My Legacy

The Bacardi Legacy Cocktail Competition has come round again… this time as a self confessed Bacardi convert, I have entered a cocktail to be considered, tried, tested marketed and scrutinised as a new classic cocktail.

The competition is a year long program to develop the ‘three most promising’ cocktails into marketable machines that will hopefully become the new ‘must serve’ cocktail to sit alongside such dynastic favourites as the Daiquiri, the Cuba Libre and the Mojito…

The current finalists or ‘three most promising’ are Ago Perrone with his Mulata Daisy, Sam Dean with his Amalie and Marcis Dzelzainis with his Amandine; these cocktails are three from two hundred and fifty and have been showcased all over the world by their respective creators. Ago, Sam and Marcis have also been to Miami, Puerto Rico, New York and New Orleans as part of the ‘three most promising’ team, which with some hard work maybe I can visit this year.

My Bacardi Legacy cocktail is named El Coco, in rememberance of the palm tree that grew outside Bacardi HQ in Cuba as symbol of their heritage on the island.

EL COCO

60ml Bacardi Superior
25ml Pago Banana Nectar
10ml Caramel Syrup
Bsp Passion Fruit Puree
Dash Angostura Orange Bitters

Served in Fluted Cocktail glass
No Garnish

Add all ingredients to Parisian style Shaker with double frozen ice blocks and shake for around 15-20 seconds.
Double strain (UK) or strain into chilled glass. No garnish neccesary.

The Morning After…

I have entered the 42 Below Cocktail World Cup every year so far, and never so much as got a call back… this year I was not going to take no for an answer! I trialed, tested, scrutinised and deliberated over my drink for weeks, finally settling on an adaptation of an old ‘Obsidian’ favourite, The Morning After Martini. Created by my best bud, mentor and phone a friend, Jamie Stephenson the ‘Morning after’ was a simple twist on the Kangaroo with Cointreau and Maraschino with Pink Grapefruit zests; a recreation of sweet and dry citrus fruits found in Marmalade. My adaptation took this idealogy and simply expanded with a touch of 42 Below bravado!

I started with the idea of a morning routine I used to use after a heavy night (usually in Mojo) on the beer… I would make myself

The Morning After Martini

42ml Buttered Toast infused 42 Below
5ml 42 Below Manuka Honey
5ml 42 Below Passion Fruit
10ml Cointreau
10ml Teisierre Pamplemousse
10ml Pink Grapefruit Dolin Chambery
3 drops Homemade Bergamot Bitters

Stirred in a teapot and served in an Mini Marie Antoinette glass.

Garnished with a Lemon Zest and the undeniable smell of hot toast!

Served with Berocca, Glaceau ‘Citrus’ Vitamin Water and 2 Advil…

Breakfast at Tiffany’s

Chambord Liqueur de Royale recently partnered up with the soon to open, Truman Copote’s Breakfast at Tiffany’s. The adaptation of the 1961 movie has been written by Playwright Samuel Adamson, directed by Sean Mathias and stars Anna Friel as leading lady, Holiday Golighty.

Chambord along with Intelligent PR launched a competition ‘The Hunt for Holly’ in a bid to find their ‘Holly Golighly Cocktail’ which will be served at the Theatre Royal Haymarket for the run of the show. The finalists (of which I am one) were picked from 110 hopeful entries and are currently being voted on by the public at The Hunt for Holly and will be one quarter of the total score added together with scores from UKBG, Theme and judges from Grand Final held at The Hoxton Pony on 15th September.

The Holly Golighly Cocktail

50ml Croissant infused Grey Goose Vodka
25ml Chambord Liqueur de Royale
15ml Illy Espresso Liqueur
15ml Pressed Apple Juice
10ml Starbuck’s Caramel Syrup

Served in UrbanBar Cocktail glass
Garnished with Champagne soaked Edible $50 Bill^

The main focus of this cocktail is to recreate that most iconic of scenes, when Holly steps out of a Yellow Cab in front of Tiffany’s and eats her breakfast whilst gazing through the windows… The croissant infusion together with the Chambord, caramel and hint of apple combine to create a danish pastry flavour accompanied by the espresso flavours delivered through the sweetness of the Chambord and caramel. The combination of coffee and danish is her ‘Breakfast at Tiffany’s’.

The garnish is based around another recurrant theme throughout the story; with Holly receiving $50 ‘Powder Room Fee’ from her clients/dates every half an hour or so, I tied this with another feature of the story, whilst opening a bottle of Champagne in Holly’s apartment, Paul declares he has “never drunk Champagne before breakfast, plenty of times with, but never before”, this leads to their day of “things they have never done before”. So, I combined the two ideas and as Champagne is a natural Aperitif anyway, I decided to have the Champagne as an palate cleanser being consumed before the cocktail and therefore drinking Champagne before breakfast [at Tiffany’s]

Cheese, Pirates & Hawaii

I recently competed in the Regional Finals of the Theme Bartender of the Year competition and, although I did not win, I thought I would share my recipes with you, as I was personally really proud of them:

Genevieve
40ml Lillet Blanc
20ml St. Germain Elderflower
10ml Fresh Lemon Juice
25ml Pressed Pineapple Juice
15ml Simply Hibi Hibiscus Cordial

Served in Vine wrapped Marie Antoinette
Garnished with St. Germain perfumed Edible Flower

Eprouvé
50ml Ocho Reposado
Bsp Grand Marnier Cordon Rouge
15ml Nux Alpina Walnut
10ml Fresh Lemon Juice
1/2 Caramelised Pear
10ml Caramelised Pear Syrup*
Dash Regan’s #6 Orange Bitters

Served in Reidel Cognac glass
Garnished with Slice of Gorgonzola studded with Toasted Walnut Peices and drizzled with Caramelised Pear Syrup

Jack Sparrow
60ml El Dorado 15Y Special Reserve
25ml Fonseca Bin 27
20ml Mozart Black
4 Griottines
15ml Griottines Syrup
3 dash(s) Angostura Aromatic Bitters
1 Whole Egg

Served in frozen 1/5 gill Rum Tots, on a tray filled with sand.
Garnished with Grated Nutmeg

* denotes homemade ingredient