It’s a Royal Wedding!

.75 oz. Tanqueray
.5 oz. maraschino liqueur
.5 oz. fresh lemon juice
1 bar spoon blue Curacao
Shake all ingredients (except blue Curacao) vigorously and strain into chilled cocktail glass. Slowly pour blue Curacao down the inside of the glass to sit at the bottom.

Alcohol Content: .535

Seems like everyone is jumping on the bandwagon (and me too by reposting these) as the Royal Wedding edges closer in London. Gentleman bartender, Bon Vivant and Tanqueray roving man, Angus Winchester has pulled together these recipes to help all and sundry celebrate the happy day.

The Colour Me Royal (English spelling, of course) is a lovely little riff on the Aviation Cocktail, with the striking addition of Blue Curacao to liven things up. I think it might be enough to get even the most staunch, pinko, lefty, republican, Cachaca ambassador  excited.

Three more after the jump…

On Tour: Agents and Merchants

A second little find for me this last weekend in New Zealand was A&M, partner venue to the esteemed Racket, hiding down a little alleyway just off Customs St East in Auckland’s Britomart development.

The laneways here are what is called contrived, like much of Birtomart’s development. BUT, and that is meant to be a big but, the team at A&M have done their level best to make their bar feel as though it is in Melbourne, and not the bottom of a Westpac office building. I believe they have succeeded.

Mid afternoon cocktails, a Corpse Reviver #2 & a Negroni were well made, quickly delivered and tasty as hell. The perfect questions on preference of gin for the negroni and 24 for the CR2 were unexpected but welcome discoveries.  The staff are attentive and friendly, and after tasting the pear, ginger and chili syrup from the team next door, Racket will be getting a visit on my next trip back home.

Perfect for an afternoon with friends and the massive outdoor fireplace means it would be a good hit for winterly conditions as well. Wine also looked great.

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Summer Loving

While the Northern Hemisphere tilts away from the warming light of the sun, hot punch recipes are being dusted off. Some provide warmth, others exist solely to bring a tint of colour to the milky white skin of Englishmen.

Rejoice then, that you live in Sydney, where access to sun, surf, parks and beaches are plentiful and open to all.

As you head to any of these places, to meet in large groups or small, the default choice for refreshment is a six pack of coldies or a bottle of wine. I’d ask you to consider for a moment stepping outside of that norm and heading, replete, with a fine jar of tippling punch on your next park sojourn.

Punch was invented back when alcohol was so rough, punters only wanted to mask the flavour enough to get it down and start the glorious journey to intoxication, these days, punches in the summer or the winter showcase flavours of booze,  fruit and herbacious additives. Experimentation is the key here, perfect punch is a very fluid concept, go with what’s fresh and match the flavours as best you can.

Punches are best described in ratios, as everyone will have a different sized jar, bowl or bathtub, depending on the size of one’s frivolity, and frankly your ambition.

My Summer Punch

Fill a preserving jar with ice and slide slices of lemons, limes and oranges down the side with a barspoon. Add 2 parts Tanqueray Gin, 1 part Lillet Blanc, 1 part pomegranate juice, 1 part cloudy apple juice, 1/2 part fresh squeezed lemon juice. Garnish with mint, think bush not sprig.

The walk or drive to the destination should provide sufficient mixing.

Enjoy, and feel free to share your own punch combos in the comments.

Gins & Tonic

I am sure that some people will try and tell me that this is not a cocktail. Some may even question the pluralisation of Gin, but i’ve been told its Gins & Tonic by far too many barmen to consider writing it any differently.

The definition of a cocktail I like best is a fine spirit, slightly improved. The Gin & Tonic truly embodies this fine ideal. It is also one of the easiest cocktails in the world to make. Add any quantity of Gin to an iced glass top with tonic and lightly flavor with citrus. tall glasses on a long day, short ones in more serious company.

The choice of Gin again is up to personal preference. Bombay Sapphire is my Dad’s standby, Gordon’s makes a fine G&T, Beefeater too. My own personal favorite is the Tanqueray and Tonic, particularly when its made with the very special and very preeemium Tanqueray No. Ten. Legend has it this Gin is made from the only still at the Tanqueray distillery to escape Hitlers bombers during the blitz. It is a well crafted and very smooth example of the category, and one that works with almost any type of citrus you can lay your hands on. 

Most drinkers will be familiar with swapping lemon for lime, and on occasion orange or grapefruit. I would encourage you to try a decent measure (say squeeze two or three segments into the drink) of Tangelo, Blood Orange, Pomelo, Yuzu frankly, if its citrus it will change the profile of the drink, swap between a few during the course of the night.

My father used to ask for two fingers of Gin, in a glass with no ice, topped with cold tonic. It remains a great drink, so long as you whip through them before they warm up.

Here’s how I like it: at least 60 mls Gin, poured into an ice filled glass. Three segments of whatever citrus is at hand and between 90 and 150 mls of tonic to fill the glass. Savour the taste of the spirit, the cold of the ice, the sour of the citrus and the tangy effervesence that comes with the addition of tonic.

The Victoria Room

Old World Elegance

 

Level 1, 235 Victoria Street
Darlinghurst NSW 2010
Sydney, Australia.

+61 2 9357 4488

Google Map.

Up a set of awkward but seemingly authentic warehouse stairs, lies Sydney’s Victoria Room. 

A stylish eating and drinking affair, the room gets a little crowded, so either get there early enough to get a seat or a pice of the bars real estate, or get your game face on and stare down any number of on-the-cusp tweentie somethings to mark your territory.

I started proceedings with a Rittenhouse Manhattan from the house list. A very generous measure of Rittenhouse Rye, stirred over ice with Cinzano Rosso. It was a smoky wonderful treat, perfect for cutting through the lethargy remaining from my meal. 

Rittenhouse Rye Whisky was originally launched upon the repeal of Prohibition by the Continental Distilling Company of Philadelphia , and was subsequently acquired by Heaven Hill Distilleries, the nation’s largest independent family-owned spirits producer and the second largest holder of aging American Whiskey in the world.

For a follow up, I ordered one of my favorites, the Aviation Cocktail. I prefer mine with Tanqueray stirred over ice with just a dash of Luxardo Maraschino Liquer and around 10 mls of fresh lemon juice. Strained up in a martini glass and icy cold is the way to drink this one.

Traditional recipes may call for the addition of Creme de Violet or as much as 15 mls Maraschino, but I find this overly floral and sweet. The drink originates from the prohibition era, when the gin was made in bathtubs, served in teacups and needed a lot of hiding. Use any of the new style premium gins and you’ll find this a delightful experience.

Overall, the Victoria Room was an average experience, with an overcrowded bar and long waits for service being offset by friendly, engaging staff. I’ll go back and try it again, hopefully on a quieter night.