What are some current trends you’ve seen in the cocktail market?
Having travelled around the Asia Pacific region recently, I have noticed a lot of creativity where bartenders create drinks based on homemade ingredients. They use almost everything, from bitters, infusions, fat washing* to syrups, to create interesting cocktails with great flavor. The ritual theater behind a memorable serve provides that real “wow” factor when the drink arrives at the table. Just as spirits are known to age in barrels, cocktails today follow suit.
* Fat washing involves mixing a melted fat with a spirit, chilling the mixture until the fat solidifies, then skimming or straining it to get the fat out.
What’s the next big thing in cocktails and spirits?
Gin has made a big comeback. One of my favorite brands is Tanqueray No. 10. Also, many spirits which were made back in the old days are being reproduced again. Cocktail trends wise, there is rapid progress in new techniques applied behind the bar to create new cocktails that involve methods using homemade ingredients and barrel-aged cocktails.
What’s your advice to the home mixologist?
Less is always more. Fresh ingredients, good quality products and proper ice cubes!
Rising To The Sky by Erik Lorincz
What you need:
- 45ml of Tanqueray No. 10 gin
- 10ml Yuzu juice
- 22.5ml freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 15ml pressed pineapple juice
- 10ml shot Fino dry sherry
- 15ml sugar syrup
- 8 fresh coriander leaves
Method:
Shake all ingredients with ice and fine strain into a chilled martini glass, serve alongside a tumbler of botanical steam (for an extra sensory experience, not to be drunk).
Botanical steam:
Macerate coriander leaves, juniper berries and grapefruit peel in hot water, then pour over dry ice.
