Some guy making a Daiquiri
You won’t be able to tell from watching the video, but this is my good mate Marty Newell, Melburnian brand ambassador for the most superior Superior Rum on Earth, Bacardi.
It’s a nice bit of vision, and an easily followable recipe for one of life exquisite little pleasures, a well made Daiquiri.
Nice work buddy.
Shot Bro.
Great example of how to style a shot of a great looking drink from the Team at Club Suntory at Cruise bar on the 8th of May.
There are some other great shots of the day on their facebook page here, but for my money, the photo above is the best I’ve seen out of Australia this year.
Here’s the recipe if you’d like to really drink the photo in.
The Royal Disaronno Diamond
by Adam Smith
Glass -Collins
Garnish – Apple fan
Method – Dry shake, then shake with ice double strain into a collins (no ice) and top with apple cider
Ingredients -
40ml Disaronno
15ml Remy Martin VSOP
20ml Magners Original Irish Cider
20ml cloudy apple Juice
1 bar spoon of brown sugar
1 whole egg
Here’s the whole lowdown on what was going on:
Stylish Italian drinks icon Disaronno is proud to announce Joel Hodge, bartender at The Goldfish Hunter Valley, is Australia’s Disaronno Mixing Star! Each year, from Milan to Moscow and New York to LA, Disaronno scours the globe in the search for the world’s finest cocktail bartenders as part of their Disaronno Mixing Star competition.
Australia accepted the challenge in 2012 for the second time, as Disaronno) put the word out to all aspiring bar stars around the country.
Scores of brilliant concoctions were tasted and judged, culling the impressive field of over 170 entries down to just 15 finalists – including some of the nation’s finest bartending talent. In true star style, the chosen competitors were flown to Sydney, chauffeured in limousines and indulged with VIP treatment. Last Tuesday May 8th, saw the challengers assemble on Sydney’s spectacular Circular Quay at the renowned Cruise Bar, the top floor of which was kitted out as a full production set.
After complete make-up styling for the cameras, each finalist was tasked with producing both a single serving of the classic Disaronno Sour, as well as four identical servings of their original Disaronno cocktail. On hand with the pleasant but taxing task of deciding on a winner was the judging panel: from Milan, Disaronno Commercial Director Nicola Bini, Sun Herald Journalist Amy Cooper and Club Suntory’s Nigel Weisbaum. Each of the 15 finalists and their drinks were assessed on presentation, technique – and of course taste – before the judges got to deliberating on their final verdict.
This competition has always discovered new talent, so for some of the finalist this was their first national cocktail competition, whilst the standard of the more experienced bartenders was extremely high. All the entries were a testament to the creativity of Australian bartenders. Continuing with their VIP treatment, the finalists were treated to a luxury Italian dinner in the private dining room of two hat Woollahra restaurant; LaScala.
Nicola Bini commented “never before have we had such a difficult time in deciding was the winner of a national comp, the quality this year was exceptional”
The winner of the competition has an infectious story of his own. Joel Hodge from The Goldfish Hunter Valley had never even been to Sydney, let alone competed in a national cocktail comp. Now Joel will be off to Berlin to compete in the Global final in Berlin in July, and the possibility of appearing in a Bollywood production in India if he takes out the Global final! I’m sure you’d agree both destinations are a far cry from The Hunter Valley!!
As expected Joel was very emotional with his win, dedicating the drink to his Great Grandmother who was an avid Disaronno fan for many years. Joel also presented his drink in crystal glassware that belonged to his late Great Grandmother.
2nd place was awarded to Joe Singara from Luxe Bar, Perth and 3rd place was Anita Strother from Malt Bar in Brisbane.
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The Antipodes make a powerful impact in the Tales Spirited Awards
It’s that time of year again, and the fine folks who organise Tales of the Cocktail each year have announce the top 10 finalists for each of the categories for their much vaunted Spirited Awards.
If you click the link above, you might find it kind of odd that there are American and International bartender awards, and that international bartenders, like our own Sam Ross, who is working in America, and likely will be for some time, is not eligible to be not being considered for an American bartending award. It becomes less confusing, I suppose, when you remember that the Americans play a World Series of Baseball, which the Japanese and Mexican teams are not invited to compete in, while Japanese and Mexican nationals playing for US teams can. I hope that cleared things up…
Despite the oxymoronical nature of the previous paragraph, it is a great testament to the effort that has been put in building a bar culture down here on the other side of the world that the number of finalists has risen again this year.
Anyways, a hearty well done to the guys who’ve made the grade. Hopefully we can top last years efforts by Eau de Vie and bring home even more awards.
American Bartender of the Year
- Naren Young
Best American Brand Ambassador
- Nick Van Tiel
Best Bar Mentor
- Sven Almenning
Best Cocktail Writing – Author
- Naren Young
Best International Brand Ambassador
- Jacob Briars
- Jamie Terrell
- Manuel Terron
International Bartender of the Year
- Massimo Greco
- Sam Ross
- Michael Madrusan
World’s Best Cocktail Bar
- Black Pearl –Melbourne, Australia
- Eau de Vie – Sydney, Australia
World’s Best Cocktail Menu
- Black Pearl – Melbourne, Australia
- The Roosevelt – Sydney, Australia
World’s Best Drinks Selection
- Eau de Vie – Sydney, Australia
World’s Best New Cocktail Bar
- The Everleigh – Melbourne, Australia
Woodford Reserve Bourbon
Woodford Reserve is one of the products that I get asked about the most, once I have outed my pastime as a cocktail and spirits blogger. While the name doesn’t often make it into the conversation, the tombstone shape of the bottle makes a firm imprint in the minds of anyone lucky enough to slip a measure or two of this fine bourbon past their lips.
The bourbon itself has history. Distilling began on the site of the Labrot & Graham Distillery in 1797. The current distillery building was erected on the site in 1838, making the brand of the ten oldest distilleries to be still operating in the great state of Kentucky. Dr James Crow, a one time employee of the first owners, codified many of the processes that perfected the production of sour mash bourbon. This isn’t the right place to explain what sour mash means, but suffice to say bourbon as we know it today was defined by the method and it’s kind of a big deal. The distillery changed hands again in 1878 to the two fine gentlemen who gave their names to the building and the bottle pictured above. In 1941, we get a little closer to the current day, with the purchase of the marque by Brown-Forman, the current owners and distributors. In 1968 the distillery was mothballed and three years later, sold.
The history of liquor has many stories of brands lost to bad decisions, and unable to be rescued when smarter heads prevailed. Luckily, Woodford Reserve is not one of them. Brown-Forman repurchased the distillery in1993, refurbished and fired up the stills. Three years later product hit shelves, a small anomally given the legal requirements for bourbon under 4 years old to carry an age statement on the bottle, and the lack of an age statement suggesting the early bottlings were made off site at a different location.
The liquid itself is fantastic. The mash bill (the make up of grains that go into the wash) carries a relatively high percentage of rye, coming in at 18%. Despite this the flavour profile is quite simply balanced. Not too sweet, not too spicy. Woodford is a great choice for use in cocktails, and by itself gives a pleasing mouthfeel and taste for any fan of the American version of oak aged grain spirits.
The only other thing that’s really left to say is that one of the most remarkable things about Woodford Reserve is not about the bourbon at all, its the barrel that it is aged in. Brown-Forman is the only spirits company in the world that makes its own barrels. This gives the brand amazing scope to play with, and it shows through in the unique character of spirits the company produces; Jack Daniel’s, Old Forester, Early Times and Herradura amongst them.
If you’re looking for a bottle, the cheapest place right now is the Master of Malt site online, but unless you’re looking to stock up, the delivery fees make the price, well, pricey. Dan’s prices it at $55 and it’s still good value at that.
Buy yourself a bottle. Today.
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42 Below is at it again
Have you ever wondered what might have happened if the Germans had won in WWII and the Emerald Isles had effective policing, beer you can see through and German accented teaching thrust upon them?
Wonder no more, as James Sugarfoot Goggin has perfected the Irish German accent and has taken it out for a spin in this call to arms for New Zealand bartenders to join the Cocktail World Cup and give the country more than just a gold plated rugby trophy to crow about.
It’s a Global Rematch, Beeyatch.
The hallmark of most cocktail competitions are style, quality and service. The effortless (looking) production of a few great drinks in a not too difficult window of time, a quick photo with the primary spirit in the background for the brand owners who have sponsored the competition as the other entrants watch on in respectful silence.
Rematch however, is different. Run by bartenders with not brand sponsporship, this contest is about comedy drink, vicious sledging and the person that can throw together a passable round in the shortest possible time.
It’s been running around the world for a few years now, but tomorrow will be the first global rematch, with countries around the world holding comps, getting rowdy and trying to take the world record away from Australia.
That’s right, Australia holds some world records that don’t require lycra or the shaving of all body hair to get the advantage. This is also one time when a man can be rightly proud of coming first in a couple of minutes.
Here’s what they say about themselves:
On Monday, May 14th, begins the largest global cocktail event in history. Approximately 200+ bartenders from around the world will compete in an unprecedented competition where only one winner is decided. The deciding factor is speed. It’s the one thing, that at one point (or several) in our career, we all measured who was best. Speed meant you got to keep your job. Speed meant you got to pay… your bills. Speed meant you got to survive and fight another day. If you were not fast, you did not belong.
This event is completely unsponsored. It was done through a network of like-minded individuals. People around the world have donated their time, venues and products. Bartenders, Brand Ambassadors, Owners, Writers and others have worked together to see this through. I do not think there has ever been a time where all of us came together to work on one specific event. Many have looked past money and personal gains. We have helped organize this event because honestly it would be cool to be in a room full of people you either love, respect (or secretly hate) and see them presented with a round of cocktails that is utterly ridiculous and see them make what is probably the worst set of drinks in their careers.
Global Rematch Beeyatch Sydney will be held at Pelicano, 28 Bay St, Double Bay on Monday 14th May kicking off at 6pm. Sydney’s finest will be going head to head with the world record holder, Luke Reddington getting pumped to defend his title and to set a new world record. As always from The Colada Club, great times, fat beats and liquid treats are to be had so come down and support the fastest booze slingers down under!
Entry is a donation on the door. Probably best to wear something that can go through the heavily soiled cycle on your average modern washing machine.
I’ll see you there.
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You can’t buy what I’ve got: A global exclusive review of SX9
I wrote about the fantastic efforts the boys from Stolen Rum have been going to in getting their new Rum across the Tasman and past the archaic protectionist legislation that protects the domestic rum market here.
The one thing missing from the article was an actual experience of the liquid itself. I had tasting notes that talked of complexity, limes and raisins on the nose. Young bananas and pineapple to the finish in the mouth.
Since I first wrote, the liquid has picked up some global acclaim, in the shape of a double gold at the Olympics of alcohol, the San Fransisco Spirits comp.
However, I digress. I find myself, planted on the couch on Friday the 13th, armed with an open bottle and an empty glass.
Time to remedy that, methinks.
The overproof liquid clings to the crystal, its legs lengthening as I hold it up to the light.
The raisin and lime complexity is there, as advertised, but it’s a funky hard to place scent leaps out of the glass, aided in no small measure by that 65% ethanol. The wife puts a nail in it as gingerbread, and she’s right. The burnt bready tones, sweetness and spice swirl together. It truly begs a taste.
The overproof tingles on the tip of the tounge, its fumes wrapping round the top of my mouth . Pepper and heat give way to a flavour that strikes me between the eyes. Pineapple icecream with violet crumble. It absolutely tastes raw, young and a little bit green.
It is moorish, it is complex. It begs another taste and I’m going to have one (or maybe many more, not really maybe, absolutely)
It’s a smack in the face with a flavour fish. Try it in a Nuclear Daiquiri, punch it out in an Alamagoozulum, trade up your tiki drinks.
Do it often, do it now.
Put it in your mouth.
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David Cordoba has a pretty sweet gig
David Cordoba is the global ambassador for Bacardi. He mixes a pretty sweet daiquiri, knows most of the brand lore and is happiest when is getting a chance to share it.
It looks like now he has been given some budget and a video camera to go and explore the parts of the brand he doesn’t yet have encyclopaedic knowledge of.
Check out this little piece of true originals content and learn a little bit about where the Bacardi story really begins.
Savoury deliciousness with Belvedere Bloody Mary
I had the rare pleasure last week to sit next to the most glamorous woman in drinks, Belvedere ambassador and head of spirit creation Claire Smith. She was in the lucky country launching her latest expression of Belvedere, Bloody Mary.
The spirit is crafted out of a blend of rye based macerated distillates. For those of you who don’t spend your days talking distillation, that means that a whole lot of vegetable or spices are chopped up and left in raw spirit to flavour it, the resulting liquid is then run through the still. Each individual flavour is distilled on its own and then blended together into the final product, to ensure a consistent tasting liquid in every bottle.
The Bloody Mary is flavoured with tomato, black pepper, horseradish, capsicum, chilli, vinegar and lemon. The tasting notes claim a dramatic an complex nose, and I’d agree that the result is unlike much that can be readily found bottled for consumption. It performs well enough on it’s own, bringing memories of mile-high Bloody Mary’s flooding to my mind.
In cocktails it lays down well with cucumber, elderflower, citrus, tomato juice and practically any herb. A delightful surprise can be found with some pineapple juice, a squeeze of lime, a dash of orange bitters and a good pinch of smoky paprika.
I’m playing with a bottle at home and am loving a world of savoury based creations that this spirit opens up.
Expect ten cents back from seventy bucks if you’re picking one up from Dan Murphy.
Rest well.
News filtering through that Don Julio Gonzalez Estrada, creator of the brand of tequila that bears his name, died Wednesday at his home in Atotonilco, Guadalajara.
Sad days.
The best not rum you’ll ever drink
The trans-Tasman border is porous my friends.
Porous like the staves of a barrel which must hold a spirit for two years before it can legally be sold or called rum inside the Commonwealth of Australia. This statutory peculiarity perpetuates an advantage held by a certain ursine rum producer nestled in this country’s North.
Cue then, a small and cheeky upstart.
Stolen Rum have a new product in their range, SX9. Named for, and inspired by the traditions of the Nine Nights in the Caribbean (the traditional period of mourning when a body lies in state and the family and friends gather to celebrate a life that was and suffering that is no more. The ninth night precedes the church service and burial, it also is call for a terrific knees up during which the attendants swig un-aged overproof rum and the deceased spirit is believed to pass through party and say its last goodbye before moving on.
Heady stuff indeed.
SX9 is pot distilled in Jamaica from a molasses base. The distillates are then hand blended to deliver a complex lime and raisin nose and a young banana and pineapple finish in the mouth. The finished product is bottled at 65% abv, seemingly enough to ensure you can connect with poor dead uncle Isaac as he floats across the living room, if not join him yourself.
Which brings me back to the slightly incomplete fragment at the top of this article. Rum that hasn’t seen the inside of a barrel for two years cannot be legally imported nor called rum inside Australia’s environs. Rather than try to challenge this tremendous oversight using the CER framework agreed and signed on to in 1982 (NZ Apples have just managed to gain access after 30 years of trying) the team at Stolen have gone for the next logical solution and started print ads for folks willing to mule this illustrious liquid across the ditch.
Head to the Stolen facebook page for more info, and to sign up for some muling duties should the desire take you. (The pic below is linked)
You’ll not only get the undying admiration of your friends and family for signing up on the internet to become a mule, you’ll also recieve a fetching t-shirt so other Mules will be able to recognise you. No word yet on whether or not wearing a shirt with Mule stencilled on the front gets you a “value added” cavity search to really make your international travel memorable.
SX9 will only be available in bars for the next foreseeable future, failing a repeal of the rum laws, or a inter-country muling agreement with the staff of Dan Murphys.
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Bundaberg Masters Distillers’ Collection: Golden Reserve
Bundaberg continues to stretch its brand with the third release of the Master Distillers’ Collection today.
5 rums up to 11 years old have been blended and finished in sherry and port barrels. The blurb on the release talks about a balance between the traditional Bundy character and the fruity wood the oak will deliver. I’ve been lucky enough to try a few of the experiments that have been a part of the collection and the end product is moving towards something quite respectable and quite unOP like.
Expect to part with 90 Australian dollars for a bottle to call your own. Brand tragics should jump behind the wheel and head for the distillery, to pick up one of the first thousand bottles, which will be specially packaged to mark the release.
Ketel One presents Eau-de-Vie at Taste Sydney
Taste Sydney has always been a place to expose your palate to new tastes and sensations. Increasingly (and happily) it is also being used as a brand showcase for the finest in tippling too. Interesting move here from Ketel One, partnering with Eau-de-Vie to serve up some of the most amazingly tasty cocktails in town to festival goers. I’ll be making a beeline there to be sure.
This all seems to be part of a very deliberate move to involve the brand as an interface between the drinker and a great experience, in bar, at home or anywhere that might occur.
Anyways, they have a nicely written release that explains all about it, which I’ve cut and pasted for your reading pleasure.
The *World’s Best New Cocktail Bar, Eau-de-Vie will be brought to life at this year’s Taste of Sydney Festival by the crafted ultra-premium Ketel One® vodka. Ketel One Presents Eau-de-Vie will bring a piece of Sydney’s burgeoning small bar culture to the festival guests.
Ketel One will be showcased through a selection of five signature cocktails including Eau-de-Vie’s number one selling cocktail from 2011, The Mesha (pictured above) and the Windmill Punch (pictured below).
Upon stepping into Ketel One Presents Eau-de-Vie, guests will be transported to a boutique-sized version of the cocktail bar featuring replica décor including a version of Eau-de-Vie’s centerpiece, the communal table.
At the helm of the bar will be Eau-de-Vie’s awards winning team lead by Luke Redington, accompanied by the Ketel One National Brand Ambassador, David Beatty. Australia’s best and most amicable bartenders will be onsite to treat guests of the stand to the regular decorum, theatre and craftsmanship practiced at Eau-de-Vie.
Ketel One vodka will also unveil Ketel One Bar Tours – an exciting new program that celebrates Sydney’s developing bar scene – at the Taste of Sydney Festival. Hosted by food and drink experts, Alex Adams (Ms Darlinghurst) and Simon McGoram (Booze Braggart), Ketel One Bar Tours are a unique and sophisticated way for Sydney-siders to explore the city’s best bars with two people who have intimate knowledge of this growing scene.
So be prepared to learn more about how you can discover the city’s best small drinking establishments for yourself when you visit Ketel One presents Eau-de-Vie at this year’s Taste of Sydney Festival.
Session 1: Thursday 8 March: 5.30pm – 10.00pm
Session 2: Friday 9 March: noon – 4.00pm
Session 3: Friday 9 March: 5.30pm – 10.00pm
Session 4: Saturday 10 March: noon – 4.00pm
Session 5: Saturday 10 March: 5.30pm – 9.30pm
Session 6: Sunday 11 March: noon – 5.00pm
Tickets and more details on the festival here.
Woodford Reserve Master’s Collection
It is a rare pleasure indeed to be asked to come along and sample a fine whiskey, expertly crafted and finished for effect by a distiller that has spent his life learning how the grain of the wood interplays with a spirit of the grain.
It is something else entirely to be asked to saunter through three such drops, but that is exactly what I was lucky enough to enjoy, three weeks hence, when Dan Woolley and Stuart Reeves hosted a food paired tasting of four of the Woodford Reserve Master’s Collection Bourbons. After the not so simple pleasure of a measure of the “standard” bottling of the Woodford Reserve, matched with a sliver of peach, wrapped in smoked duck breast and garnished with a mint leaf, we were off faster than a horse that has been feeding on bluegrass.
First out of the gate was the Sweet Mash.
Almost all of what is available in Australia in the bourbon segment is produced using a technique known as Sour Mash. Essentially, ingredients are introduced to the mash (the ferment of grain) from a prior distillation. In a sweet mash, this step is missed out, resulting in a higher pH ferment that delivers a much sweeter taste and finish, carrying a lot of maple and fruit. This distillation is claimed to be the first sweet mash production of any real scale since the heady days of Prohibition. Certainly a bottle to track down and try in some pre-prohibition cocktails then. Paired with a date and orange nougat it is a delicious way to wind day into night.
Coming round the bend Maple Wood swept up the outside.
Aged in barrels made from previously unusable sugar maple wood staves that are imbued with a sap that contains as much as 3% sugar. The resulting whiskey is not so much about pancakes as treacle, sea salt ginger and leather. Probably my favourite of the night. Om Nom Nom.
Obliterating everything on the home straight, the Seasoned Oak has what can only be described as a mighty finish.
One of the rarities of the Woodford Distillery is that it has its own cooperage. This facility to make new barrels gives a huge amount of creative scope to the distiller, and this, perhaps the most robust bourbon in existance, is a grand example of that. In making a barrel, the planks, or staves, that are used to form the barrel are left outside, exposed to the elements and allowed to develop a wider range of flavours, also reducing the overall tannins as well. The Seasoned Oak uses staves that have been left out for longer than any before it, the industry average is around three to five months, these are left out for three to five years. It leaves a big result, a big mouthfeel whiskey that will satisfy even the most ardent fan. Partnered with pork and duck liver terrine it was an experience that left me trampled underfoot.
These bottles are, unfortunately, extremely difficult to find. Being vintage releases of a limited run, you should snap them up if you come across one and feel free to whack a link to a purchase site on-line in the comments if you find one.
Keep an eye out too for the recently released Rare Rye. The joy of this release is that instead of a single 750ml bottle, you get two 375ml bottles, one rye aged in an old cask, the other in a new. Sounds truly spectacular.
Diamond Jubilee by John Walker & Sons
Nice bit of work from the fine folk at Johnnie walker this. They have released a special commemorative bottling to commemorate HRH’s sixty years on the throne.
As far as crafted authenticity goes, this one is a doozy. The whiskies contained in the blend have all been resting in the Johnnie Walker warehouse since they were distilled in 1952, the year Elizabeth was anointed Queen and ascended the throne.
The selected liquids have been married together in barrels handcrafted from oak provided by the Queen from her estate at Sandringham.
The diamondshaped Baccarat crystal decanters stand on a crystal base with six radial legs to reflect the decades of The Queen’s enduring reign, and are adorned with Britannia silver, selected for its purity. Leading Scottish silversmiths, Hamilton & Inches, has fashioned the collars set with a half-carat diamond, the Royal Arms, John Walker & Sons monogram and individually numbered seals.
Each edition also includes a pair of lead Cumbria Crystal glasses engraved by Philip Lawson Johnston and a commemorative artefact book, hand bound by Laura West at her Isle of Skye bindery and personalised for each owner by Sally Mangum, Calligrapher By Appointment to Her Majesty The Queen. All the elements will be housed in a chest made by the cabinet makers at N.E.J. Stevenson, incorporating oak from Sandringham to echo the whisky marrying casks and Caledonian pine from The Queen’s Balmoral Estate.
Aside from the bottle the Queen and Prince Philip are set to enjoy, the others will be sold around the world, to the benefit of the Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust (QEST.) Support is guaranteed at a million pounds, so you can expect to pay at least seventeen thousand pounds to call a bottle your own.
Chairman of QEST, Richard Watling, commented: “The creation of this beautiful work, a monument to the skills of its craftspeople and the definitive tribute to 60 years of Her Majesty’s reign is of enormous significance to QEST. The donation will enable us to significantly increase the number of scholarships we award, helping to secure the preservation of vital craft skills for generations to come. For this, QEST is extremely grateful.”
Sesquicentennial Bitches
150 years is a long time to have been doing anything. As such, hat tip to the familia Bacardi and their efforts in the distillation, distribution and consumption of rum. Their rum is sold in more than 150 countries around the globe these days. Here’s a bit of brand wank which puts some ridiculously large numbers around what the brand has achieved:
http://www.multivu.com/swf/jwplayer-2011-09-01/player.swf?job=53403
The family has chosen to mark this auspicious day with the limited release of Ron Bacardi de Maestros de Ron MMXII.
It’s $2,000 a bottle, and there are only 400 of them going on sale around the world, plus whatever they keep back for family occasions and to keep the brand’s ambassadors motivated. For your hard earned cash you’ll get just 500mls of a maple coloured liquid that represents the finest Bacardi production in existence.
Aged up to 20yrs and then finished in 60yr old ex-Cognac barrels, the resulting liquid expertly crafted by eight family blenders.
Tasting notes, and further details just seem a wee bit hard to come by at present but a 20+ year aging the heat of the Caribbean is sure to have delivered an epic result. Update: a few quiet drinks with Enrique Comas has yielded that the heart of the 600 litres of this spirit that were produced were one 12 yr old barrel that had been mistakenly left in the Solera and a mystery barrel that used the old numbering system but was improperly dated and, as such, must be at least 10 years old, maybe more. This then is a true vintage product. As its inputs were a mystery, it can never be reproduced.
Anyone who hasn’t had enough Bacardi from this article can go here, and drink from the fire hydrant.
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The Roosevelt
When Sven Almenning launched the 1930′s style speakeasy in the troubled back space of the Kirketon Hotel on Darlinghurst Rd, I’m sure a lot of folk thought it, like it’s predecessors, would not be long on the Sydney scene. Instead, Eau de Vie set a new standard in cocktail bartending and service in Sydney and for the Australian continent as well. You no longer even have to trust the jaded hacks and bar bloggers like me, with an award from Tales of the Cocktail (the world’s leading cocktail and spirit event, if you didn’t know) as the best new cocktail bar on the planet and an outpost in the spiritual home of Australian drinking quality, Melbourne.
The best news yet? Team Eau de Vie is at it again.
The last ten days has seen the doors swing open on The Roosevelt, a welcome addition to the small but well formed drinking scene round the corner from the Cross in Potts Point.
Where the original venue was entrenched in the 1930′s, this new iteration references the 1940′s. It was a decade when women kicked off their shoes to host American troops, while their own men were fight for freedom abroad. It was the decade that marked the first racing of the Sydney to Hobart. It was a decade where Don Bradman scored his 100th century playing the Indians. Crime figures prospered from the moneyed up Yanks and the celebrations as a country found its feet and slaked its thirst again.
The venue takes its name from the flagship nightclub of Kings Cross Personality, Abe Saffron. The interiors reference Hollywood glamour more than Sydney’s history, with glass cabinetry showcasing the impressive collection of shakers and equipment that Sven has collected over the years.
The drinks list is small but perfectly formed. The style builds on the “cocktails you can’t make at home” ethic of the original Eau de Vie, with the delivery spec being taken up even more notches. Try the Roosevelt Refashioned‘s, smart tweaks on the trusted classic. #2 rests on a midori-esque mint ball that stretches and complements the bourbon and creme de peche wonderfully. Share Al Capone’s smugglers crate, which arrives at the table in, well, a crate. Smoke it up with a Dead End, served in a stunning art deco flask. Throw caution to the wind with a Nitro Colada or one of the other pearls from the roaming nitro trolley (pictured above)
Don’t fall in love with the cut crystal decanters that house almost every spirit in the place though, Amber Almenning is pretty sure her husband has bought every piece of available stock in the lucky country, but it does make stading at the bar that little bit more pleasurable. (Interestingly though, this is very much a lounge, the bar is a service area, sans stools, and the real action happens seated in the cosy booths.)
All that hopefully should convince you to go and immerse yourself in some of the city’s best drinking. The most well travelled amongst you will know a bar is defined by its concept only if the people that work there are up to the task. Happy days then, that Barry Chalmers, the charming (heh) Caledonian host who helped with the establishment of Eau de Vie and bedded down a strict but entirely worthwhile adherence to a spec which calls for nothing less than perfection. It’s great to have him back.
The hidden gem of The Roosevelt is through the door and out the back. Twin islands dominate a room established purely for the sport of cocktalian degustation. Accomodating 15 guest a piece, these tables will deliver on an idea that has been much vaunted around the world and only very rarely pulled off. Given the success this team has had at Eau de Vie and now in Melbourne, if anyone can it will be this lot.
Tickets will set you back $150 for five cocktails paired with five courses. I’ve seen other writing about the fact you’ll need to put a card up and pay in advance. While the practice is sure to raise some eyebrows, it should help ensure that the idea manages to make it from a good concept into a going concern.
If the food I tasted out the front, the standard and innovation involved will be something very special to behold. I understand that tonight is the first night it will be open to the public but you can call Barry on 0422 263 226 or email him on barry@theroosevelt.com.au to find out for yourself.
Absolutely the must try venue of 2012.
32 Orwell Street, Potts Point, Australia 2011
www.theroosevelt.com.au
Buy this Poster
This amazing poster breaks down 68 classic cocktails into their respective parts, complete with garnishes.
It’s made in Brooklyn, so it’s hipster cred is legit, yo. They’re asking for $28 American dollars, for one of a thousand limited prints, so use some of your resource inflated Australian dollars and buy one for your bedroom wall at home and set about memorising it.
Thanks to Camper at Alcademics for the share.
Who’s keen for a World Class Sunday?
Each year, Diageo spend a lot of time, money and effort finding a World Class Bartender to represent Australia at take a shot at taking out the global crown. It’s a phenomenal event, packed full of talent and full to the brim with crazy good drinks. Check out the video above of last years finals for an idea of what it all entails.
It all kicks of with the summer round.
There are three categories: Gentleman’s Drinks (think boozy, perfectly balanced seriousness – the kind of thing Don Draper would be into,) Punch (big-bowled fun for the whole family and possibly the most resurgent cocktail category last year,) and Seasonal (The best of what’s fresh local and showcasing an Australian Summer, you can guarantee then, that they’ll all start wet and finish dry. Pretty much whatever your preference, you’ll find something delicious.
The finalists for the summer round are:
Jason Williams, theloft, Sydney
Collin Perillo, Zeta, Sydney
Phil Gandevia, Eau de Vie, Sydney
Thiago Santos, theloft, Sydney
Sarah Miller, I Know a Place, Melbourne
Perryn Collier, The Laneway, Brisbane
Adam Smith, Press Club, Brisbane
Anita Strother, Malt Dining, Brisbane
Fred Siggins, Kodiak Club, Melbourne
So, how does an afternoon (next Sunday, the 22nd) in a glass box on Sydney Harbour, filled with beautiful people, eight of the country’s best bartenders and Jason Williams sound?
Tickets are $65 over at Moshtix. It’s on a motherfucking boat, so space is limited – book yours now!
Sunday 22nd January, 3-6pm. You get to try the 9 drinks, plus some snacks.
I’ll see you there.
Put it in your mouth. Smart (ass) marketing from the fine folks at Stolen Rum
Smart marketing from the boys at Stolen Rum. As part of their Open letter to Bacardi, they’ve sent out samplers of Stolen and Bacardi to generate some attention for their brand.
Essentially they’ve done some research and found that 61% of people prefer Stolen Rum over the Bacardi Superior and written this open letter to Bacardi offering up their recipe for the good of rum drinkers worldwide.
As part of their outreach, I received two mini bottles and instructions on how to conduct my very own taste test.
Product A had green bananas on the nose and through the palate. Good sweetness and a rich almost creamy finish. Product B wasn’t quite as sweet, and I got more ethanol of the nose. The palate delivered caramel, banana and notes of cacao that I found extremely pleasing. I also like quite a “dry” mojito, so I enjoyed the slighty less sweet mouthfeel and finish. Overall it was B for me.
Confirmed by Stolen, sample B was Bacardi. I’m not sure this diminishes their campaign.
As Pepsi proved when they went up against Coke, most consumers will gravitate towards sweetness in this type of activity. As the shift towards Coke 2 and the pull back to the product showed that brands are built on more than taste.
I continue to look forward to receiving smart marketing and award winning rum in my mailbox. While I might not have made the “right” choice blind, my sighted one will always go for the upstart brand trying something different.
The Fourth Drink of Christmas: The Sugared Plum Fairy.
So it’s Christmas, so I’m hoping for a little forgiveness that my 12 drinks project has fallen by the wayside as I’ve rushed to get home to New Zealand, marry the girl of my dreams and drink some pretty spectacular bottles of Champagne along the way.
The Sugared plum fairy came out of the idea that you could combine absinthe and Umeshu (Japanese sweet plum wine.) I’ve made a number of attempts, none of them even remotely successful. I’d welcome a successful cocktail including these ingredients, but for now, just add an egg white to 60mls of Umeshu, 15mls fresh lemon juice, 7.5mls Ardberg 10 yr old, emulisify and shake hard over ice, serve in a sugar rimmed vessel.
The Third Drink of Christmas:The Cummins Cocktail (or the Great Australian Hope Cocktail)
The Second Drink of Christmas: The Festival Cocktail
It would be fair to say that as a group, cocktail bloggers aren’t the hugest fans of vodka drinks. Maybe its the fact you don’t get to talk about the lignin phenols that leech vanillin as they age. Maybe its that as a group they got told to by the bar team at Pegu Club, or maybe it’s simply because it was the drink of preference they would have chosen before their very own cocktail enlightenment led them to the boisterous aniseed wrongness of a sazerac with rum switched in.
I myself fell out of love with vodka for a very different reason. I drank a fuckton of it. I was lucky enough to be involved with the development of the 42 Below Vodka brand in China and slung more vodka cocktails than a bartender at the Ivy Pool Club. I drank plenty too.
Anyways, enough about vodka snobs and why I don’t post more vodka cocktails.
The fact remains the neutral spirit is simply the most versatile tool in a bartenders toolset. It lays down with almost every type of tincture, extract, juice or liqueur. It can be lengthened in a fizz or simply chilled down and enjoyed short.
The second drink of Christmas is the Keystone Summer Festival Cocktail. The signature drink of the summer long extravaganza taking place at Keystone venues across the city, and will be the cocktail of choice at the Sydney Festival bars that will also be run by Keystone as part of the Sydney summer festival. For those of you who don’t work in the hospo industry, you’ll know the Keystone venues as Gazebo, The Winery, Manly Wine, the Loft and many more, all listed on their website.
The drink itself is the brainchild one Jason Williams, one time Australian Bartender of the Year who leads the beverage program across these mighty venues and is a champion of the vodka based cocktail in a way little seen among men of talent behind the stick these days. You might remember him from such posts as the Spring Sherry Cobbler which will hopefully be making a comeback as the summer sherry cobbler soon.
Anyway, here’s what he had to say about his creation.
“It’s an easy, tall cocktail with some really fun flavours. The pomegranate packs a flavour punch with sweetness and tartness in equal measure. The vanilla syrup tempers that and the ginger beer not only gives it a spritz, but matches up with the vanilla. It is going to be a winner while sitting out in the sun or checking out a band at Sydney Festival.
Plus I got to order 10 000 branded umbrellas. Fun times ahead.”
Festival Cocktail
GLASS: Highball
GARNISH: Mint, a cherry and a Keystone parasol
45ml Absolut vodka
10ml Vanilla syrup
30ml POM Wonderful
15ml Lemon
Top with ginger beer (house made at selected venues)
Shake everything but the ginger beer and strain into a highball. Fill with ice and charge with ginger beer. Garnish the shit out of it.
The First Drink of Christmas: The DeCider
I’m a huge fan of a nog at Christmas, but I do accept that the antipodean summer climes don’t suit raw eggs and cream heavy drinks particularly well. An alternative to the Northern nogs has been thunk up by Ed Loveday of the Passage in Darlinghurst.
The Batlow cider it uses is a drier drop than many of the sugar heavy bottles that have hit the shelves and shores of the lucky country of late and plays nicely with the herbaceous characters of the Noilly and the Yellow Chartreuse. There are also not enough opportunities to add a start anise to a great looking cocktail.
The DeCider
40ml Zubrowka Bison Grass Vodka
15ml Noilly Pratt Dry Vermouth
10ml Yellow Chartreuse
20ml Lemon Juice
1tsp Sugar
Dash Egg White
1 Star Anise Pod (Garnish)
Batlow Premium Cider
Combine all liquids (except for Batlow Premium Cider) in a mixing glass and fill with ice. Cover and shake hard. Strain out, and return to mixing glass without ice. Dry shake (without ice) for 45-60 seconds. Pour into wine glass and top with Batlow Premium Cider. Garnish with a star anise pod.
A trip to Fantasy Island*
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This weekend, Cockatoo Island will become my idea of a Fantasy Island. There will be drinks, talks, Julio Bermejo will be on hand making his fantastics Tommy’s Margarita.
You’ll get to try some delicious cocktails like Tattoo and his lady friend are enjoying in the picture above.
The Saturday has already sold out, and this is by no means an event for everyone. You should probably only go if you like $6-$8 cocktails and one or more of the brands listed below.
Cost:
$15 admission (plus booking fee; cocktails, samples and food not included). Cocktail Island will use “Cocktail Currency”- purchase these tokens to buy well-priced cocktails
When:
Saturday 19 and Sunday 20 November, 11am-6pm (general public)
Monday 21 November, 11am-5pm (hospitality trade day)
Where:
Cockatoo Island Convict Precinct will be transformed into a “piazza” with tasting rooms and a cafe
Transport:
Cockatoo Island is just a 12-minute ferry trip from Circular Quay. Services run 7-days a week. To plan your trip contact Transport Info on 131 500 or visit 131500.com.au
Water taxis available by request. Marina for private boats to dock for two hours at Cockatoo Island, should you be up for partying like a rockstar
Visit http://www.cocktailisland.com.au/ for further information.
*No guarantees on the presence or otherwise of your very own midget butler.
A little bit of opportunism – Movember Cocktails from San Diego
Everyone does Christmas, thanksgiving and Halloween drinks these days. Few of them raise as much of a chuckle as these two from Saltbox in San Diego for Movember. The one on the right is a garnished Tom Collins, called the Tom Selleck. Classic.
These were both published, with the photo above on the Discover SD Blog. I’d suggest going over there and having a look.
If you’re looking for someone to sponsor, my mate Joe is having a crack this year. It’s for a great cause and he needs all the help he can get. You can make a donation, and check out his picture diary here.
Get your jugs out
Sometimes, being involved in charity work means waking up early, exercise or something outside of the general terms of reference for many of whom drinking and a good night out are clear winners in the pastime stakes.
Luckily, Bacardi have team up with Madame Brussells to deliver a tasty event that is all for a good cause. Climb the stairs tomorrow night for some pink drinks a good time and the type of cackling, throw your head back laughter that can only be found on the best astro-turfed balcony in Melbourne.
6-9pm. Tuesday the 15th of November at 59 Bourke St. $40 donation a requiremnet of entry. Auction to follow.
Rematch Beeyatch
Many of you might think that bartenders are a bunch of moustachioed, tatooed, flat cap wearing tip hounds. You might even believe that they are allergic to sunlight and claw and hiss at you when encountered beyond the safety of three feet of wood.
It’s no my place to say whether that’s true or not, but if you’d like to go to where the wild things are and see for yourself, head down to The Standard on Sunday to watch them hoot, holler and mix up a storm. I’ll take no responsibility whatsoever if you kick on to the afterparty at LoFi.
Johnnie Walker Double Black
It’s taken almost a year since the global launch, but Johnnie Walker Double Black has finally tipped over to general availability on these shores. Blended whisky mavens will have spotted bottle in travel retail (duty free) for a few months now, but 7500 facebook fans now have bottle adorning their desks and lining their stomachs.
While the blended whisky market has seen Black Bushmills and Black Grouse already adding a hint more smoke, the innovation seems to have remained poorly comunicated here, and it seems that the momentum they’re building towards the consumer launch on Wednesday means Johnnie will get the lion’s share of the credit in bringing a bit more west coast mouthfeel into play.
Any existinfg fan of the single lighthouses of the wild west, like Talisker, Port Ellen, Lagavulin, Ardberg or Caol Ila will probably be a little disappointed with the amount of smoke that comes to the palate. This is possibly because the smoke not only comes from the heavy peated malt whiskies in the blend, but also from a heavy charring of the finishing casks. Essentially, you light a fire in the barrel and char the insides before filling it with liquid.
It’s a good entry point to the land of salt and smoke, it will work well in a cocktail too. The signature serve is on a sphere of ice, and it performs well in a highball. If you want to mix a cocktail, try it out in a dried out Bobbie Burns, 60mls Double Black, 10mls Italian Vermouth, 1 barspoon Benedictine. Stir it down over ice and strain it up
Expect to part with $65 if you’re looking to add a bottle to your liquor cabinet, and it’s a quality blend with some good smoke at that price.
The Former Glory
With all the speakeasies, dive bars and bodegas popping up around the city, did you ever stop to wonder what the local drinking legacy was in this, the lucky country?
While the rest of the world was sternly frowning through prohibition, or masking the taste of bathtub gin with lemon and cherries Sydney had its very own scene, as did much of the rest of the country.
The Algonquin Cocktail - Bourbonesque deliciousness
Everyone has heard of the six o’clock swill. Licensing laws called for the taps to close hard on six and pushed drunken angry men home to sit quietly or perhaps beat their wives to a pulp.
Aside from this there were the sly grog joints. Often these were the local butchers or corner store, who hung their tile for the night and poured a warming whisky for any willing to walk in close and whisper the right words. “Is Mum In”
Coopers Big Botts, served in a bag and two for one from five till six on thursdays. wife beatings discouraged
It’s a common misconception that cocktails weren’t being drunk at these times, the Broken Hill rag in the early 1900′s was publishing the results of many a contest and the implements of general cocktailery (shakers, strainers and spoons) were being manufactured for local consumption around that time.
Tequila tastiness, all dressed up in a long glass
For the next few weeks, you’ll be able to experience a little slice of Sydney’s sly grog past, on the second floor of the East Village Hotel in Darlinghurst. The Hotel is steeped in the city’s Underbelly past, having been the watering hole of choice for one Tilly Devine and her crew. The floor of the main saloon was covered in sawdust, and was known to the locals as the Bloodhouse.
Skins, Dips and Dollops - Devine
Chef Adam Spencer has pulled his inspiration from the twenties, serving up some tasty little morsels that nod to the past but play to a Sydney that has developed a decidedly more refined palate.
Soul food for those with some temporal displacement
My pick is the Undergound Mutton Rillettes. Back in the day mutton was the most sophisticated of meats available to your average or not-so Sydneysider. Rabbits and Chickens would be mixed up in the pot and sold as underground mutton to those who couldn’t get their hands on the real deal.
I'll forgo Mutton for the Underground for looks like this
It’s a good slice of escapism for anyone who has been watching Underbelly, or simply wants to drink some cracking cocktails that you won’t find on every list in Sydney. Come drink wine from a teacup, step back in time without the risk of razor attack.
The Former Glory
Second Floor, The East Village Hotel
234 Palmer St, Darlinghurst
Open Wednesday through Saturday from 5 till it’s no longer safe to clamber down the stairs.
(02) 9331 5457
On Google Maps, here.
DISCLAIMER: I am employed by the East Village Hotel to provide them with PR Services as part of my day job as Creative Director at Hill & Knowlton, which just quietly, I enjoy perhaps a little too much. Most of my meeting are at mealtimes to make the most of their ridiculously great food and drink.
