This Dale DeGroff drink was made for me by Kevin Armstrong of the Soulshakers, who introduced me to the joys of drinking Punt e Mes on ice. highball
40ml/1½fl oz Punt e Mes 40ml/1½fl oz pink grapefruit juice 40ml/1½fl oz orange juice 40ml/1½fl oz tonic water ice cubes pink grapefruit & orange slice
Pour the ingredients in order into a glass over ice, stirring as you add each one. Garnish with a pink grapefruit and orange slice.
Bitter Summer
London’s Match Bar Group, now The Rushmore Group, have done much to change the face of bartending. Here’s a favourite from them. highball or sling
50ml/1¾fl oz gin 2 tsp Campari 50ml/1¾fl oz pink grapefruit juice 2 tsp lemon juice 3 tsp sugar syrup see page 288 dash of passion fruit syrup ice cubes crushed ice pink grapefruit slice & sprig of mint
The London Cup
I was lucky enough to be a judge on a cocktail competition in New York between the very best American and British bartenders. I can’t remember the winner, but it may well have been London’s Giles Looker of the Soulshakers bar consultancy with this creation. These quantities will serve two, but it is a sharing aperitif so can be adapted to serve more.
Charles Vexenat Originally from Burgundy, France, Charles Vexenat grew up in a family of bistroteurs and restaurateurs. His first experiments with mixing liquids began when he was just six years old, using syrups and lemonade at his grandparents’ brasserie in Dijon. He has since gone on to travel the world, work behind the best bars, consult on the best menus, win awards and open his own bar 1805 in Ibiza.
Calle Rouge right
serving jug & rocks
50ml/1¾fl oz Martin Miller’s Westbourne Strength gin 50ml/1¾fl oz Martini Rosso 30ml/1fl oz Campari 30ml/1fl oz Cointreau 50ml/1¾fl oz pink grapefruit juice ice cubes Fever-Tree lemonade to top slices of cucumber, 1 lemon quartered, 5 strawberries halved, half a pink grapefruit sliced, a handful of blackberries to add to the jug sprigs of mint
Passion Fruit Spritz
A fruity twist on the Italian spritz to get the evening up and running. Just multiply the quantities to suit the number of guests. SERVING JUG & COUPE OR SMALL WINE
30ml/1fl oz Aperol 30ml/1fl oz fresh passion fruit purée Prosecco or champagne to top ice cubes orange slices & ½ passion fruit
co ck ta i l sty l es moder n ap e r i ti fs
Shake all the ingredients with ice cubes and strain into a glass full of crushed ice. Top up with more ice if necessary and garnish with a sprig of mint and a pink grapefruit slice.
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Stir the first five ingredients with ice in a serving jug. Top up with lemonade and add the fruit. Garnish the glasses with sprigs of mint.
Here’s a great tequila aperitif moment, dry but also lovely and light, with a touch of floral sweetness from the elderflower. Charles has an exceptional knowledge of tequila, having spent time working at distilleries in Mexico.
Pour the ingredients in order over ice in a serving jug and stir. Garnish the glasses with orange slices and passion fruit halves.
martini
30ml/1 fl oz Calle 23 tequila blanco 3 tsp Noilly Prat Original Dry vermouth 3 tsp St-Germain elderflower liqueur 3 tsp hibiscus water see below ice cubes lemon zest strip
Stir all the ingredients in a mixing glass with ice, strain into a martini glass and garnish with a lemon zest strip.
Southwark Spring Punch background
Charles has designed drinks for some of the best bars in the world. He says: ‘This was inspired by Dick Bradsell’s Russian Spring Punch, and found great success on the Baltic menu in London.’ sling or highball
Hibiscus water Steep 1 handful of dried hibiscus flowers in 750ml/1¼ pints of hot water for 30 minutes. Strain and leave to cool. Warm 100ml/3½fl oz of agave nectar with 50ml/1¾fl oz of water in a pan over a low heat until combined, then leave to cool. Add the agave mix to the hibiscus flower liquid, bottle and store in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
40ml/1½fl oz Hendrick’s gin 3 tsp St-Germain elderflower liqueur 4 tsp lemon juice 2 tsp sugar syrup see page 288 ice cubes champagne to top cucumber slices & a rose petal
Shake the first four ingredients with ice, strain into a glass over fresh ice and top with champagne. Garnish with 3 cucumber slices and a rose petal.
co ck ta i l sty l es ch ar l es v exe n at
BARtender PROFILE
Aperitivo California
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