debate over how appropriate it would be, given Errinwright’s gift to him. But always remember that the poison was never in the Scotch, it was on the opera program! In the end, Cognac worked better.

Note: We found that 7 blackberries roughly equals 1 ounce of muddled result, though it will naturally depend slightly on the size of your blackberries.

Instructions:

Muddle blackberries and aromatic bitters in the bottom of a cocktail shaker. Add ice and the remaining ingredients and shake until chilled. Double strain into a snifter. Garnish with a wide spiral of lemon peel.