EXCLUSIVE: the eternally wise and wonderful gaz regan and his publishers Jared Brown and Anistatia Miller at Mixellany have kindly given us ten cocktails from his upcoming book gaz regan's 101 Best New Cocktails 2012,with each recipe commented on in gaz's own inimitable style.
Adapted from a recipe by Adam Elmegirab, Mim Bar & Lounge, Aberdeen, Scotland. He says: "This was the winning original Drambuie drink created for the Drambuie UK Cocktail Competition 2010. The drink was named after a mythical story I created whilst waiting to present my drinks, which revolved around Dick Fosbury's favourite spirit being Drambuie, and his increased consumption of eggs due to being an athlete. Dick Fosbury was the creator of the Fosbury Flop, hence the link between eggs, Drambuie, and this drink name."
Adapted from a recipe by Spyros Patsialos, Faltso Bar, Athens, Greece.
Foxeye
Glass: Chilled cocktail glass
Garnish: None
Method: Stir over ice and strain
45ml (1.5 oz) Bloom gin
30ml (1 oz) Dubonnet Rouge
20ml (.66 oz) Disaronno
1 barspoon Fernet Branca
gaz sez: Nice, simple, and one of those drinks that keeps you coming back for more. It's good to see the Disaronno put to such great use here — Spyros knows exactly how to employ her charms.
Adapted from a recipe by David Nguyen-Luu, Rockpool Bar and Grill Perth, Victoria Park, Australia. He says: "Working for the Rockpool group, I have access to one of the best kitchens in Australia, guided by one of the best chefs in Australia (Neil Perry). Rockpool Bar and Grill has always been about twisted classics, thus I created this twist on one of my favourite classics. This is a great digestif with a very silky, buttery texture in the mouth and a great full-flavoured finish. Enjoy!" David Nguyen-Luu.
Butter Pecan Sazerac
Glass: Sazerac
Garnish: Orange twist over the rim of the glass, then add as garnish.
Method: Rinse glass with ice and absinthe. Shake over ice and double-strain into the glass.
Absinthe, as rinse
30ml (1 oz) Pecan-Washed Woodford Reserve Bourbon*
30ml (1 oz) Hennessy VSOP cognac
15ml (.5 oz) brandy de jerez
5 dashes Peychaud's bitters
5ml (.17 oz) sugar syrup
For the Pecan-Washed Woodford Reserve Bourbon: Roast 200 g (8 oz) pecans at 350°F until golden. Melt 150 g (1.5 sticks) unsalted butter with 100 g (1/2 cup) muscovado sugar in a large pot. Stir in the nuts and one 750-ml bottle of Woodford Reserve bourbon. Let settle overnight in fridge. The next day, strain bourbon from butter and pecan mixture using muslin cloth, leaving pecan washed bourbon.
gaz sez: Jeez, this is one helluva drink, and yes, it's worth going to the trouble of making the pecan-washed whiskey. It's actually a very simple process, and the resultant drink is something that your customers are likely to return to your joint for over and over again.
It's also great to hear how proud David is of the place where he works, and the chef there. Loyalty such as his comes only from great management. Congrats to David for this great twisted classic, and to the Rockpool group for being supportive of their workers.
Adapted from a recipe by Esther Medina Cuesta, Roux at Parliament Square, London, UK. She says: "Colin Dunn came to the bar and asked me to create an aperitif with Talisker for the 'Talisker vs Borough Market' consumer tasting. He named the drink. The public reaction was really good. Many of them said they will make it for dinner parties at home. And it worked out very well in my menus. Slainte!" Esther Medina Cuesta.
Kiss the Skye
Glass: Glass here
Garnish: Garnish here
Method: Method here
3 medium sage leaves
45ml (1.5 oz) Talisker 10 year old scotch whisky
55ml (1.83 oz) Lillet Blanc
Slap the sage, throw it into a mixing glass, add liquids and ice, stir. Strain into a frozen cocktail glass.
gaz sez: Sage, sage, sage, sage, sage. I loves me some sage, I do. This extraordinary drink works really well as a hot toddy, too. Be careful, though, it's one of those potions that keeps you going back for more. And more. And more.
Adapted from a recipe by Monica Berg, Icebar Oslo, Oslo, Norway. She says: "The name is from a song by the San Francisco-based Tower of Power called What is Hip? I heard them live in New Orleans a couple of years ago and absolutely loved it! I think the lyrics are very fitting because when I made this drink first, gin was very much out of style in Norway and rum-based fruit drinks very much in."
What is Hip?
Glass: Chilled cocktail glass
Garnish: None
Method: Muddle the peppercorns and rosehip tea in a shaker. Add ice and the remaining ingredients. Shake vigorously before double-straining.
1 barspoon pink peppercorns
30ml (1 oz) strong brewed rosehip tea
40ml (1.33 oz) Tanqueray gin
10ml (.33 oz) fresh lemon juice
1 dash Cherry Heering
10 to 15ml (.33 to .5 oz) Gomme Syrup*
*Gomme Syrup: We mix our gomme in a 2-part-sugar to 1- part-water, bring-to-a-boil method. Adjust gomme measure after the acidity of the lemon. In Norway it varies depending on the nationality of lemons, which again varies depending on seasons.
gaz sez: Monica is a true genius when it comes to marrying flavors—and she's pretty good at drunken yoga, too. Remind me to tell you all about it. On a more sober note—the way she teases the Tanqueray in this drink, without ever letting it fade from center stage, is absolutely brilliant. Nice one, Monica.
Adapted from a recipe by Alex Kratena from Artesian at The Langham Hotel, London, UK. Alex says: "Delight in the glass and very complex aperitif! Notes of young tequila and tamarind with pomegranate and raspberries, hint of spice and light smoky notes in background with an extensively long finish. Winner of Tapatio Competition 2011 (London, UK)."
Oye Mi Canto
Glass: Glass here
Garnish: Apple blossom and jasmine flower
Method: Stir over ice with a barspoon, or gaz-style, with finger is suitable:). Strain into a chilled cocktail glass and add the garnishes.
30ml (1 oz) good blanco tequila infused with sweet tamarind*
60ml (2 oz) Martini Rosato
5ml (.17 oz) Del Maguey Chichicapa Mezcal
1 dash Mandarin bitters
For the Tamarind-Infused Tequila: I personally enjoy Tapatio blanco, however the choice is truly yours. Simply pour 1 litre (1 quart) of tequila over 250 grams sweet tamarind and leave for 1 week. Strain and filter the bits. You can buy a 250g box of sweet tamarind in pretty much any Asian store, however sometimes Turkish markets stock it too.
For the Mandarin bitters: We use bitters from Robert Petrie, a top London pastry chef, who makes bitters as hobby. Bob's Bitters is the company name.
gaz sez: Alex is as fine a bartender as I've ever seen in my life, and he's a damned good mixologist, too. This drink is just one of many that prove how well this guy knows his flavours, and how to mix and match them.
Adapted from a recipe by Bradford Scott Knutson, Swing Wine Bar, Olympia, WA.
Hot Buttered Fernet
Glass: Warmed coffee mug
Garnish: Garnish here
Method: Combine the Fernet Branca, applejack and liqueur in a warmed coffee mug. Heat the cider and buttered rum mix (I use a milk steamer). Pour into the mug, serve, and enjoy.
22.5ml (.75 oz) Fernet Branca
22.5ml (.75 oz) Laird's Applejack
15ml (.5 oz) Giffard Abricot liqueur
180ml (6 oz) apple cider
1 heaping barspoon Buttered Rum Mix
For the Buttered Rum Mix: Combine 453g (1 pound) softened butter, 60g (1/3 cup) packed brown sugar, 2 teaspoons ground cloves, 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, 1 teaspoon ground ginger, 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg, and a pinch of salt in a large bowl. Whip together, then store in the refrigerator.
gaz sez: This Knutson guy knows how to get my attention, and this drink paid off very nicely indeed. When I featured the recipe in the San Francisco Chronicle, I noted that the spiced butter comes in handy for a variety of uses—I've been adding it to my late-night hot chocolate and brandy, where it works wonders.
Adapted from a recipe by Bas Verhoeven, Cocktailbar Mundial, Eindhoven, Netherlands. He says: "A cocktail with an amazing taste that ticks all the boxes. Created with the philosophy less is more, the few ingredients combine amazingly well. This has made it a big favorite amongst our guests and even has the guests who usually avoid whiskey drinks asking for it."
Here's Johnnie
Glass: Chilled coupe
Garnish: Orange slice
Method: Combine all the ingredients in shaker, muddling the ginger to open up the flavour. Add ice and shake hard for about 10 seconds.
50ml (1.65 oz) Johnnie Walker Gold Label Scotch whisky
30ml (1 oz) The Bitter Truth Apricot brandy
25ml (.83 oz) fresh lemon juice
2 thin slices fresh ginger
2 dashes The Bitter Truth Orange bitters
gaz sez: Here's comes Johnnie Walker Gold again—what a fabulous Scotch it is. And Bas Verhoeven knows how to make him dance, too. The ginger and apricot notes bring out the very best in the scotch. I made this one twice, the second time without the lemon juice. Both versions work extremely well.
Adapted from a recipe by Max La Rocca and Giuseppe Santamaria, Ohla Hotel's "Boutique Bar," Barcelona, Spain. He says: "An Italian twist on a very old classic showcasing nice herbal notes, a slightly thick mouthfeel from using marmalade, and a pleasant bitter and orange aftertaste. An excellent after-dinner drink with loads of herbs that will help your digestion and your soul! Amaro Montenegro is a traditional Italian bitter and is made using over 40 different herbs from around the world, which include orange peels, red cherry, and vanilla. Rabarbaro Zucca is a fantastic bitter, strong and fragrant, with notes of Chinese rhubarb and aromatic herbs."
Amaro Crusta
Glass: Glass here
Garnish: Orange twist
Method: Dissolve the marmalade and citrus juices in a shaker. Add ice and the remaining ingredients and shake the hell out of it. Double-strain into a nice vintage "Crusta Glass" with a wide vanilla-sugar rim and add the garnish. Shut up, smile and drink!
1 full barspoon bitter orange marmalade
10ml (.33 oz) fresh lemon juice
10ml (.33 oz) fresh lime juice
20ml (.66 oz) Amaro Montenegro
10ml (.33 oz) Rabarbaro Zucca
10ml (.33 oz) Amer Picon orange bitters
gaz sez: I met Max La Rocca in Athens, 2009, when he was a finalist in Diageo's World Class competition. He's a gentleman, he's a good soul, and he's a consummate bartender with wit and style to spare. I haven't met Giuseppe Santamaria, but if he's a friend of Max, he's a friend of mine.
I thought I'd have a hard time getting my hands on a bottle of Rabarbaro Zucca so I could test this baby, but such was not the case. My friend Peter Buttiglieri actually had a bottle of the stuff that he'd found in New York. Who knew?
As it says in the headnote, this is a digestive, though since there's marmalade in the list of ingredients, I could see having one or two for breakfast, too, and the Amaro Crusta would probably fare quite well alongside Osso Buco. This is my style of drink. 'nuff sed.
Adapted from a recipe by Pablo Toledo, Cvrve, Shanghai. He says: "I came up with this modern twist of the Sidecar, that's why the name: here in Shanghai we have a big French and European colony, they like this motorbike called a CJ750. That is also a similar version of the sidecar motorbike. In the streets you see one every day.
"Cognac and orange is a great combination. And what better to enhance the orange flavour and help with the sweetness than Cointreau? The rest comes by itself. The fresh orange, the elderflower notes thanks to the syrup and the cloves as aromatic garnish help with the nose and match with the clove flavour of the Jerry Thomas bitters. The fresh orange juice and the mint help to power the concept of a refreshing cocktail by the look and the aroma. The cognac glass feels powerful in the hand. The whole experience and the why of the cocktail makes it very attractive. I hope you like it."
CJ750
Glass: Glass here
Garnish: Mint sprig and orange wheel studded with five cloves
Method: Put the ingredients together and shake nicely but not hard. We don't want much air in this one. Place the orange wheel with the cloves (which represent the stars of the CJ750 motorbike) in a chilled cognac glass. Double-strain and finish with the mint sprig and a short straw to make the nose get close to the mint, is very important you do that. It will give a more fresh cocktail final perception with those aromas.
40ml (1.33 oz) Hennessey VSOP cognac
15ml (.5 oz) Cointreau
10ml (.33 oz) Monin elderflower syrup
40ml (1.33 oz) orange juice
1 dash The Bitter Truth Jerry Thomas' Own Decanter bitters
gaz sez: I'm a real sucker for aromatic garnishes, and the mingling of cloves, oranges, and mint in this drink comes together really nicely. And these fragrances meet a beautifully balanced cocktail in the throat, with the Jerry Thomas' bitters bringing a fabulous complexity to the party. It's also nice to see that our bartender brothers and sisters in China are doing such a great job. I gotta find a way to get there one of these days. Thanks, Pablo — you done yourself proud.
