This combo took off, partly attributed to the obsession with ice at the time, which had just become readily available and highly prized. It’s been suggested that the name ‘cobbler’ may even come from the ‘cobbles’ of ice in the drink.
Recipes
Drinks
I want this to be a one-stop shop – more than just a list of recipes. This book deconstructs cocktails to their constituent parts and helps you understand how to put them back together again through the use of the ‘Taste Triangle’.
Just as we no longer baulk at the idea of using a high-end single malt or artisanal mezcal in a cocktail designed to showcase the unique attributes of that particular bottle, perhaps we should approach sherry cocktails in the same way – allowing them to be the star of the show.
Society, in Melbourne is home to the nation’s largest vintage spirits collection, including a carefully procured and impressive selection of rare and unique bottles from the 1930’s through to the 1970’s.
There are also advocates for simply salting your sugar syrup. Geoff Fewell, a long-time bar wizard who is currently working at Golden Age Cinema suggests using 1% salt to sugar, as well as 1% citric acid for citrus drinks to make them pop – your Daiquiri will never be the same again.
Perhaps one of the best examples of this tableside service is the famed Martini Trolley at The Connaught. A white-gloved bartender preparing a Martini to your specs is the level everyone hopes to achieve, the theatre adding to the beverage and the admiring looks from other diners around the room.
“There’s something magical and very cool (or maybe I’m just very simple!) about taking this absolute mess of a liquid and through the clarification/milk-washing process ending up with a silky and plush liquid that can be a finished drink or an ingredient in another drink. It’s also an easy way to wow your guests…” – Darren Leany, Capitano
Riding the gin wave, a large portion of distilleries started with a native botanical gin and used that as a stepping stone to build a brand before their aged spirits could be released.
A perfect example of this is the only spritz I ever physically crave, the Olive Spritz at Gerald’s Bar in Melbourne. Created by Gabriel De Melo Freire, a flavour fanatic, the saltiness of the olive syrup and the dryness of the apera leave you literally salivating.
“This time around it’s been very different: Alice is open, so we can base things on the style and feel of the place, and we also have a team, including Head Bartender Dante Davies, who I get to throw ideas around with. Collaborating on a cocktail list again has been a lot of fun.” – Steve McDermott, Hunter St. Hospitality Group Bar Manager
It is generally accepted that Sour cocktails are essentially individualised versions of the progenitor of cocktails, the Punch, and the Fizz is yet another variation on that spirit/citrus/sweetener template, with the addition of, well, fizz, by way of soda water.
“Rockmelon is the perfect in-season summer fruit to complement tequila, a no-brainer. The bitter citrus aperitivo adds an incredible depth of citrus and a welcome bitterness to balance the sweet rockmelon, the salty tajin salt rim to add savoury notes.” – Prudence Farquhar, Bar Mellow, Newcastle