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HOT BITES
PRAWNS AND COCKTAIL
So many television shows warn viewers “don’t try this at home!” – but Angostura bitters takes a totally different tack. Not only does this world renowned product want to constantly expand the repertoire that its spicy liquid can be used for, it’s happy for consumers to have a go and try something new – like this cocktail recipe accompanied by lemon garlic prawns. The beautiful thing about Angostura aromatic bitters is that it adds an extra depth of flavour with just a few dashes, whether you’re using it in cocktails or in the kitchen. Not surprisingly, you can play ingredients off each other in savoury dishes and desserts exactly as you would in a drink. MONKEY SHOULDER CHERRY MANHATTAN 60 ml Monkey Shoulder whisky 30 ml sweet vermouth 15 ml orange flavoured liqueur (Triple Sec or Cointreau) 2 dashes Angostura bitters Maraschino cherry Preparation: 1 Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with lots of chunky ice 2 Stir gently with a long teaspoon until the shaker feels cold 3 Strain into a chilled martini glass and garnish with a maraschino cherry LEMON GARLIC PRAWNS Serves 2 Ingredients: ¼ cup olive oil Zest of one lemon 1/ cup lemon juice 4 1/ cup chopped parsley 4 2 garlic cloves, crushed 1 tsp salt ½ tsp pepper sauce 1 Tbsp Angostura bitters 10 large prawns Preparation: 1 In a non-metallic bowl, combine all ingredients except shrimp and skewers; stir well 2 Peel and devein shrimps, leaving tails on 3 Add to marinade and stir to coat. Cover and refrigerate 1 - 1½ hours 4 Drain prawns and thread on skewers 5 Place under the grill for 3-5 minutes or until cooked through 6 Serve with your choice of zesty sauce, or none at all 42 w w w .t o p s a t s p a r. c o . z a
SMALL BATCH, BIG STATURE
Pioneers of the local craft gin distilling scene, Hope’s Lucy Beard and Leigh Lisk, have branched out into other artisanal liquors, with a small batch vodka joining their London Dry, African Botanical and Salt River gin range. Their newly branded Hope Small Batch Vodka, distilled from a grape base sourced in the Western Cape, is a delicate balance of pot-stilled and rectified spirit. A natural complement to the initial products in the range – the process of making vodka is not unlike that of making gin – the vodka neatly dovetails into their existing production line and long-term vision. “Gin starts life as vodka – essentially a high-strength neutral alcohol – so it made sense for us to make vodka, considering that we were already making gin,” said trained distiller Beard. Where it differs is that, for gin, you simply distil the vodka one more time together with the botanicals, one of which is the juniper berry, and this is what defines it as gin. Vodka distillation is not without its challenges: it’s far more of a purist process than gin. Unlike gin, in which the botanicals have a huge impact on flavour and mouthfeel, there is only the distillation process and water to play with. “In vodka, the key element is smoothness and both the distillation and the blending water used are integral to this,” said Beard. “We also only use a small part of the distillation and blend this with water from the Table Mountain aquifer. This ensures that our vodka is smooth enough to be sipped on ice.” But it’s also great for mixed drinks – and this is Hope’s suggestion:
THE HOPE BLOODY MARY Ingredients: 50 ml Hope Small Batch Vodka 100 ml tomato juice 10-12 ml fresh lemon juice (to taste) A few dashes of Tabasco Pinch of sea salt Pinch of black pepper Preparation: Pour all the ingredients into a mixing glass filled with ice and stir well until chilled. Strain into a highball glass filled with ice. Garnish with a celery stick or some speared olives and fresh herbs of your choice.
