THE COCKTAIL LOVERS
INGREDIENTS FOR MORE THAN GREAT DRINKS THE COCKTAIL LOVERS.COM WINTER 2022
ISSUE 43
ISSN 2052-059X
What bartenders are drinking this holiday season
The recipes top ’tenders make at home PAGE 28
Perfect pairings
All the tips you need for matching food and cocktails PAGE 44
Did someone say party?
Top drinking spots to get your groove on around the world PAGE 50
’TIS THE SEASON TO...
CELEBRATE
ANYTIME, ANYHOW, ANYWHERE
Succumbing to the splendour at the stunning Atrium Bar at Four Seasons, Firenze
contents 08
Amuse bouche
News, views, reviews and interviews, including reasons to be cheerful, where they’re drinking in New York and six questions for Salvatore ‘The Maestro’ Calabrese
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Special deliveries
44
Anytime, anywhere, anyhow
Our pick of the tastiest tipples for the season
Staying in? Low maintenance, big impression – simple ideas to get cocktail gatherings at home started right
11 bright reasons to be a cocktail lover Adding glam to our glass, eating our drinks, going for bold, and more
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Wrap stars
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In the hotseat
28
What bartenders are drinking this holiday season
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40
50 Did someone say party?
Going out? Millie Milliken picks the top spots to celebrate around the world
Gift ideas for cocktail lovers at any time of year
Modern etiquette expert Maggie Oldham on how to be the dream guest and perfect host
Eggnog, festive punch and fluffy-as-youlike Garibaldis – three of the cocktails that some of our favourite bartenders will be serving at home during the holidays
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The cocktail girl & guy
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Take 3 ingredients
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Liquid intelligence
Two five-star adventures in Italy: she gets all giddy at the Atrium Bar at the Four Seasons in Florence and he soaks up the setting at Compass Bar at Mandarin Oriental, Lake Como
The wheel deal
Celebrating the bar cart with design director, party planning expert and author Vanessa Dina
Rich Woods aka The Cocktail Guy mixes up a very special seasonal Martinez
Jack Sotti on DIY ‘shampagne’
60 Mains & Martinis
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Posh Sunday lunch at The Lanesborough, a decadent theatre experience at the Kit Kat Club and holiday fun at Common Decency
Perfect pairings
André Darlington on how to pair cocktails with food
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Issue 43 Winter 2022 Editors Sandrae Lawrence, Gary Sharpen Creative director Scott Bentley – Bentley Creative Copy editing Stephanie Jones Cover photography Joe Brayford Contributors André Darlington, Vanessa Dina, Holly Graham, Lance Narayan, Millie Milliken, Jack Sotti Thanks to Clockwise Bromley, Troels Knudsen, June Lawrence, Katherine Woodward
For all editorial and advertising enquiries, please contact:
(+44) 020 7242 2546 mail@thecocktaillovers.com
Find us:
56 The Cocktail Girl
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New Year cheers
Music to drink cocktails to
Holly Graham highlights three bars and drinks to celebrate Chinese New Year
As compiled by Lance Narayan from The Departure Lounge
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TheCocktailLovers.com @cocktaillovers meet.thecocktaillovers @thecocktaillovers
Reproduction in whole or part of any contents of The Cocktail Lovers Magazine without prior permission from the editors is strictly prohibited. All details of bars featured in this issue were correct at time of going to press. Please see individual websites for up-to-date information. The Cocktail Lovers Magazine is printed in the UK by Stephens & George.
The Cocktail Lovers ISSN 2052-059X © 2022. Published by The Cocktail Lovers Ltd. London, UK
PLEASE DRINK RESPONSIBLY
eleven bright reasons
01 ADDING GLAM TO OUR GLASS For a touch of pizzazz in your drinks – bejewelled cocktail sticks are go! Check out the fabulous selection from joannabuchanan.com
…to be a cocktail lover right now
TWO
Elevating the everyday Start your morning like the champ that you are with a paper cup reimagined into luxurious bone china. By Tiffany, who else? tiffany.co.uk
FOUR
Making like royalty
How's this for fabulous: Three Kings Cocktail Set featuring lavish twists on three of our favourite drinks. There’s a Gold Martini, Myrrh Negroni and Frankincense Manhattan – all starring Asterley Bros, vermouths. asterleybros.com
RINGING THE CHANGES This is definitely the time to bust out the bling. Pile on the cocktail rings – imitation or real – and let your fingers do the talking. philippaherbert. co.uk 18 THE COCK TAIL LOVERS / ISSUE 43
APERITIVO
FIVE
Carrying our drinks with pride Finely crafted leather holders, available in five fashionable colours, each containing the dinkiest, most darling bottles of Louis XIII Cognac The Drop. At 10ml each, they’re good to go wherever your travels take you. uk.louisxiii-cognac.com
SEVEN
SIX
Ladies, the next best thing to an ice-cold Martini? It might just be this limited-edition, gemtastic Peter Dundas x Grey Goose handbag adorned with Swarovski crystals. dundasworld.com
…prefer to be more discreet? This handsome fella is just the ticket for drinking with discretion. Hand-crafted, perfectly formed and, like the finest spirit, designed to get even better with age. Shinola x Vermont Copper Flask. shinola.com
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Eating our drinks After-dinner drink or dessert. Why choose? With Xin and Voltaire luxury cocktail sorbets you can enjoy both. Four dreamy combos, each with a spirit measure of Champagne, whisky, mezcal and rum. What dinner parties were made for. xinandvoltaire.com 19 THE COCK TAIL LOVERS / ISSUE 43
The bar cart has got its groove back. Vanessa Dina shares some tips for styling yours for the holiday season
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TROLLIES
bottles in a festive colour on the top shelf to bring out the holiday theme. * Sparkling wine should have a permanent home on the bar cart during the holidays; celebratory Champagne cocktails and glasses of bubbly are a must. * For a no-fuss approach, string towering birch branches with twinkling lights to lend a glimmering ambiance to a room.
C
an we talk about drinks trollies? Or bar carts as they’re more grandly known? Whether you’re winding down with a well-earned Negroni after work or mixing things up for a crowd, the making of a drink, any drink, becomes more of a ritual, more theatrical when conducted from a dedicated space. Think of it as a shrine to cocktail time. The next best thing to being out in a bar. Here, Vanessa Dina, design director, party planning expert and author of The Art of the Bar Cart shares two main themes and four simple tips to get yours dressed and ready for entertaining.
The Whimsical Cart (left)
Details are important. Hand-painted bar accessories, like a marbled dish to display vintage tools (below), add a unique touch. The Art of the Bar Cart is published by chroniclebooks.com
The Holiday Cart (main page) * Keep a variety of glassware styles on your cart to serve different types of beverages at your holiday gatherings. If you like to throw large parties consider thick, goblet-like Champagne flutes instead of delicate stemware. * Display colour-coordinated liquor
PH OTOGR A P HS A N TONI S AC H I LL EOS
Bringing the bar home
The Art Deco-esque one Stirling drinks trolley, £349, atkinandthyme.com
The recycled one
The budget one
Eve gold and teal upcycled drinks trolley, £550, ebandgray.com
Rose gold drinks trolley, £29.99, sueryder.org/shop
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The glam one
Rockefeller drinks trolley, £330, atkinandthyme.com
PERFECT PAIRINGS
If you really want to boss it in the hosting department, you’ve got to do more than nail the cocktails. André Darlington shares some tips on the best bites to serve with your drinks Photography Neal Santos
When Mrs Julius S. Walsh Jr. of St. Louis, Missouri, hosted one of the first cocktail parties on record, in the spring of 1917, she could not have predicted how it would spark a trend that has become a celebration beloved around the world. She also had no way of knowing that, three years later, alcohol would be banned in the United States, forcing cocktails into precisely the kind of crowded private-party atmosphere
where convivial conversation and passed snacks entwine. In fact, we have Prohibition to thank for the development of American finger foods – those small items served to inebriated speakeasy customers, such as devilled eggs, radish roses, shrimp toasts, and cheese balls. Sending cocktails underground did not stop the drinking; it blurred the lines between bar and home making cocktail parties fashionable. If you’re planning on hosting a cocktail party, or dinner with cocktails, here are a few tips to take into consideration and a few suggested pairings to get you started.
Tips for pairing cocktails with food Use cocktails to enhance flavours in the food and vice versa
Whisk(e)y and steak works, whiskey and oysters does not. Know your flavours to bring out the best in both food and drink.
Big flavours complement other big flavours
Blue cheese loves a good cocktail thanks to the intense flavours of both. Fats also love alcohol, so fatty foods, such as cheese and creambased desserts, will sing an aria together with mixed drinks.
Sweet loves salty. And bitter
Create flavour Pay attention bridges and to body A light cocktail is use your often the perfect aromatics
Cocktails made with Campari or other amaros can be great foils for food that is sweet, such as desserts – but also salty snacks. Don’t discount a Negroni with salty meat, for example.
Dill in a salad? Try aquavit as a base and add some dill to the cocktail. Mint and basil can make a big difference when pairing drinks to food. Also, keep an eye on citrus. If a dish goes better with lemon rather than lime, don’t expect gimlets to be a wow pairing.
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lift for heavy food, but heavy cocktails can also be lifted by a refreshing bite.
When in doubt, make a sour
Much of the food around the world is highly flavourful and contains a myriad of balanced elements. If you haven’t tried something before, chances are it will pair with a daiquiri.
FOOD & DRINK
Vegetables TO EAT
Kombu Cucumber (serves 4-6) 2 medium-size cucumbers, peeled 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil 1 tsp soy sauce 1 tbsp furikake (available from Asian grocery stores or online) Cut cucumbers in half lengthwise and remove seeds. Cut into ¼in strips. In a medium-size bowl, toss cucumber, sesame oil, soy sauce and furikake. PAIR WITH
Sake 75 30ml gin 25ml fresh lemon juice 15ml simple syrup 60ml sparkling sake Lemon twist for garnish Shake gin, lemon juice and simple syrup over ice and strain into a cocktail glass or Champagne flute. Top with sparkling sake and garnish with a lemon twist.
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DID SOMEONE SAY PARTY?
I
From swanky hotels to dimly lit dive bars, celebrating in whatever style you want is thankfully back on the cards. Millie Milliken picks out some of the best bars from around the globe to do just that
don’t think it’s an overstatement to say we deserve a good party. Without dwelling on the past few rollercoaster years, there is certainly an appetite to blow off some steam. Luckily, the wonderful international bar industry is ready and raring to welcome us all with open arms. How we celebrate can come in many forms – chilled drinks with friends, a chance to dress up and treat ourselves or a full-on party. It’s a tricky line to tread for bars too – to match atmosphere with well turned-out cocktails and menus that evoke good times, and roll them out at speed and, sometimes, volume. So, I’ve scoured the best bars in the world – from upmarket hotels to all-out dancing dens for a list that will hopefully provide some inspiration for your festivity-focused needs. And don’t forget: have fun!
SYDNEY
Maybe Sammy Entertainment comes in spades at arguably Australia’s most famous bar, Maybe Sammy. Riffing on the glamour of the Rat Pack, Hollywood razzle dazzle and the glitz of 1950s Las Vegas, the bar mixes white jackets with colour-popping drinks and a chance to carouse in relaxed style. And it doesn’t get more stylish than a trolley featuring four versions of the Martini: Classic, Dirty, Gibson and the Australian (Sipsmith, vermouth bianco, lemon myrtle and mango). There is also a selection of dinky classic cocktail minis and a befitting range of cocktails using vintage spirits. Then there’s the coffee, an Australian favourite and just the ticket for more pep in your step as festivities ramp up. maybesammy.com
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PARTY BARS
NEW YORK CITY
Overstory While the city that never sleeps is awash with award-winning bars, when it comes to celebrating in style, the place to head to is the aptly named Overstory. Or, literally, head up to. Sitting on the 64th floor of art-deco 70 Pine Street in NYC’s Financial District, the bar’s wrap-around terrace means 360-degree views of the city’s iconic skyline are on the menu. Overstory’s cocktails befit the classy AF surrounds with old classics given a twist and originals speaking volumes for the talent behind the bar. In the Clouds with whiskey, Earl Grey tea, vanilla, Champagne and clarified milk is dreamily slick and encapsulates the vibe here – top-tier drinking in velvet flares. overstory-nyc.com
PARIS
Lulu White Any bar with a tagline ‘Absinthe & Dancing’ deserves to be on a party-bar go-to. And Lulu White in Paris’ gorgeous Montmartre takes inspiration from the watering holes of cocktail nirvana, New Orleans. Parties in this dolls-house-esque drinking spot come with a side serving of 1920s glam with live jazz, blues and contemporary folk
music, plus a late close of 4am at weekends. It has the feel of a bar that time forgot – but with a high-calibre team behind it and it is one of the city’s most accomplished yet fun cocktail havens, attracting those in the know. The tagline doesn’t disappoint with contemporary mixes laced with old worldly spirits like absinthe and pastis, but there are other surprising options too such as Hurricane slushies and Miami Vices. luluwhite.bar
CARTAGENA
Alquimico Alquimico feels like the party people’s Mecca. Three floors of epic good times and great cocktails are a given, but, it also manages to do the often impossible – combine award-winning drinks with super-high volume. Inside, it looks like Baz Luhrmunn has been let loose with the balconied building’s bars festooned with plants, neon lights and dramatic back bars. On the bottom floor, the limelight belongs to the tenders working from a central bar; more classic cocktails can be enjoyed on the first floor and a rooftop bar makes the perfect space for a cool down with Tiki-style drinks. Bartender co-owner Jean Trinh has been instrumental in creating a cocktail list that champions the natural and local ingredients of Columbia, getting most from his farm in the country’s coffee region – now that’s something to beat the drum about. alquímico.com
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SLUG HERE
ANYTIME ANYWHERE ANYHOW Making great cocktails at home is all about attitude
Photography Drinks stylist Retoucher Props
Joe Brayford Troels Knudsen Fran Hughes June Lawrence
Punch
Celebrating a birthday or an anniversary. Or maybe the fact it’s Friday. Or Monday. Or Wednesday. A carefully planned evening or a spur-of-the-moment get-together with a group of friends or simply someone special. Making great cocktails doesn’t have to be a big production. Just make sure you’ve got the best ingredients, grab whatever kit you’ve got to hand and you’re good to go!
Ingredients
Forget those, anything goes punches of your youth and make something proper. Use good quality ingredients, including a few berries or other chopped fresh fruit, and get creative. (Just remember to stick to the ratios.) As for serving, a jug is as good as a bowl, grab a soup ladle and dig out some of granny’s old tea cups.
350ml rum, whisky, gin, vodka or whatever spirit you fancy 500ml cooled tea or cold water 100ml lemon juice 100ml sugar syrup 5 dashes Angostura Aromatic Bitters
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Method Combine all ingredients in a large bowl or jug. Stir and set aside. When ready to serve add ice, ideally one large block*. *If you’re super organised fill a large plastic ice cream tub with water and leave to freeze overnight. A big block of ice keeps the punch nice and cold, but melts more slowly than lots of cubes.
PHOTOSTORY
Champagne Cocktail
Yes, a classic Champagne cocktail is usually served in a fancy flute, but there’s something about an old-fashioned saucer or coupe that just makes us feel a little more sophisticated, think old-school movie star. As for the fizz, a good sparkling wine will do instead of Champagne, but avoid prosecco as the finished drink would be too sweet when combined with the sugar. Ingredients
1 sugar cube (preferably Demerara) Angostura aromatic bitters 10ml Cognac (optional) 75ml sparkling wine Orange peel to garnish Method Drop a sugar cube into your glass and saturate it with the bitters. If you’re feeling flush add a little Cognac. Then fill the glass slowly and carefully with the sparking wine. Garnish with a little twist of orange peel.
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