Drink Report #2
We continue with Drink Report numero due, and I am already looking at myself in the mirror with complete satisfaction, not only for not having given up on this somewhat more elaborate format after just one issue, but also for having kept to the planned schedule, with an in-between gap of about two months.
As last time, I have again placed particular emphasis on a little diversity. On the one hand, in terms of difficulty levels, since we have a purely stirred drink without any preparation (well, with a bunch of ingredients, but it's worth it, trust me), a very cool kiwi-habanero drink with medium difficulty in terms of homemade ingredients, and finally an exciting concept drink that "only" contains two prepared ingredients, but one of them packs a punch. In addition to the "levels", this time we also have an appealing mix of mixologists/cities, with Cologne, Frankfurt, and Kraków. Let's go!
[Tailor Made Drink]
(Chris Pusdrowski, Woods, Cologne)
- 30ml Kyro smoked rye
- 20ml Cocchi Americano
- 15ml Punt E Mes
- 15ml Discarded Cascara vermouth
- 2 dashes saline solution
- 2 dashes chocolate bitters
- 1 dash Angostura bitters
- 1 dash orange bitters
Stir with ice, rocks glass, ice cube, lemon zest.
The famous Woods Bar in downtown Cologne introduced another new concept a month or two ago. Every week (!), there are three different, new spirits on offer at a 50% discount, either neat or in a drink. They also always try to mix it up each time, sometimes with rye, rum, and vermouth, sometimes with a rare liqueur, arrack, and gin, often in limited editions, single casks, and even old SMWS bottlings. It's a win-win situation: the bar gets rid of bottles that wouldn't be used much otherwise, and guests (especially regulars) can try rarer items at a nice price.
Recently, Kyro Smoked Malt Rye Whisky was on offer and I had Chris Pusdrowski prepare a nice drink for me. The specification was simply "stirred", similar to a Manhattan or Old Fashioned, with a small, exciting twist, and the result was this one, which they have already served 1-2 times before. A perfectly balanced cocktail with malty, spicy, and light BBQ notes, which are captured very elegantly and smoothly by modifiers such as the vermouth and Cocchi. Wine-like notes, grapes, flowers, complex and deep, yet silky smooth.
Kiwi Do You Love me?
(Markos Nestor Tsangalis, Hunky Dory, Frankfurt a. M.)
- 40ml cucumber tequila*
- 10ml habanero dry curaçao**
- 15ml kiwi syrup (z.B. Giffard/Monin)
- 15ml kiwi cordial***
- 20ml lime juice
Shake with ice, fine strain, tumbler, ice cube.
Garnish: Sumac-, Tajin- & salt rim
Markos Nestor Tsangalis, bar manager at the well-known Hunky Dory Bar in Frankfurt, was on tour in May with a few agave spirits and visited Suderman in Cologne, among other places. That's where I picked up this great drink, which was initially only available at the event series, but will now also be included in the next Hunky Dory menu, and rightly so. He simplified it a little for our report so that it also works with ready-made kiwi syrup. Of course, there are still three homemade ingredients, because we're all discerning mixologists here, right?
I really like the finished cocktail because the combination of cucumber and kiwi gives it a kind of fresh woodruff note and it generally tastes like a grown-up summer ice pop. Think of a kiwi version of the cactus ice cream you find in the supermarket, tingly, with a hint of chili. It's fun, a clear summer highlight, and yet it doesn't lack depth.
*cucumber tequila:
- 700 ml 1800 blanco tequila
- 500g cucumbers
Wash the cucumber and cut into thin slices. Add to the tequila and leave to macerate in a preserving jar for 48 hours. Filter and bottle.
**habanero dry curaçao:
- 50g habaneros (fresh)
- 1l dry curaçao
Roughly chop the habaneros, place them in a measuring cup, and put them in the freezer for about 4 hours to let them dry a bit. Then pour the dry curaçao over them and let them steep for about 15-20 minutes. Filter and bottle.
***kiwi cordial:
- 1kg kiwis
- ca. 250ml lime juice
- ca. 150ml 2:1 simple syrup
Scoop out the kiwis and place them in a blender. Purée carefully on medium speed. Press the mixture through a fine sieve. Add the lime juice and season to taste. Adjust the acidity/sweetness if necessary. Filter and bottle.
Bar dla samotnych dam (A Bar for Lonely Ladies)
(Maciej Knapik)
- 30ml Bombay Sapphire Premier Cru
- 3ml fennel seeds tincture*
- 5ml caper brine
- 50ml parsley, fennel & patchouli cordial**
- 10ml dry vermouth or dry sake
Stir with ice, Nick & Nora, no garnish.
Anyone who has already tried to google the name of this "bar" in the name of the drink and then wondered: Maciej used to work at The Trust in Kraków and is currently on a tongue-in-cheek "tour" with a variety of his signature drinks. I first had this perfectly balanced drink at a perfume event in The Trust, where the base (with bourbon instead of gin) was adapted to the perfume pairing, and then again at Hanashi (see picture above). Thanks to the great base of sweetness and acidity and the possibility of adjusting the herbs in the cordial as needed, this drink - if you master it - is the ideal pairing for food or more conceptual combinations.
*fennel seeds tincture:
- 50g fennel seeds
- 300g vodka
Combine both ingredients in a vessel, close it and leave for 7 days.
**parsley, fennel & patchouli cordial:
- 2000ml filtered water
- 500ml super lime juice (Kevin Kos' recipe)
- 700g fennel bulbs
- 1400g sugar
- 600g fresh parsley
- 80g citric acid
- 40g malic acid
- 500ml brewed patchouli leaves (20g patchouli leaves brewed in 500g water)
- 300ml boiled water
- 8g agar agar
1) Chop parsley & fennel bulbs. The best way to chop parsley is to do it when it's frozen, it looses less aroma this way.
2) Put the 2000ml water, super lime juice, fennel bulbs, sugar, parsley and both of the acids into the blender. If you use a classic small blender, the batch should be divided into 4-5 cups. Blend everything. The texture you want to achieve should be like pesto.
3) Boil the 500g water and brew the patchouli leaves for 12 minutes. Filter & discard the leaves afterwards.
4) Pour the content from the blender into a large vessel. Wait a bit for the patchouli water to cool down (you don't want to lose too much aroma by boiling the parsley and citruses from the super lime) and combine it together.
5) Boil the 300g water and melt the agar agar in it (you must be quick because you want a liquid, not a jelly). Ccombine the hot liquid with the whole cordial + patchouli mix in the vessel. Stir it well.
6) Leave the mixture/final cordial at room temperature for 3 hours, then put it in the freezer for approximately 12 hours.
7) Clarify the cordial through e.g. a coffee filter - use specialty coffee filters or filtering paper.
