Many will insist a proper Caipiriñha should be made with limao casca fina, limon de pica, or what you’d probably better know as Mexican or key lime. This type of lime – endemic in the Americas – is touted to be smaller and more fragrant than the Tahitian lime found in Australia, but once doused in a couple of ounces of Cachaça it’s unlikely anyone will be the wiser for your substitution.
Recipes
Drinks
The dry shake – shaking a cocktail containing egg white without ice in order to properly emulsify the ingredients before adding ice and re-shaking – makes complete scientific sense, and any cook or chef worth his or her salt understands this. But very few bartenders understood this at the beginning of this century, and when Solomon brought this piece of methodology to my attention, I started to realise that the game was changing.
Sure 11:30am is early for any spirit, let alone absinthe, yet the tasting was a hit. First to hit the lips was La Fée NV absinthe and its immediate sweetness was evident to the group as were the strong notes of black jelly beans and an obvious viscosity. Ben noted some distinct bitterness – which was thought could be the alcohol – and the group in general thought it would be best to come back and taste it again once their palates were warmed up. Ultimately it was decided that this absinthe could work well stretched tall, maybe in a Collins style drink, and would benefit from not being to complicated by numerous other ingredients.
Since 1806 cocktail culture has exploded along side social evolution and drinks evolved from fashionable tastes, changing styles and some say the pace of life. In 1862 Jerry Thomas cemented many of these popular styles in his book The Bartender’s Guide thus cementing categories to which we still reference today.
By understanding the drinks listed forthwith, so-called our Cocktail Keys,
It would have been hard to go past Hinky Dinks for this month’s Cocktail Experiment considering that the theme was Martini Madness. Hinky Dinks is after all harking from an era where the home cocktail party raged and a cocktail was more than a drink – it was a fashion accessory. The Martini raged supreme.
Funnily enough, this is always one of the more challenging experiments we run through Bartender magazine. Twisting and ‘moderning-up’ this timeless classic can be tough and often it’s the simple touches that work best. As usual we ran through the line-up of spirits and brainstormed ideas on how best to tackle the cocktails before hitting the mixing glass.
Elderflower & Lemon Sgroppino 20ml Absolut Elyx 90ml Perrier Jouët Grand Brut NV Champagne 1…
This month we took a look at liqueurs, vermouth and bitters for a cocktail category. As usual we revived a swath of suggestions from Aussie bartenders who were keen to show off their skills. Check out some of the cocktails that made the cut for the February issue.
It’s January. It’s 30 plus degrees outside and you’ve just rocked up to work while the day is in its prime. Let’s be honest, you’re not particularly focussed on setting up the bar right now perhaps that’s why you’ve flicked to this page. But you’re in luck – there’s a cure to your summertime bartending blues. It’s a potion that will help you ignore the fact that unlike your punters you still sport a snowy white complexion and it’s a cocktail ingredient that will transport you straight to the Caribbean mon. That’s right it’s none other than fantastic falernum.
Vodka Mojito in a bottle? Yep, you heard it right. This is just one of a slew of offerings from drinks companies in a new category called the ‘ready to serve’ mixed drink! Don’t be confused with the RTD ‘ready to drink’ category that we all know (and many like myself despise) as the RTD focuses on alcoholic mixed drinks in a single serve bottle. RTDs have been around for decades and the stats tell us that Aussies love them.
This Classic featured in the January issue of Australian Bartender magazine By Simon McGoram Photography…
The recently revamped Bellevue Hotel was the perfect backdrop for this month’s cocktail experiment on ‘whiskies’. We had a good line-up that included Jameson Gold Reserve, Dewar’s White Label, Bowmore Legend, AnCnoc and the Dalmore. Leading the experiment was Dan Woolley (Group Beverage Manager, Riversdale Group) and he was joined by a few of the Riversdale Group’s crew – Paige Aubort (LoFi), Kevin Peters (LoFi & the Standard) and Dean Sykes (bar manager of LoFi).
The consummate whisk(e)y educator, Woolley led the team through a tasting session that uncovered many of the wonderful characteristics, and potential cocktail styles, that each product was showing. The Jameson displayed delicate cereal notes and a light to medium body that was thought a good match to a spiced whisky sour, perhaps some agave or fig and cinnamon jam. The crew noted that the Dewar’s had a soft, creamy texture which would benefit from some orange zest or bitters – and ultimately it would end up served as a refreshing punch that incorporated tea and lemon curd.
Not long ago, I wrote about inexperienced bartenders who have been creating nonsense cocktails and taking themselves far too seriously for my liking. I’ll stand by my words on that subject, but at the same time I’ve got to say that I’m so darned impressed at the innovations in the craft that I’ve seen coming from bartenders who understand how to put ingredients together in harmonious, ingenious ways.