A few people have asked me about my winning drinks I made for the Bartender of the Year Comp a month or so ago. I try explaining them, and people usually get bored half way through. You need to taste them. It’s unfortunate in Australia, drinks for competitions are are the equivelant of Haute Couture fashion. They are one-offs. Not usually made for mass consumption. So not many people will get to try these drinks. This differs to London, as a lot of English bartenders attempt to make drinks for competitions that can be recreated in any bar, anytime. This, however has given me a great idea. WHEN I open my own bar, (touch wood, very soon) I am going to run a hospitality night for the big winners of cocktail competitions to make their winning drinks one more time, so anyone who cares to try them, can. Once a month a winner of a big comp *someone from Eau De Vie or Black Pearl* will come to my spot, and introduce one of their winning drinks. What do you think?
Until then i’m going to tell you about the drinks I made for the BOTY comp. I’ll put up the other drink next week.
Drink #1
COLD BUTTERED RUM
Rum, butter, whisky, honey, thyme
With inspiration taken from the early 19th Century concoction, the Hot Buttered Rum, the Cold buttered Rum welds together bartending techniques used and performed in recent years and perfects them in a manner that is relevant, practical, and most importantly, delicious.
Unsalted Danish butter is warmed until a Beurre Noisette (nutty butter) is acquired. This is ‘fat-washed’ with Ron Zacapa 23yrs, then chilled until the fat of the butter has floated to the surface. This is then skimmed and used to smear on ones morning toast.
This “buttery-rum” is then stirred lovingly down with a spoon of Hickory smoked Australian Blue-gum honey, that has been teamed with Lagavulin 16yrs to achieve an acceptable viscosity.
A few dashes of an organic Fernet, stolen from Sebastian Reaburn, is used as a bitters element.
This drink is served amongst three hand-chipped ice blocks, and fresh thyme is added for a fresh, and herbal contrast.
dope!
Fat washing won me a trip to Makers Mark in a recent comp (I came second and the winner dropped out but that’s not important). I used to think it was a load of wank, but it created an unparalleled richness and enhanced butter, toffee and popcorn aromas that are found in the whiskey and other bourbons of high quality.
The drink was dedicated to a journalist called David P Garino. He wrote an article entitled ‘Makers Mark goes against the grain to make it’s Mark’ published on the front page of the Wall Street Journal on August 1st 1980, which needless to say made Makers mark very ‘rich’.
Against the grain.
30ml Makers Mark
20ml Buttered Makers Mark
15ml LBV Port
7.5ml D.O.M Benedictine
1.25ml Sugar syrup (2:1)
1.25ml Cointreau
A
Sounds awesome McGurk. Great minds, hey? When you off to Kentucky?? Lucky bastard. You’ll have to tell me where you get your 1.25ml Jiggers though…