Melbourne drinks expert Kayla Saito brings us a White Negroni that’s spiced and everything nice.
About the cocktail
You can usually find Kayla Saito mixing up drinks at Abbotsford’s uber-cool, Molli. But when she’s not looking after all things drinks for Molli and the other Mulberry Group venues, Kayla is serving OG cocktails like her Spiced White Negroni at her hospo house (that’s a house where everyone is a bartender or works in hospo). Talk about dream home. As chocolate season (AKA Easter) is fast approaching, we’re sure events are starting to drop into your calendar, or you’re gearing up for hosting duties. We know you’ve heard of the Negroni, and probably even the White Negroni, but Kayla’s Spiced White Negroni adds layers of complexity with a few simple tweaks. Aside from the outrageously good flavour (and the fact it’s served with a shard of chocolate), this cocktail can be batched. And it has three equal parts, so you literally can’t mess it up. “I was after something convenient for entertaining but interesting in flavour and, of course, delicious,” says Kayla. Batch freezing = convenient. Spiced White Negroni = interesting and damn delicious. So, what does it taste like? “It’s a more honeyed and milder White Negroni, paired with flavours like spiced chai, candied citrus peel and complex spice.” While we’ve used the Spiced Negroni, Kayla recommends playing around with your choice of gin. "We have great gins that showcase the botanicals and blended cultures in Australia, so have fun with your selection and the drinks will benefit."
The below recipe serves one, but if you’re hosting Easter at yours, or having a few mates around – per Kayla’s entertaining hack – this is the perfect batch-make cocktail. "Freezer-door cocktails are incredibly convenient to serve. You get more time catching up with friends and less fuss whipping up a great drink. They also taste incredible because they’ll be the coldest possible and won’t dilute as quickly over ice." Say no more.
Ingredients
15mL chai tea (or water) 25mL Four Pillars Spiced Negroni Gin
25mL Montenegro Amaro Montenegro Italiano
25mL Lillet Blanc Aperitif
1/4 pinch salt
Glass: rocks
Garnish: grated orange zest and white chocolate shard
Method
Prepare some chai tea ahead of time and place in the fridge to cool Pour the Spiced Negroni Gin, Montenegro Amaro and Lillet Blanc Aperitif into a mixing jug, followed by your cold chai tea Add a 1/4 pinch of salt before giving the mix a light stir Pour the cocktail into a glass bottle with a lid before putting it in the freezer When ready to serve, remove from freezer, and serve in a glass over ice Garnish with grated orange zest on top and a shard of white chocolate
Kayla’s top tips
It’s clear that Kayla knows her way around a bar, and her Spiced White Negroni is too good to keep to yourself, so be sure to make a batch to impress your guests. Kayla says that when batching cocktails, each serve will be consistent – and never disappoint. By freezing this cocktail, all ingredients meld and begin to mellow out. “If you batch five or 10 serves, the recipe would be consistently delicious,” says Kayla. “If batching more than five, lower the salt a touch, or things like bitters, as you’ll need less.” And while freezing your cocktail ahead of time means you're super-dooper organised, it also means your guests can help themselves. Mi casa, su casa.
