Learn to make the recipes that started it all for bartenders from Caretaker’s Cottage, Bar Liberty and more.
Emma, bartender at Whisky & Alement, admits that whisky wasn’t her cup of tea until trying an Old Fashioned. “I was using the Old Fashioned to try different whiskies without the harshness.” Now a full-on whisky professional, it’s safe to say that she owes her profession to those pivotal first sips of the Old Fashioned years ago. As the name suggests, the drink is simple, without the frivolous flourishes and add-ons reserved for ‘fancy cocktails’. Sugar, bitters and whisk(e)y are the only ingredients. However, the drink is malleable – for example, Emma uses a rye whiskey for a spicier flavour.
Try Emma’s Rye Old Fashioned cocktail recipe here.
Speaking of the Old Fashioned, the Treacle cocktail is a clever twist on the previous classic. A Dick Bradsell 1990s original, it uses rum and a float of apple juice instead of whiskey. Due to the rich molasses in the drink, we’d say it’s a slightly heavier drink than the OG Old Fashioned, but the tart Granny Smith apple juice provides a fresh element that neatly cuts through those rich flavours. “Taking rum and making something sophisticated, but also softened by the apple juice, was a real life-changing moment for me… It made me think about drinks differently.”
For Cara Devine – bartender, popular YouTub-er and Bomba manager – it was the savoury element of the Gin Sour with Celery Bitters that ignited her love of cocktails. “It was so nice and light and floral, and had that fluffy thing that I really like about the French Martini, but a bit more on the savoury side.” The very first iteration of the Gin Sour recipe was in Jerry Thomas’ iconic book The Bartender’s Guide in 1862. Cara’s drink takes that recipe and twists it slightly to include elderflower, egg white and celery bitters, giving it a lovely, refreshing zing. “Everything I’d had was always quite sweet, so it was definitely a bit of a lightbulb moment for me.”
Find Cara’s eye-opening Gin Sour with Celery Bitters cocktail recipe here.
Drinks extraordinaire, Matt Stirling (from award-winning Caretaker’s Cottage) believes in simple things done well. “It’s a super-simple drink and the instruction list is pretty short, but when you really know what you're doing, you can appreciate it a lot more.” A Mojito, with its zesty limes, fragrant mint and white rum may seem super easy to make, but, as Matt can attest, it's all in the details. The origin of this fruity drink is hotly contested, but we all agree that its roots are firmly planted in Cuba and, of course, that it's one tasty drink. Making a good one does require a little industry know-how, but luckily, we’ve scored all Matty’s tips and tricks.
