Drinks World Edition 30 Australia

AU

Australia

NZ

New Zealand

DE

Germany

US

United States

THE MAGAZINE FOR MANAGERS, SOMMELIERS AND BARTENDERS EDITION 30 AUSTRALIA

RIDE THE WHITE LIGHTNING Unaged Spirits

THE PERFECT BLEND

BY BEAM SUNTORY

2017 GRAND FINAL WRAP

RUM TASTING Origins of Style

MEET NILS BOESE Jägermeister Global Brand Ambassador

T25 2O17 Wrap

KIWI LOVE

Wellington Bar Guide

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Credits CREDITS Publisher Ashley Pini ashley@hipmedia.com.au Production Manager Sasha Falloon sasha@hipmedia.com.au General Manager Melinda Virgona EDITORIAL Associate Editor Hannah Sparks Assistant Editor Lukas Raschilla Editorial Assistant Stephanie Aikins DESIGN Senior Designer Racs Salcedo SALES National Sales and Marketing Manager Chris Wheeler For all sales enquiries please contact Ashley Pini on ashley@hipmedia.com.au Market Manager Danny Yang danny@drinks.world DRINKS Drinks Curator Ben Davidson (Bespoke Drinks) PHOTOGRAPHY Photographers: Simon Marshall, Jennifer Mitchell, Ryan Stuart CONTRIBUTORS Writers: Ben Davidson, Chris Middleton, Chris Wheeler

Welcome This issue of Drinks World Magazine Australia marks a milestone, our 30th edition. On the cover we have the 2017 winners of The Perfect Blend by Beam Suntory, Sydney’s Evan Stroeve and Adelaide’s Ollie Margan, took out the Apprentice and Professional category respectively and embarked on a once in a lifetime trip to Kentucky to visit distilleries and have a grand old time, read all about the 2017 Perfect Blend comp and get the lowdown on the upcoming 2018 edition on page 34 Since the last issue, Drinks World’s T25 Australia celebrated its second year, with a welcome dinner and epic launch party held over two nights honouring the top 25 bartenders in the country. Check out the debauchery on page 10. No wonder we’re still in recovery mode, with T25 Australia coming straight off the back of the annual Tales of the Cocktail in New Orleans, we learnt a lot and give our two cents worth on page 36.

The focus feature this edition on page 16 is rum. This time we take a look at the rum discussions going on all round the world in regards to classification and style and gathered a range of rum loving experts at Sydney’s Burrow Bar to sip a range of glorious rums from French Rhum Agricole, to Spanish and English styles. You’ll find tasting notes, thoughts and everything on the record on page 20. The wonderful world of rum also led us to the intriguing technique of Fat Washing. On page 26 we get a little nerdy and investigate the use of fat washing in cocktails and see how some of the T25 bartenders are using fats and oils in drinks.

On page 28, it’s time to get your shine on as we delve into the wonderful world of unaged spirits to take a closer look at how legal moonshine and other unaged spirits are distilled, including white dog, eau de vies, pisco and white rye.

We kept hearing about the amazing venues across the ditch in New Zealand and thought it was about damn time we hit up the capital of Wellington. On page 43 to take you to some of the coolest bars and breweries the place has to offer.

In this issue, we also catch up with renowned German bar owner and Jägemeister Global Brand Ambassador, Nils Boese on page 40, and chat with Sydney bartender and former venue manager, Igor Pachi on his new role with Bacardí on page 38.

I hope you enjoy this edition, and for more in the world of drinks, stay informed at drinks.world.

Who’s round is it?

Lukas Raschilla Produced and published by

Editorial Enquiries: If you, your bar, or your brand and company have news or events you would like to share with Drinks World please contact: ashley@hipmedia.com.au and/or sasha@hipmedia.com.au Although Hip Media endeavours to ensure the accuracy and correctness of the information and Drinks World and www.drinks.world, we do not accept any liability or responsibility for any inaccuracies or omissions. The views expressed by authors of publications or event presentations, published Drinks World, do not necessarily represent the views of Hip Media. Decisions or actions based on the information and publications provided by Hip Media are at your own risk. drinks world

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Contents

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16

20

28

36

38

40

43

News

Visit

Drink

Meet

6 10

43

What’s Happening?

Wellington

Drinks World T25 Wrap

48 50

Cocktail Club

32 34

Sydney Brewery

Confessions of a Bartender

38 40

Igor Pachi

36

Tales of the Cocktail

Nils Boese – Global Ambassador for Jägermeister

Feature

16 20

Rum – Origins of Style

Rum Tasting

26 28

Fat Washing

Unaged Spirits

The Blend by Beam Suntory

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WHAT’S HAPPENING? CHALONG BAY – THE SPIRIT OF PHUKET Hailing from Thailand, Chalong Bay is an original, handcrafted natural fine spirit that introduces the French Caribbean heritage of rum distillation back to the birthplace of sugarcane. The spirit combines centuries old Thai sugarcane culture and French know how and traditions with a sustainable and artisanal approach. The Chalong Bay Rum line has two series; the Pure Series and the Tropical Notes series. The Pure Series is made from 100 per cent pure sugarcane for an extra smooth tropical taste. This is made from indigenous single variety Thai sugarcane that’s ethically grown in small-scale plantations, with no use of chemical fertilizers or pesticides, and is harvested without burning. The Tropical Notes series offers four infused cane spirit varieties that are vapour infused during distillation. All ingredients used in the Tropical Notes series are ethically produced and sourced from local farmers and selected and prepared by hand. The three expressions in the Tropical Notes series are lemongrass, cinnamon, and Thai sweet basil. With no added sugar, these flavours lend themselves being sipped neat or on the rocks, or as part of a cocktail. www.chalongbayrum.com

CALIFORNIA’S SONOMA COUNTY DISTILLING CO. LAUNCHES IN AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND Founded in 2010, Sonoma County Distilling Company produces high quality whiskeys for the discerning drinker. Incorporating a grain to glass philosophy, each level of production is handled in-house, including the mashing and fermentation of grains, American oak barrel aging, bottling and labeling.

Sonoma County Distilling Co. is rolling out three whiskey expressions to the Australia and New Zealand markets; the Sonoma Cherrywood Rye Whiskey, 2nd Chance Wheat Whiskey, and West of Kentucky Bourbon.

Sonoma Country Whiskeys are distributed in Australia through California Dreamers. sonomacountydistilling.com californiandreamers.com.au

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COMMERCIAL DRINKS SHOW AND FINE FOOD AUSTRALIA JUST AROUND THE CORNER The Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre (ICC) in Darling Harbour is playing host to the inaugural Commercial Drinks Show on September 11 through 14. The event is dedicated to bars, clubs and venues that serve alcohol and is running alongside Fine Food Australia.

If you are an operator of licensed venues looking to improve and differentiate your drinks list you will be able to browse hundreds of quality beer, spirits and wine brands or visit the “The Speakeasy Stage”, presented

by Winterhalter, providing visitors with a programme of free sessions on building a profitable drinks list, getting staffing right for your venue and navigating the world of RSAs, amongst other practical topics.

AGAVE GINGER CIDER WINS GOLD…AGAIN The golden boys behind Sydney Brewery have taken out the top spot yet again, winning Gold at the 2017 Royal Hobart Show with their Agave Ginger Cider scoring a class topping 96/100!

This innovative hybrid cider is made from fermenting organic agave syrup and ginger with the brand’s quality Sydney Cider, to create a sweet and zesty blend.

This award-winning cider has the spicy aroma of ginger along with fresh apple. On the palate, it tastes of agave and tangy ginger, which is rounded out by crisp apple.

Check out more on page 32. sydneybrewery.com/agave/

MAY THE FORCE BEER WITH YOU Melbourne’s Hop Nation Brewing Co. has released a beer that harnesses the force. The Yoda inspired Jedi Juice is a New England IPA (NEIPA) beer that was originally brewed in keg only for the Great Australasian Beer SpecTapular (GABS).

The beer is a hazy, juicy brew with a citrus hop aroma and intense flavour with a great mouthfeel. It features a combination of Kiwi hops in Riwaka and Nelson Sauvin, along with American Citra and Mosaic hops, and comes in at 7.1% ABV. hopnation.com.au

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DEATH & CO. POP-UP IN HONG KONG From September 19 to 23, 2017, Hong Kong cocktail enthusiasts will have an exclusive opportunity to catch New York’s Death & Co. Voted one of the World’s 50 Best Bars in 2017, the venue are popping up at Ozone in the Ritz-Calrton, one of the city’s most celebrated rooftop bars.

Death & Co. is acclaimed for its contribution to the contemporary craft cocktail movement. The bar have partnered with Diageo Reserve in Hong Kong to bring drinks to the masses for five nights only. A worldrenowned bar team led by Tyson Buhler will serve up signature cocktails and guests will also be able to sample small plates created by Ozone’s Chef de Cuisine Rafael Gil.

Tyson Buhler

September 19 to 23, 2017 6pm onwards Ozone, Level 118, The Ritz-Carlton, Hong Kong

GEELONG’S VERY OWN SPEAKEASY NOW OPEN FOR BUSINESS Bartender and the man behind Camorra Liqueurs, Gorge Camorra has opened The 18th Amendment Bar in the Victorian city of Geelong, which pays homage to the prohibition period.

The 18th Amendment Bar invites guests to enjoy concoctions of prohibition elegance interlaced with modern innovation, in similar fashion to the speakeasies of New York and Chicago, where dark and mysterious spaces housed booze, jazz, lust and love, seducing people of all classes. In addition to offering table service, the venue has a barrel-aged cocktails program and an extensive whisky list that will satisfy even the most discerning drinker.

Level 1, 82 Little Malop St, Geelong VIC

WINGS X TINS OPENS IN SYDNEY Sydney’s first bar dedicated to buffalo wings and ice cold tinnies (cans for the Victorians) has opened in a back alley in Darlinghurst. Here chicken wings are the order of the day and taken very seriously, with all sauces, except the classic Frank’s Original, made in-house. The space has taken over from the iconic ‘No Name’ restaurant behind Stanley street, and the themed booths décor makes all your retro teenage dreams come true from an 80s Swedish ski cabin to a booth inspired by ‘ya mum’s house’. As the name suggests, the venue also houses a massive selected of craft beer cans, three rotating tap beers and a small selection of wine, champagne and spirits that’s complemented by a tight classic cocktail list.

2 Chapel St, Darlinghurst NSW 2010

WILLIE SMITH’S LAUNCH TRADITIONAL CIDER APPLE BLEND Tasmania’s award-winning cider maker, Willie Smith’s, has launched a new limited-release Traditional Cider Apple Blend. The new offering has been crafted using old-world cider techniques and rare heritage cider apple varieties. The new Traditional Cider Apple Blend is available in limited quantities, however, will become part of the core range as soon as the supply of the specialty apples increases. Willie Smith’s Traditional Cider is a richly golden coloured un-filtered cider made in the traditional French and English farmhouse style. williesmiths.com.au

ELECTRIC AVENUE BISTRO & BAR Rock down to Electric Avenue, a multifaceted venue in the Brisbane suburb of Wooloongabba. The space is filled with eclectic antiques, tables and leather couches to slink into. The food on offer at Electric Avenue focuses on using fresh local produce to create dishes with a modern Australian twist, think items like blackened duck with smoked royal blue potatoes. The food is complemented with a tight but casual drinks menu and a wine list featuring over 80 Australian wines. For the whisky lover there’s also Jack Rabbits – their own little speakeasy housed within Electric Avenue. Jack Rabbits is home to over 200 whiskies sourced from around the world, as well as offering classic cocktails and live jazz, in true speakeasy fashion.

23 Logan Road, Woolloongabba, QLD, 4102 www.electricavenuejr.com.au

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° NEWS ° THE OLD MAN OPENS IN HK

WELCOME TO FRANK’S LIBRARY

Three industry names that need no introduction; James Tamang, Agung Prabowo, and Roman Ghale have opened The Old Man, an Ernest Hemingway inspired venue that combines elements of Cuban and Asian style with an old world feel. The name of the bar was inspired by Hemingway’s Pulitzer Prize winning novel “The Old Man and the Sea”, step inside and be transported to a sitting room of an old Cuban house. The drinks here are experimental twists on classics, served up in surrounds that feel luxurious yet unpretentious, along with service to match.

Frank Minza, the English gentleman who brought you Foxglove, is now welcoming guests into his private den, ‘Frank’s Library’.

The discreet bar located behind closed curtains will showcase a rotating collection of eight different whiskies and Cognacs, all from Frank’s personal collection.

The cocktail menu ‘Travel Diary Cocktails’ will boast and an array of extravagant cocktails inspired by Franks’ globe-trotting adventures, created by bar manager Austen Lendrum.

2/F Printing House, 18 Ice House Street, Central, Hong Kong

PROOF & COMPANY HEADED DOWN UNDER Asia’s leading independent spirits company, Proof & Company has made an investment in one of Australia’s fastest growing craft spirits distributors, Neat Spirits. With the investment, Proof & Company has acquired a significant minority interest in Neat Spirits and a seat on the Neat Spirits board. Proof & Company will also provide Neat Spirits with an inventory financing facility to allow the company to expands its portfolio of brands and enhance brand development. neatspirits.com.au

37 Aberdeen Street, Central Hong Kong

ABOVE BOARD Opening in December 2016 in the inner city Melbourne suburb of Collingwood, Above Board is an intimate venue, housing only 16 seats. Co-owners Hayden Lambert and Manu Potoi serve a small list of cocktails, and keep things simple with only one beer, one red wine and one white wine on the menu. The drinks list is the work of Hayden, and his attention to detail is second to none.

Level 1, 306 Smith St, Collingwood VIC 3066 Enter via Chopper lane. Just off Smith and Perry Street, behind Beermash.

Stay tuned for the next issue of Drinks World where we have an in-depth look at the venue and chat to Hayden and Manu about their concept.

WINNER OF ÜBER BAR TOOLS LUX ROLL™ – KURTIS BOSLEY OF PUBLIC HOUSE MANAGEMENT GROUP

NILS BOESE TOUR OF AUSTRALIA WRAPS UP The rockstar-esque Australian tour of German bar legend and Jägermeister Global Brand Ambassador, Nils Boese wrapped up in Melbourne on August 28.

The owner of Manhattan Bar in Germany’s Hildesheim, outside of Hanover was recently in the country to host a series of trade events and bartender seminars with Jägermeister. Kicking off with an intimate food and drink pairing in Sydney at Mjølner, a welcome party followed at Surly’s where the classic ice-cold shots were served along with the Jägermeister cocktails. Nils hit up Brisbane, Perth and Melbourne culminating in a final epic sign off party at Heartbreaker, where the Jäger shots flowed, tunes pumped and good times rolled.

Check out page 40 for the full interview with Nils.

The winner of the Über Bar Tools Lux Roll™ giveaway is Sydney’s Kurtis Bosley of Public House Management. Entrants were to recount their biggest tool fail while bartending and this one takes the cake. In Kurtis’ words, “So I had been making our new bar backs life a absolute misery for the duration of a shift to see what he was made of, turns out he knew his way around a bar pretty bloody well because he’d worked out that each time I grabbed my bar spoon I would spin it in my fingers before stirring a cocktail. When I hadn’t been looking, he’d untwisted the end of the bar spoon to the point that when I had spun it later in the night it sent the end weight shooting behind me. Unluckily for me, the weight actually sent itself flying into a stack of glasses behind us, smashing the lot. I only found out that it was actually him who had done this opposed to my own stuff up a couple months later on a night out when he confessed… hats off to you mate, hats off to you” Our take away is to always treat your bar backs well… you never know what they may do otherwise. Kurtis takes home a Lux Roll™ valued at AUD $495.

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HIPPOCAMPUS DISTILLERY MERGES WITH BOATROCKER BREWING

HEARTBREAKER Heartbreaker in Melbourne CBD is nspired by the classic dive bars of Los Angeles; good-times, fast bar, serving great booze and classic rock tunes until the early hours seven days a week, giving city dwellers “Somewhere to drink after The Everleigh calls last orders.” Heartbreaker’s taps champion both Australian and American craft beers whilst the back bar supports a smoking selection of tequila, mezcal and whiskey. No shakers are necessary; instead single-serve martinis, negronis, manhattans and old fashioneds come straight from the bottle, thanks to the Everleigh Bottling Co. With a liquor to-go store housed within and late night pizza on offer, this place does anything but break your heart.

Hippocampus Metropolitan Distillery has merged with Boatrocker Brewing, the craft beer and spirits products will take on the new title Boatrocker “Brewers & Distillers”.

The two teams join forces under the one roof, meaning Hippocampus moving west to east. The Hippocampus Head Distiller, Alex Poulsen will relocate the copper still and move from Perth to Melbourne and will work under Matt Houghton and the Boatrocker team. Alex has a background in craft brewing, honing his skills at Little Creatures, and in Norway where he was both brewing and distilling.

The merger will see sales and marketing for both the beer and spirits range managed by the Boatrocker team nationally from Braeside.

For more information, head to boatrocker.com.au and hippocampusmd.com.au

234a Russell Street, Melbourne VIC 3000

THE CIDERY BAR & KITCHEN ` Recently getting a makeover, the Sydney Brewery Cidery Bar and Kitchen is located in the heart of Sydney’s CBD inside Rydges World Square, overlooking the busy shopping piazza. The Cidery Bar & Kitchen was developed as collaboration between The Sydney Brewery and Rydges to create an urban bar paying homage to the cider.

With an in-house cider making facility, the flagship Sydney Cider is produced on site by the Sydney Brewery team. The bar houses a selection of the finest Australian and international ciders on tap and in bottle, showcasing some of Australia’s best small cider producers.

The Cidery Bar also has an extensive spirits range, ample wine and a formidable cocktail menu. A casual food menu with small bites are on offer, as well hand-made wood fired pizzas available after 5pm.

The Cidery Bar and Kitchen is located on the mezzanine of Rydges World Square, 389 Pitt Street, Sydney, NSW 2000

BURROW BAR Boutique cocktails and spirits is the offering at Burrow Bar, and they aren’t kidding.

Owners Bryce McDonough and Chau Tran have created a bar with over 300 bottles and counting, which is quite a collection for a small bar with a big heart buried beneath George St in Sydney’s CBD. With no specific spirit focus, both whisky and rum are the heavy hitters here, but no matter your preference they carry a few interesting options for you. House cocktails are fun and creative but impeccably balanced, and they take pride in making great classics to match their old-fashioned hospitality.

De Mestre Pl, Sydney NSW 2000 burrowbar.com.au

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DRINKS WORLD’S T25 AUSTRALIA HAS WRAPPED UP FOR 2017 The two-night event in Sydney saw a hilarious pub trivia welcome dinner hosted by non-other than one of Oxford Street’s finest, Maxi Shield, featuring the Top 25 bartenders and sponsoring brand representatives. The launch party at Soda Factory the next night saw the venue a buzz with folks celebrating the Top 25 in style, with 25 brands offering up 25 different serves on the night, hosted by MC Ben Davidson and Jonny Croft spinning tracks behind the decks.

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The event culminated in the launch of the 2017 T25 Australia magazine, which is now available for your reading pleasure, so keep an eye out for it.

Drinks World would like to thank everyone that attended, and all of the sponsors that make the T25 possible. We would like to again congratulate the Top 25 bartenders who have been recognised by the industry and their peers as some of the best in the business.

We can’t wait to do it all again next year, but in the meantime keep up to date with everything drinks world and T25 at drinks.world and on our Facebook page.

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For more on the world of drinks head to Drinks World online at

drinks.world Get the latest news and updates at drinks.world, your source for everything drinks. Covering Australia, Oceania and Southeast Asia head to drinks.world for updates, interviews, and the latest in venue openings, competitions and new product releases.

To make sure you’re in the loop for all things drinks, subscribe to our weekly newsletter and never miss a drop.

Of course, we also love hearing from you, so if you want to get in touch, tip us off, talk shop, contribute, or just send us some all around good vibes feel free to get in contact.

SO FOR EVERYTHING DRINKS, HOSPITALITY AND HAPPENINGS BOTH HERE IN AUSTRALIA AND AROUND THE GLOBE, HEAD TO DRINKS.WORLD

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THE VERSATILITY OF BOURBON T

he Woodford Reserve portfolio consists of smooth, balanced whiskies, celebrated for their versatility and approachable flavour profiles.

Each expression of Woodford Reserve has its own unique flavour, taste and aromatics, and of course all have the classic Woodford profile thanks to the five sources: grain, limestone filtered water, fermentation, distillation and maturation.

EXPRESSIONS Woodford Reserve Distiller’s Select is one of the most versatile bourbons, hand crafted and perfectly balanced. It combines notes of dried fruits with citrus, cinnamon and cocoa, along with the classic Woodford spice finish.

Woodford Reserve Double Oaked features a unique maturation in two separate custom crafted barrels, with the second barrel deeply toasted prior to light charring, adding additional amounts of soft, sweet oak to the profile. With notes of dark fruit, sharp honey, vanilla, caramel, hazelnut and fruit, Double Oaked lends itself to being used in a variety of cocktails, with complementing sweet and savoury profiles, while not getting lost in the mix.

Woodford Reserve Kentucky Straight Rye is made in the traditional style with bold flavours and a sweet spice finish. Distinct notes of rye, black pepper, cedar and cassia bark are sweetened with a dusting of marzipan. This rye stands through with clove, mint, molasses,

honey, apple and malt notes coming through with a long finish. Woodford Reserve Rye stands up in a cocktail, shining through and highlighting ingredients around it.

COCKTAILS All three expressions of Woodford Reserve are exceptional in cocktails. Whether it’s a bourbon or rye classic cocktail, or a drink that suited to the smooth sweet flavour of Double Oaked, there’s a Woodford Reserve for all occasions.

The 2016 Woodford Reserve cocktail challenge saw some of the most unique cocktails produced, highlighting the versatile nature of Woodford Reserve. From citrus to bitter, tiki to classic twists, Woodford Reserve was incorporated in a number of new and exciting ways, cementing itself as a range of whiskey that belongs on any back bar. Keep an eye out for the 2017 Challenge, with State and National Finals coming up over the next few months.

THE WOODFORD RESERVE COCKTAIL CHALLENGE The Woodford Reserve Cocktail Challenge is underway. This year, contestants are able to use both Distiller’s Select and Double Oaked for their Old Fashioned creation, while the original creation challenges bartenders to create a cocktail using Woodford Reserve Kentucky Straight Rye. The Woodford Reserve team will be selecting winners to go to the State Finals, happening in October, ahead of the National Final on Monday, November 13.

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Rum ,

by any other name, would still taste as sweet...

WORDS ° Ben Davidson & Chris Middleton

“Rum embodies a worldly character like no other spirit. It’s growth cannot be confined to national borders, geographical climates or socio-economic strata. It is the drink that has built countries.

Through its production, it has given many a livelihood; used without care, it has taken life away.”

- Dr. Nicholas Feris, International Rum Council Rum is one of the three great aged spirits, along with Brandy and Whisky, that accompanied the renaissance and the age of discovery. While the three original rum-producing empires, England, France, and Spain - all had a profound influence on the rum we drink today, the Pre-history of rum can be traced back to Papua New Guinea, where sugarcane was first cultivated by humans over 7000 years ago.

EARLY BEGINNINGS Known as the noble cane, Saccharum officinarum was selectively cultivated over thousands of years from grass to intensify its sweetness. Many of our favourite alcoholic beverages such as beer, whisky, bourbon, gin, and even vodka, evolved from early grass grains including barley, wheat, rye, and later corn. Grass and grains are rich in starches and

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carbohydrates, so they can easily be converted into sugars, from which yeast ferments into base alcohol.

Sugarcane is one of the highest sources of sucrose in the world, with about 12-15 per cent sucrose content. Europeans began to develop a sweet palate at the same time the three quintessential hot beverages arrived in Europe: coffee from the Levant, tea from China, and chocolate from the Americas – all of which required sugar to mask their bitterness.

So, Christopher Columbus took sugarcane to the West Indies in the late 1490s, after which plantations slowly began to populate the islands and the mainland Americas. Soon after this, the process of distilling rum to utilise leftover molasses expanded, effectively kick-starting the rum industry. The West Indies were quickly exploited by all the major European naval

powers - the Spanish, Portuguese, French, English and the Dutch - who all seized colonies to grow sugarcane. On the Brazilian coast, the Portuguese were probably the first to distil a proto-rum in the 1540s in primitive alembic still heads, and the term cachaça was coined there in 1555. While the Caribbean, along with Central and South America, became the centre of rum production and remains so today, rum is made wherever sugarcane is grown - all in tropical climates and across the globe from the Americas to India, Asia to Africa, as well as Australia. Five hundred years after its discovery, rum remains the world’s second most popular spirit; 60 countries produce rum at over 170 commercial distilleries, with another 30,000 small cachaça distilleries in Brazil.

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EMERGENCE OF COLONIAL TYPES The three most popular rum types arose from the cultural histories of the three major European powers in the West Indies and Americas. Today, however, there is increasing product blurring as individual distilleries start to make a range of basic styles (white, gold, dark) and different types (English, French, Spanish), and to attract different segments and growth opportunities. This said, the underlining production techniques and flavour profiles based on each country’s colonial heritage, still remain.

ENGLISH: This style is made from molasses and uses pot still and column still distillation to make gold and dark rums. The heaviest rums come from Guyana (El Dorado) on the Demerara River; creating rich, powerful and aromatic

Appleton Estate Barrelhouse

SPANISH: The Spanish type emerged later in the piece and is typified by the use of the column still, giving rise to a lighter, more delicate style. These are usually the white to gold rum styles that are characterised by light, smooth and crisp rums from Cuba (Havana Club), Puerto Rico (Bacardi), American Virgin Islands (Cruzan) and, to the aged and medium bodied rums from Panama (Abuelo), Nicaragua (Flor de Cana), Venezuela (Diplomatico) and rich sweet rum from Guatemala (Zacapa). The colonial legacies and consumption preferences for different styles of rum can also be attributed to the different production techniques and practices that result in many differing flavour vectors. The three styles (white, gold, and dark) can generally be described as light bodied, medium bodied and full bodied in flavour. rums. Jamaica (Appleton Estate), Dominican Republic (Matusalem) and other previously British controlled islands also produce rich and aromatic spirits, using both blended pot still and column still aged rums, while Barbados (Mt. Gay) and Trinidad (Angostura) make a lighter, golden style. Multi-Island rums, like the exquisite yet robust Plantation rum have English inspiration, as well as, the irrepressible Pusser’s, which has connections to the Royal Navy when the rum ration was distributed by the ship’s purser. The English style also directly shaped

Australia’s style; this is evident in Bundaberg, and Beenleigh, which still retain the pungent signature of and English type of rum FRENCH: The French have two classifications, being rhum industrial - made from molasses - and the other being rhum agricole – made from pressed sugarcane juice. Martinique (Clement) and Guadeloupe prefer cane sugar juice; whereas Haiti (Barbancourt) mainly produces heavier flavoursome rum from molasses that is aged for several years.

COLONIAL CHARACTERISTICS As we have discovered, the colonial influence determines the type of rum, and greatly influences the style of rum a country manufactures. The world’s leading rum producing and exporting countries can generally be clustered against the colonial heritage that influenced its predominant styles, even if they operate in the Indian and Pacific oceans.

One break away style noted earlier, is the Portuguese in Brazil; they have distilled

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and making the wash for fermentation, to condensing the spirit, to diluting the alcoholic strength for bottling. While water has the greatest presence of all the ingredients, its flavour neutrality means it has very little contribution to rum’s flavour. A good distillery will use the cleanest water possible, making it virtually taste neutral.

cane spirit called cachaça, since the sixteenth century. 99 per cent of cachaça is consumed in Brazil, which is around 1.5 billion litres annually.

Brazil has the largest sugar industry in the world, and produces a great deal of molasses, which forms part of the 30 billion litres of ethanol biofuel used in Brazilian cars. Brazil also exports large volumes of molasses to Caribbean distillers for rum production. Because most of the cachaça consumed is under two years of age, it is not qualified as rum in Australia.

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FOUNDATIONS OF FLAVOUR There may only be six basic flavour sources used to make rum, but together they create endless combinations to make it the world’s most versatile spirit. White or dark, spiced or flavoured; rum can be drunk straight, mixed or in cocktails and from these six flavour sources endless varieties of rums are made.

WATER: Water is used throughout the rum making process, from cleaning the cane

SUGARCANE: This is where the flavour trail starts; the flavour foundations come from cultivation techniques, soil agronomies, climates and cultivars used. These combined factors are referred to as the ‘terroir’. Some cane fields are set on fire and some are not. Some countries still cut the cane by hand, while others harvest mechanically. The speed to the mill affects the quality as delays cause bacterial infection in the cane sap. Another question is whether the distillery will use cane juice or molasses to make rum. The efficiency of the sugar refinery in extracting sugar will affect alcoholic yield, and the concentration of residual salts and other compounds trapped in the molasses will also affect the flavour of the finished rum.

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FILTERING & COLOURING: Light rum is charcoal filtered to remove any vat or wood cask colour, ensuring the rum is crystal clear in appearance. Dark and gold rums, on the other hand, usually have burnt sugar or caramel (E510) added to make the rum seem more appealing and consistent, batch to batch, bottle to bottle.

DEVELOPMENT OF FLAVOUR

YEAST: Yeast is the most important flavour builder in rum, as the strain of yeast, the length of fermentation, the alcoholic yield and the amount of different flavour compounds found in the wash before distillation will directly fashion the flavour direction of the spirit. Light rums have short fermentation, meaning less flavour is created, whereas dark rum fermentation can last weeks and produce a rich variety of flavours.

Some producers of dark rum add ‘dunder’ - the refuse from previous distillations, in order to enrich the flavour.

COPPER STILLS (POT & COLUMN): The batch method of copper pot distillation results in more congeners and flavour being captured in the new spirit, which then results in greater complexity during wood maturation. Continuous column stills, on the other hand, strip out most congeners, which make for a lighter and cleaner spirit such as white rum. In the middle are copper retorts, doublers and column stills that distilleries have traditionally used to make house styles of rum. Each distillery has its own slightly unique still shape, configuration and design,

meaning its particular fermentation processes will produce its own characteristically unique flavour profile.

WOOD: Some distilleries rest their new-make spirit in large vats of old oak or pinewood, finishing it in cask. Others mature in American or European oak casks, and using ex-bourbon or brandy casks imparts some original spirit flavour from the wood into the rum. Environmental factors such as warehouse design and location (whether the distillery is by the ocean or in the mountains) affect oxidisation and the rate of evaporation.

TIME: The maturation process mellows the spirit by softening its fiery and sharp taste, replacing it with smoothness, richness and flavour complexity. Time extracts its price and repays its debt with flavour, as up to eight per cent of the cask contents can evaporate each year in the tropics; although this does advance oxidisation in the cask and encourages interaction with the wood, creating more complex and nuanced flavours in the rum.

We all perceive the world a little differently; it may be its psychological, cultural or personal circumstances that make us idiosyncratic creatures of our own senses. Behind our sensory subjectivity are our biological chemoreceptors that analyse thousands of chemical compounds, molecules and stimuli. Molecular compounds may be unique, however, nature’s produce share these flavour molecules. What we smell in rum or other spirits have the same or very similar structures to flavour molecules that are commonly found in the day-to-day foods we consume. Even the language we use to describe what we sense is usually a metaphor for something else, e.g. smells like pineapple.

To expand upon this, the smell of pineapple is the compound ethyl butyrate. Pineapple may dominate the scent of this molecule, yet some can detect a hint of apple or blue cheese, evidencing how complicated this can be at both a chemical level and using sensory descriptors to identify this particular aromatic. In rum making, this flavour compound is created as a by-product - when particular yeast strains convert sugars to alcohols, they also generate a soup of acids and proteins that will form organic esters during fermentation. This is where the pineapple-like ester is born, and maintains sturdy chemical bonds to ensure it survives the rigours of distillation and maturation. In some cases, ethyl butyrate can be accentuated, punching through other flavour molecules, resulting in the rum producing this delicious note among many others.

Rum’s flavour compounds will vary by the different production processes used, meaning the spirit has a rich palette of potential flavour compounds to endlessly make different flavour combinations.

PARTING SHOT The category of rum is fast growing, freedom loving and doesn’t seem to be stopping to wait for more regulations and inflated prices. So, until then, find your favourite bottle, pour a glass with friends and toast to the charms of rum.

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Rum Tasting:

ORIGINS OF STYLE R

um, more so than any other spirit, comes in the widest variety of flavours and styles determined by the almost infinite variables in the methods of production.

The well-established rum styles of today have been born out of the subtle differences in the approach to distillation by the early colonial powers that set the rum wheels in motion.

In this edition of the Tasting Panel we look at outstanding examples of the English, French and Spanish styles of rum, to tease out and identify some of the key flavours that are reinforced by the these traditional methods of production that help to define the style.

To assist us with this we assembled an impressive panel of rum lovers to shed some light on why this is so. Hosted by our good friends at Burrow Bar in Sydney’s CBD, we tasted an outstanding line-up of some of the great rums of the world.

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THE PANEL • BEN DAVIDSON: Drinks Curator, Drinks World Magazine • TOM BULMER: Rum Ambassador, The Rum Club Australia • MARY WHITE: Venue Manager, Lobo Plantation • JOEY TAI: Brand Ambassador, Diplomático • MITCH WILSON: Brand Ambassador, Plantation • JENNA HEMSWORTH: Bartender, Restaurant Hubert and The Baxter Inn • KAREL ‘PAPI’ REYES: Cuban Rum Expert, Brand Ambassador, MONIN • BRYCE MCDONOUGH: Co-Owner, Burrow Bar • LUKAS RASCHILLA: Editor, Drinks World Magazine

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RHUM J.M. V.S.O.P. 42% ABV Rhum J.M. V.S.O.P. is from the French Caribbean island of Martinique, and is crafted by aging rum for three years in re-charred bourbon barrels and finished for an additional year in toasted new American oak barrels. This is an agricole style of rum, which means it is distilled from sugar cane juice.

PANEL: Mitch Wilson: Burnt butter and vanilla notes.

This aged agricole takes on an almost Cognac like profile. Not nearly as raw or vegetal as typical unaged argicole.

Mary White: What I like about this is that it’s actually lacking those grassy, earthy kind of

notes that you usually get on the nose from a lot of agricoles. In the back palate you do get an earthiness that is reminiscent of unaged agricoles. Spice and oak upfront, mild grassy notes towards the back of the palate.

Jenna Hemsworth: Super approachable agricole for beginners and brandy lovers.

Refined yet ballsy. Refined take on a classically unrefined style.

Papi Reyes: Usually after 40% ABV agricole usually have a punchy presence on the nose but this is very pleasant.

Tom Bulmer: It has a beautiful cooked orange and flinty grass note that is significantly lighter than the other rums, for an agricole style the aggression of the palate is tamed by a soft oak richness.

APPLETON ESTATE RARE BLEND 12 YEAR OLD 43% ABV A classic English style rum, it’s Jamaica’s most well known and highly regarded rum made by one of the finest Master Distillers, Joy Spence.

The Appleton Estate Rare Blend 12 Year Old was awarded Gold at the 2017 San Francisco Spirits Awards. Appleton Estate is produced in the English style and has been aged in one select American oak barrel. This expression reflects Joy’s craft and passion. The rums used in this blend have been hand selected and all aged for a minimum of 12 years. The age gives a wood character with a smooth robust flavour.

PANEL: Papi Reyes: You can tell it’s a classic English style of distillation, it’s bold, strong and pungent.

Tom Bulmer: For me it’s about the place. With this rum you think about sitting on a beach in Jamaica and just sipping on some daiquiris or some rum old fashioneds, bit of reggae in the background. It’s still got that strong punchy

flavour 12 years on and that’s coming from the barrel. Reggae is a more apt description of Appleton for me.

Ben Davidson: It’s definitely got a nice back beat to it but it allows you to kind of have these moments of finding new things, like a good reggae song.

Lukas Raschilla: It has pungent aromas and esters that come through with a long finish that’s strong in the back palate.

Jenna Hemsworth: I can taste like a wild yeast note. It’s fiery and rough around the edges. A little tannic, and pairs really well with fruit.

Bryce McDonough: Flavours of burnt sugar move to a sweet-savoury balance.

Mary White: Banana, fruit preserve and ethanol aromas. I taste pungent apricots, with mild esters compare to other Jamaican rums. Rum meant for a tropical island.

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DIPLOMÁTICO RESERVA EXCLUSIVA 40% ABV We were lucky to be joined by Diplomaático Brand Ambassador, Joey Tai who told us about the Diplomático Reserva Exclusiva expression.

“This rum is aged up to 12 years in ex-bourbon barrels. There’s no age statement on any of the Diplomático rums because at the end of the day we want to stay true to the product, but most of the rums are aged 12 Years. While it is called a Spanish style, the makers prefer to call it a Venezuelan style, being proud of their heritage. They use everything from Venezuela in making the rum. Diplomático is only allowed to be made using Venezuelan sugarcane and the minimum age it must be in oak casks is two years and it must be bottled at no less than 40% ABV. This rum uses the Solera system, once the barrel is filled; the master blender needs to ask permission to open the barrel to taste the rum, every single time. The majority of the flavour of Diplomático comes from the type of yeast and the stills used. There’s two different types of molasses that are used to make the rum; sugarcane honey and sugarcane molasses.

They’re both molasses but the difference is the concentration level of sugar. For the distillation of the rum, 90% comes from traditional copper pot still, from Speyside Scotland. 10% is from

the Barbet column still, which is used in a lot of French agricole rum making as well as in brandy and Cognac making. The molasses is used in the column distillation and the sugarcane honey is used in the copper pot distillation. After the individual distillation and individual maturation, the rums are blended together before bottling.

As you can see it’s quite a complicated process to make the rum.

PANEL: Mitch Wilson: Ah Venezuela! I can taste dark chocolate and raisins, Jaffa oranges on the back.

Deliciously easy drinking, excessively rich. The perfect dessert rum!

Ben Davidson: Sweet, aromatic and full bodied, with lovely richness and fullness in the mouth.

Lukas Raschilla: Cocoa, honey and dark chocolate notes. It’s full-bodied with sweet honey in the finish.

Mary White: Caramel and butter aromas. Tastes of clove, Christmas cake, and icing sugar. That classic Spanish sweetness. Good rum for newbies, yum!

Tom Bulmer: It’s very approachable and it’s a rum that you could get people to start loving rum on.

Bryce McDonough: A wonderful gateway rum for those wanting to explore the category.

Joey Tai

EL DORADO 12-YEAR-OLD 40% ABV Produced in Guyana, the El Dorado 12 Year Old is an English style of rum, which typifies the smooth mellow sweetness of Demerara rums.

This is made from a blend of specially selected aged rums, with the youngest rum in the blend being no less than 12 years old. It is made using a combination of Enmore and Diamond Coffey stills and the Port Mourant double wooden pot still, blended and aged in old bourbon oak casks.

PANEL: Bryce McDonough: Opens light and sweet but deepens with length. Hints of sherry and a soft peppercorn finish.

Jenna Hemsworth: Taste of burnt butter, sugary, crisp goodness. A refined dessert rum.

Tom Bulmer: It truly is a rum for those that love a pleasant sweet style, with clove and vanilla notes, making it a great nightcap or dessert rum. The beautiful part of this rum is the use of two of the only wooden stills left it the world.

Ben Davidson: For me it lacks that English style pungency on the nose, it’s more of a background note, but wow it delivers big time with luscious sweet notes of brown sugar, tobacco spice and tropical fruit notes of dried mango.

Mary White: It smells much drier than it actually tastes as well, you think it will be dry and it’s much sweeter.

Joey Tai: I pick up some citrus, like orange zest in this.

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PUSSER’S BRITISH NAVY RUM ABV 40%

ABOVE: Mary White LEFT: Mitch Wilson

Made in the classic English style, this Navy rum has classic demerara sugar, molasses, fried fruits and spices with English toffee and caramel. Complex flavours result is classic bold note. Pusser’s rum is blended in exact accordant with the Admirality specification, meaning it is a blend of five rums from The British West Indies.

It is the same original blend of Pusser’s original 54.5% but taken back to 40% ABV.

PANEL: Tom Bulmer: There’s last night! It’s a rum almost made for a whisky palate. Ester driven flavour with different intensity of oak.

Mitch Wilson: I get almost like a banana bread note. Bitter caramel and tannins, dried apricots and burnt sugar.

Mary White: Scent of burn rubber, and punchy.

Flavours of pepper and banana bread, it’s the classic, robust Navy style rum.

Bryce McDonough: Aroma of Christmas cake and liquorice. Tastes have notes of peppery molasses, and woody dryness with lots of burnt sugar.

Papi Reyes: Very strong on the nose. Classic Navy style, punchy caramel notes and a bit of oak and honey. Dry notes on the back palate.

PLANTATION RUM O.F.T.D. ABV 69% Plantation Rum Brand Ambassador, Mitch Wilson was on hand to share some insight into the Plantation O.F.T.D. Overproof rum. “The idea for this rum was to try to recreate an overproof rum that hasn’t existed for quite a while. A lot of the overproofs that you see nowadays are not like the classic overproof rums from back in the 1930s and 1940s when Don the Beachcomber was first making his Zombies and Trader Vic with his Mai Tais. The first ever overproof rum was Wray & Nephew 17 year. And then it became Wray & Nephew 15, and when both of them ran out he switched it to a Jamaican and Martinique blend. Then you had Lemon Hart being used in the Zombies back in the day, and again the Lemon Hart recipe got chopped and changed.

The Lemon Hart 151 you can get today is not the same as back in the day.

The Plantation Overproof started off as a collaboration between David Wondrich and

Joey Tai: I’m getting tropical and citrus notes.

Ben Davidson: It’s really big on the British naval rum aromatics, pungent, rubbery, estery with burnt banana and bitter toffee notes. Like a punch in the chops.

Alexander Gabriel, who blends all of the Plantation rums and they teamed up with Tiki bars around the world to recreate this old style. So between them they had a bottle of the Wray & Nephew 17 and the old Lemon Hart and they tried these overproof rums and went ‘Right, that’s our benchmark for what we should be working towards. It shouldn’t just be an undiluted version of the base spirit, it should be something that’s actually designed to be a proper overproof’.

The original concept was to blend a bit of Jamaican and Guyanese rums together, a kind of nod to the Wray & Nephew and Lemon Hart of yesteryear, and if you taste some of the Plantation vintages, the Jamaican and Guyanese, those are the rums going in there at cask strength, and Alexander put a bit of the Barbados in. When David Wondrich tasted it, he went “Oh F*#k That’s Delicious” and hence the name was O.F.T.D but changed to ‘Old Fashioned Traditional Dark’”

PANEL: Joey Tai: Dark chocolate, maple, vanilla deliciousness.

Mary White: Pineapple for days! Smoky and sweet, like gunpowder mixed with fruit salad. Your lips will tingle but your tastebuds will fly.

Bryce McDonough: Fiery alcohol, dark fruit and fortified wine. Gunpowder and happiness.

Papi Reyes: Strong and prominent Cognac profile. It’s strong, powerful but well balanced with toasted caramel notes.

Ben Davidson: A powerfully built rum that delights (and numbs) the taste buds. First sip reveals the Jamaican back bone with its molasses pungency, softened by the subtle sweetness of cinnamon, raisins and toffee from the Guyanese influence. This is a rum for serious rum lovers.

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HAVANA CLUB 15 YO 40% ABV The Havana Club 15 YO is an example of the Spanish style made with column stills and shows that it’s not only pot-still rums can be rich and powerful. This Cuban rum is complex and full-bodied, with notes of dried tropical fruit, prunes, raisins and dried coconut. Panel member Karel ‘Papi’ Reyes was able to tell us a little more about the Havana Club 15 Year Old expression. “It’s a sweet and natural Spanish style rum, all flavours from the natural process of blending. The youngest blend is 15 years, with the oldest being around 22 years. It’s not as dry as normal Cuban or Spanish style rum.

It’s silkier with more dried fruit notes coming through. Smooth lingering of citrus coming in the back palate, dates. It’s the rum I grew up with, don’t change it! It also opened the door for a lot wof other Cuban rums to evolve and create their own blends.”

PANEL:

DOORLY’S XO 40% ABV

Joey Tai: Citrus, vanilla and floral notes on the aroma. Tastes like brown sugar, syrup, dried fruit, coconut and light honey.

Mary White: Toasted coconut aroma with taste of oranges and prunes. Tastes like tradition.

Mitch Wilson: Dried coconut aroma. Flavours of cocoa butter and pineapples. It’s nice to see such a rich expression on something that is traditionally a light style of rum.

Tom Bulmer: I taste the expression of the barrel. I love the oak and balance. It’s great to taste a Spanish style of rum that is that old that doesn’t have an overly sweet taste.

Lukas Raschilla: Subtle and subdued. Honey, slight caramel, oak and coconut on the nose.

Tastes bright and slightly punchy at first, with dried fruits. Dry, light and balanced.

Ben Davidson: Quite subdued on the nose, but reveals dried toasted coconut notes, tobacco spice and robust oak pointing to its advanced age. Palate is complex, with rancio like oxidative notes and the signature dryness on the finish.

Bryce McDonough: Fruity and light sweetness, lots of wood on the back palate.

Papi Reyes: Sweet and oaky. Sophisticated. I can taste flavours of dry fig, oak, silky velvet spirit with dried fruit notes and remarkable balance.

Doorly’s XO is a six year old blend of rums from Barbados, finished in Oloroso sherry casks.

The Rum Club Ambassador, Tom Bulmer shared a little more insight, “Many of the rums from Barbados carry the signature light orange note and citrus notes leading to a sweet honeysuckle and orange blossom note. This style is subtly evident in the Doorly’s XO, because of the extra ageing giving it a deeper, spicier finish.”

PANEL: Lukas Raschilla: Honey and golden syrup notes. This is sweet but well balanced with an easy finish on the back palate.

Joey Tai: Tropical, pineapple and red apple skin aroma. I find it citrusy. Nutty finish, gentle spice and stone fruit.

Mary White: I find that a lot of Bajan rums incorporate different casks, this one is aged in oloroso sherry cask, and you don’t really find a lot of Jamaican rums adopting different casks.

So you do get variety in Barbados rums.

Mitch Wilson: A lot of people consider Barbados to be one of the great rum producers.

For me this is a rum you could sit on the beach with. It isn’t overly dry, or harsh, it’s just really well made.

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THE SKINNY ON FATS AND OILS IN COCKTAILS WORDS ° Ben Davidson

The Viento by Dave Kerr

T

he use of animal fats and vegetable oils in cocktails continues to be a way for bartenders to evolve the taste and texture in creative drinks for the ever more adventurous consumer. As we know, it’s in the animal fats and essential oils of fruits, vegetables and botanicals where the flavour molecules reside, and dissolving these and integrating them in to the fabric of a cocktail is still considered to be on the cutting edge of mixology.

For the uninitiated let’s take a quick look back into the development of this trend, which had its roots in New York.

WHAT IS FAT WASHING? Fat washing is the process of infusing the flavour of animal fats into a spirit.

It involves cooking the meat to release the fats, which are collected and strained and mixed with the spirit.

Combining the fat and the spirit at a similar warm temperature (approx.

25 degrees Celsius) will give a better absorption of the flavours. By giving it a good shake and allowing to sit in a fridge for 24 hours the flavours have a chance to be dissolved in to the spirit.

The cold temperature also gets the fats to rise and solidify allowing them to be skimmed off, followed by filtering out the remaining particulates. This results in a wonderfully delicious spirit with all the flavour, and minimizes of the greasiness of the fat, left behind.

One of the most well-known fatwashed drink is the Benton’s Old Fashioned, a bacon-infused cocktail created by Don Lee at New York’s Please Don’t Tell (PDT). Lee combined two of America’s favourite flavours, bourbon and bacon in a classy drink.

Lee, however, credits another New York bartender, Eben Freeman, then working

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at the wildly innovative WD-50, with his knowledge of fat washing.

Initially bacon fat was used, but other fats such beef, lamb, chorizo sausage, Iberico ham, buttered popcorn and pistachio nuts or anything with a high fat content can be used to fat wash a spirit. Due to the nature of the process, the principles of fat washing allow for the use of any fat, meaning the options to experiment are almost endless.

A few of brands have joined the trend with Australia’s 666 Autumn Butter vodka, created by Melbourne’s mad scientist, Sebastian Reaburn in 2012, made by a process of ‘fat washing’ whole Tasmanian salted butter and split vanilla pods in the rich pot-still vodka for a period of 3 days.

Sydney bar legend, Sven Almenning has also been in on the fat washing game since 2014 with his delicious Smoked Bacon bourbon and the Salted Coconut rum under his The Experiemental Spirits Co. label.

In more recent times, bartenders have been busy exploring the world of plant based fruit and vegetable oils to add deliciously concentrated flavour in small quantities to give the drink the flavours but more interestingly a smooth and silky texture to drinks and cocktails.

Whereas animal fats tend to be washed

down by a spirit, plant based oils are added directly to the mixing glass, allowing for their texture to add a smoothness and helps take the edge off sharp citrus notes.

We put the call out to the Drinks World Australian Top 25 bartenders to see what the top talent is using in the areas of fats and oils in drinks at their bars and the response was overwhelming.

In the 2017 Bacardi Legacy Australian final, Dave Kerr from The Beaufort in Melbourne created a delicious contemporary cocktail called The Viento, combining fresh pressed strawberries with rum and coconut oil. Dave explains, “It’s used for both texture and flavour in this context. I’ve always loved the idea of using oils in moderation in drinks and it’s been purely textural until I found coconut oil. Because of my love of Piña Coladas, I wanted to use coconut flavour in my drink and giving it a modern context was extremely attractive”.

David Nguyen-Luu from The Barbershop in Sydney sent through a gorgeous sounding drink called Go West, combining Tanqueray, Pisco, St. Germain, fresh lime juice, fresh basil and salted basil olive oil.

David says, “The oil in the drink

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Go West by David Nguyen-Luu creates a nice viscous mouthfeel. The salted basil oil, really adds to the savoury notes of the gin and the subtle saline component helps make the flavours pop”.

Not to be outdone, Martin Lange from Brisbane’s newest hot bar, Saville Row has a new drink called the Red Hawk Down. It includes a homemade goat butter fat washed Tanqueray, matcha tea, and clarified goats milk, and he says, “It adds an acidic and tannic texture to the drink to balance the matcha tea, but it’s quite sour and creamy at the same time, giving a unique texture and works really well in the drink”. Now there’s a drink with about four trends in one!

Former World Class Australia winner, Jack Sotti of Melbourne’s Boilermaker House, showed he’s not one to rest on his levitated laurels, with an inspired scorched macadamia riff on a Daiquiri, that he calls the Maca-Daiquri. Jack says, “The cocktail itself stays true to a traditional Daiquiri.

First we prep the scorched macadamia oil by heating two lumps of charcoal on a burner until they’re white hot, then we throw them into a deep pan that has 1 litre of macadamia oil and partially cover. The oil will sizzle and smoke and in a covered pan this will infuse into the macadamia oil. You get a lovely dry, earthy smoke that balances out the round fattiness of the macadamia oil”.

Former Angostura World Champ and Beverage Director at the Swillhouse Group, James Irvine has a caper oil cocktail at Australian Restaurant of the Year, Hubert in Sydney. A riff on a Vesper, it combines the Swillhouse Bartender Series gin

by Archie Rose, vodka and a caper infused Lillet Blanc, garnished with three drops of caper oil.

James kindly included the method of how to make the caper oil.

Take 300g of good quality olive oil, 30g fresh caper berries, 3 caper leaves. Place all

Pinneapolis by Michael Chiem ingredients into a cryovac bag and seal under high pressure. Leave at room temperature for 24 hours. Strain and store in a bottle at room temperature”.

Future icon and current elder statesman, Charlie Ainsbury, co-owner of the Sydney’s This Must Be The Place (too many awards to mention), chimed in with a beautifully described cedar oil drink called the Atlantic, combining Rye Whiskey, verjuice, Suze, Abbott’s Bitters and cedar oil. Charlie opines, “The cocktail is a strong sipper, but much brighter than your usual Manhattan-style drink with Suze and Verjuice lightening things up with a touch of bitterness and acidity. Cedar oil adds a gentle woody aroma as opposed to smoking the glass with wood chips”.

Award-winning bartender and creative genius, Michael Chiem, co-owner of Sydney’s PS40 shared a cocktail he has created for the Chin Chin Sydney opening that is a take on his favourite pizza - Hawaiian! The aptly named Pinneapolis is a Lardo fat washed Plantation Pineapple rum, Campari, lime and LP’s smoked maple syrup and Chinese five spice. As The Gresham’s Ryan Lane said, “Get that in my face!”

Further to the #hamandpineapple trend, Sydney’s Quynh Van Nguyen, from Fred’s, mentioned, “I did a ham and pineapple old fashioned once. Smoked Serrano ham fat washed Havana Club 7 Year Old, Nikka by the Barrel and a pineapple and clove syrup. The owners thought it was too out there so had to just make it a charred pineapple old fashioned instead. Sad face emoji.

Perennial up and comer and competition stalwart, Jono Carr from Sydney’s Kittyhawk has a suitably exotic sounding drink inspired by the grandfather of Tiki himself, Don the Beachcomber, called The Polynesian Pearl

Diver, combining Bacardi rum, fresh orange and lemon juices with a coconut and lemon butter.

Jono says, “The coconut lemon butter uses the husks of juiced lemons and toasted coconut cooked down with butter and sugar. Sounds sustainable, refreshing and decadent!

Adelaide’s Ollie Margan, managing partner of Maybe Mae has a mandarin oil called the Continental Drift, a riff on the Adonis cocktail.

After peeling mandarins for juice and the incredible aromas that resulted he thought there had to be a way to get that aroma into a drink. Ollie says, “Made by taking Australian Apera (similar to fino sherry) and sous vide it at a low temp (25 degrees) for an hour with mandarin skins. The alcohol acts as a solvent and breaks down the waxy outer layer on the skin, releasing the oils which are easily soluble in the fortified wine. We then marry this with Margan off-sweet vermouth, (a native Australian ‘rosso’ style vermouth sweetened with botrytis wine, pomegranate molasses and wild strawberries). The drink is incredibly aromatic, fresh and aperitif. The drink appears clear and whilst it doesn’t have the ‘flavour’ of mandarins, the intense citrus aroma means that you taste the mandarin via the retro-nasal canal which is where flavour is interpreted from taste and aroma in the olfactory bulb”. Flavour straight to the dome!

And just to prove that they are not just cocktail cowboys out in the wild west of Perth, Australia, the ever-youthful Tom Kearney from the Dominion League, has got a butter and roasted pecan fat washed cocktail “On at the moment”, as well as Australia’s favourite Georgian bartender, Dimitri Rtshiladze of Mechanics Institute has an avocado oil and skin fat washed cocktail.

And finally, with the award for the ‘most out there drink’ we have the Cookie Cutter from Ella Rhodes of Cobbler, Brisbane. Combining cookie dough washed Maker’s Mark bourbon, Pierre Ferand dry curacao, orgeat, five dashes of peppermint tincture, served in a Julep cup on crushed ice, finished with fresh mint and shaved chocolate. She says, “Maker’s Mark being a light, sweet, wheaty bourbon can gain a lot of character from something as rich as choc chip cookie dough. Basically, the way I see it is we’re just giving the spirit a ‘boob job’. Taking what’s already there and enhancing it with big, rich, oily textures and flavours. And not to make the spirit sing, but to make the drink come to life”. Ella, we are yaying what you are spraying.

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Ride the White Lightning WORDS ° Ben Davidson

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ith so much attention on dark spirits, aged in oak barrels for years, it’s nice to pause and shine a light on some of the outstanding examples of unaged spirits, (other than gin and vodka), where all the flavours are derived from their specific raw materials, the method of distillation and the skill of the distiller.

The Latin term ‘aqua vitae’ was first used to describe spirits when this new liquid trickled out of primitive alembic stills. This ‘eau de vie’, or ‘water of life’ is still a fitting description for unaged spirits, which are as clear as the water from which they are named. This pervasive thought gave rise to the names of both whiskey, vodka and is still the name for French eau de vie fruit spirit.

Whether a spirit is aged or unaged is usually determined by whether it has rested in an oak barrel for a certain length of time. There are minimum aging times in oak across the spirits industry for a spirit to be called a whisky, an Añejo, a Calvados or a VSOP Cognac. It’s through the interaction of the spirit with the oak and air inside the barrel that the spirit becomes

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aged. Once a spirit is removed from an oak cask, the aging process is considered to have stopped.

The best unaged spirits are such that they don’t need oak to enhance their flavour and are created from a specific selection of raw materials that each give different characters and flavours to the spirit. For me, the best Pisco, Mezcal, Eau de Vie or Moonshine captures an intensity and concentration of the raw material to create a pure expression of flavour that is in balance with the level of alcohol that it contains.

GRAIN SPIRIT There has been a massive resurgence in craft distilling with grain-based spirits leading the charge, as new distillers have a crack at making

whiskey. Whilst waiting for the whiskey to age, producers have released unaged versions of their ‘new make spirit’, whilst others more recently have decided to take Moonshine to the masses by producing a well-made and respectable version of the (illegal) real thing.

Distilling and drinking unaged high proof grain spirit, (aka Moonshine), has been and still is an American specialty, inspired by the early days and the belief in freedom of distilling. The modern practitioners of this right have been applying themselves in legal distilleries popping up again all over the place! The new prevalence of Moonshine has lead to a new appreciation for balanced and characterful grain spirit, to be enjoyed neat or mixed.

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Ironbark Still

ARCHIE ROSE WHITE RYE 40% ABV Archie Rose brought distilling back to the Sydney in 2015 with a purpose-built distillery pumping out a magnificently flavourful barley and rye grain spirit from their unique copper pot stills. Their White Rye is uniquely distilled from rare malted rye and barley sourced from the finest local producers, and greets you with cinnamon, nutmeg and spicy notes that envelope the palate. Twice distilled, it features a lingering, buttery finish with a subtle smokiness, and can be savoured straight or in your cocktail like the White Whiskey Sour.

crucial to producing a clean spirit that can be mixed well. We use an eight plate column still to handcraft the Moonshine, styled with a traditional mash bill of corn, rye grain, for spice and barley for a creamy back note, the method used is identical to how traditional American Moonshines are crafted.

“Our flavour profile is big corn notes combined with a hint of pepper from the rye grain and creamy back notes from the barley. Served best over ice, or can be used in many variations of cocktails. Has been described as a perfect interpretation of an American classic, produced in Australia.”

IRONBARK DISTILLERY CORN RYE MOONSHINE 45% ABV

MELBOURNE MOONSHINE SOUR MASH SHINE 50% ABV

Making Shine since 2013, Reg Papps helped put Australian Moonshine on the map! Made from a traditional recipe, this is a corn and rye based spirit that is reminiscent of bourbon that has had no aging in the barrel, creating a full-bodied and delicious flavoured Moonshine that’s sure to leave you with that warm moonshiner buzz. It is mashed using all Australian grain, and truly is a unique spirit.

When asked about the Ironbark methods that contribute to the style Reg says, “The still style is important as this is how we impart flavour into the spirit. Plated stills allow for both purity and flavour transfer from the mash, which is

The new Shine Misters on the block, the Melbourne Moonshine gang has brought Shine to the people! Using local corn to create the sour ‘wash’ which provides the basis for the warm, sweet, strong kick of a true Southern white lightning merged with the clean, refined and utterly enjoyable drinkability of a modern Melburnian drop.

When asked about the Melbourne Moonshine way, Moonshiner Andrew Fitzgerald proudly states, “Our Moonshine is made to be a Moonshine. It’s not an unaged whiskey that we have released as a Moonshine. That’s an important factor. We make some whiskey

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Ole Smoky Still as well, but that is made to go in to barrel to balance out the flavours”.

Andrew went on to say, “It’s our dedication to making the spirit as smooth as possible but still carry significant flavour. We take 16 samples across the distillation cycle and taste all of them. It’s time consuming and inefficient in a lot of ways but by doing this, we don’t rely on ABV to select our cuts. We don’t worry about efficiency as much as we do taste, that’s a distinct difference between us and the bigger producers. We don’t recycle ‘heads’ into our sour mash for instance. We don’t do that because we found it created a harsher spirit”.

When pressed about Moonshine’s reputation, Andrew opined, “Moonshine, at least how we make it, takes all the finesse (and in parts more) that whiskey distilling takes. It’s not a cheap cousin, it’s a delicious alternative”. Shine on, you crazy diamonds. Can I get an Amen!

and bootleggers, we know it’s considered risky to tell stories of moonshine glory. The consequences of talking back in the day made it something you just didn’t do. But those days are gone, and it’s hard not to brag when you’re makin’ and sellin’ Ole Smoky Tennessee Moonshine.”

OLE SMOKY WHITE LIGHTNING 50% ABV

PISCO PORTON MOSTO VERDE QUEBRANTA 43% ABV

Ole Smoky Moonshine is distilled from local East Tennessee corn grown a few miles from the distillery, using only local ingredients and pristine Tennessee water to create a smooth and authentic tasting Shine.

Ole Smoky is Appalachian born and bred. The Ole Smoky families were among the first to step foot in the Smoky Mountains and were forced to make Moonshine in order to survive during tough economic times.

“When Tennessee state law changed to allow the distillation of spirits, we saw an opportunity to showcase the art of superior mountain-made Moonshine. Ole Smoky is the first federally licensed distillery in the history of East Tennessee. Like other moonshiners

Pisco Porton Mosto Verde is handcrafted at the oldest distillery in the Americas, Hacienda La Caravedo, established in 1684 in Ica, Peru. It is a full-bodied and luxurious of estate-grown grapes, carefully crafted in the mosto verde style by Master Distiller Johnny Schuler.

This Pisco has a velvety, creamy texture and layers of delicious flavour like dried fruits, fresh flowers and vanilla.

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GRAPE SPIRIT Most quality grape based spirits and Cognac Eau de Vie are sent to the aging warehouses to mature, however some of the most interesting grape spirits are the unaged Piscos of Peru, especially the Mosto Verdes style with low ABV distillation, capturing the most delicate flavours of the grapes.

Grape based raw materials also give rise to the somewhat mysterious and austere Grappa and Marc spirits, each made with fermentable ‘waste’ from the winemaking process.

CAMPO DE ENCANTO QUEBRANTA DISTILLER’S RESERVE Created by Duggan McDonnell, owner of legendary Cantina bar in San Francisco, this pisco won the Gran Medalla de Oro for being

Peru’s best pisco in its inaugural year. Campo De Encanto is alembic distilled only once and nothing is added, no sugar, no preservatives; not even a drop of water.

Quebranta was the first grapevine planted in South America, and this Distiller’s Reserve Single Vineyard Pisco selection is a rare gem.

You’ll taste almonds and apricot blossoms, bell peppers and cassis with lingering notes of chocolate.

FRUIT SPIRIT EAU DE VIE / RAKIA A wide array of fermentable fruits have been used to create a spirit that the French have called Eau de Vie since the dawn of distillation.

Pears, apple, cherries, plums, apricots and even raspberries have all been used to create, powerful, aromatic, yet nuanced un-aged spirits.

Fine examples of these include Poire William, Kirsch, Mirrabelle, Framboise and others are available through Melbourne-based Cerbaco who have been the torch bearers for exquisite French liqueurs, crèmes and eau de vie from producers Massenez and Bertrand.

Other idiosyncratic, eastern European unaged fruit spirits, fall under the name Rakia or similar derivatives, the most well known being the Damson plum brandy called Slivovitz.

AGAVE SPIRIT ARTISANAL MEZCAL Once the true taste of agave is appreciated by tasting an Artisanal Mezcal from a small producer in Oaxaca, you can instantly see how exquisitely complex, smooth and powerful unaged agave spirit can be. Oak would only take away from the intense vegetal, spicy, pungent, savoury pepper notes found in the best single village Mezcals, like those from Del Maguey, Wahaka and Leyenda.

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Michters_HIP_single page ad.pdf

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Contact Vanguard Luxury Brands www.vanguardluxurybrands.com.au

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It’s all about the whiskey.

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Sydney Brewery continues to impress the judges, this year adding to its medal haul after success over the last three years.

At the 2017 Independent Brewers Association Awards held in Adelaide, Sydney Brewery took home a Gold Medal, two Silvers and three Bronze for the following: • GOLD: Potts Point Porter • SILVER: Darlo Dark and Surry Hills Pils • BRONZE: Glamarama Summer Ale, Lovedale Lager and Pyrmont Rye IPA. Continuing the good form, the brewery received further accolades at the 2017 Royal Hobart Show, where their Agave Ginger Cider took out Gold, scoring a class topping 96/100! Sydney Cider was also among the medals, taking home a Bronze, adding to its impressive Trophy and Gold medals won at previous Sydney, Hobart and Cider Australia shows.

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Agave Ginger Cider and Sydney Cider weren’t done there, adding a further medals haul at the 2017 World Cider Awards in London. Agave Ginger Cider won its second Gold in the ‘Experimental’ class, this time trumping its recent Hobart Royal Gold with an international victory.

Not to be outdone, Sydney Cider won its style of Sparkling Sweet and also won ‘Best Australian Sparkling Cider’, adding to its impressive medals record!

Sydney Brewery has cemented itself as one of the finest producers of beer and cider in the country, and over the past three years has been awarded seven Trophies and 10 Gold medals, with these recent results taking their award tally to 68 medals.

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For more information on the range, head to sydneybrewery.com

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we knew maggy would look good in gold* *2017 royal hobart gold medal 96/100 *2017 world cider awards gold medal DW Ed30 AU pg32-33 SYDNEY BREWERY.indd 33

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THE PERFECT BLEND 2017 I

n late 2016, The Perfect Blend invited bartenders across the nation with the addition of New Zealand, (who also launched The Blend program last year) to submit their original creation and interpretation of a ‘Whiskies of the World‘ cocktail using the Beam Suntory portfolio.

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The Perfect Blend caters to all types of bartenders; those new to the trade compete against those with similar experience, and those who have had more time behind the stick, battle it out against those alike. This makes it less intimidating, and a more even playing field. 2017 has shown an array of first time competitors taking the stage, and even winning the title.

The 2017 Grand Final of The Perfect Blend was this year held in Hunter Valley, NSW, where 12 bartenders from across Australia and New Zealand battled it out to take home the ultimate prize.

For the 2017 competition, The Blend team received close to 500 entries from across Australia and New Zealand. Six state finals were held, with 58 bartenders competing, and it’s no wonder why, with the epic prize on offer! Both category winners received a once in a lifetime trip to Kentucky, the home of bourbon to visit the Jim Beam and Maker’s Mark Distilleries, as well as meeting the master distillers, before heading to NYC to party like a rock star, checking out some of the world’s top bars and taking as much as they could bite out of The Big Apple.

GRAND FINAL WRAP The Grand Final featured two days of activities ahead of the competition, including a Kentucky feast and whisk(e)y pairing matched by The Exchange ambassadors Dan Woolley and Erica Richards.

The second day saw ambassadors Matt Barnett and Brendon Rogers chat to the competitors about all things tiki before being required to complete a range of ‘unique’ but educational challenges put together by Bill Bewsher and Michael Nouri.

On competition day, when the mood turned serious, the Grand Final comprised of three key sections; a knowledge section featuring a blind tasting and an exam; an innovative section with a Mystery Box challenge, and a pre-prepared session with a Highball serve and Signature serve presentation. The Mystery Box round had a twist (as always). Each question correctly answered in the exam and blind tasting earned 10 seconds in the pantry. Therefore, the better the exam score, the more time bartenders had in the pantry to select ingredients and work out what kind of cocktail they’d make for the challenge. Once an ingredient was taken from the pantry, it wasn’t replaced so those being

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last into the pantry had a much more limited selection.

The Mystery Box round gave each competitor just eight minutes to create a delicious drink, with their choice of Maker’s Mark, Jim Beam Rye, Jim Beam Double Oak, and Jim Beam White Label. The Professionals were up first, while the Apprentice category sat in the audience. Apprentices took some notes from the pros and followed soon after, impressing the judges with their on the spot creations.

The final round featured a Whisk(e)y Highball challenge and Whisk(e)y Signature serve challenge, giving bartenders the chance to make their own take on the famed Highball cocktail, and to showcase their storytelling ability with a signature drink that was either a shared cocktail that relives a memory, one that celebrates an occasion or memory or one that recreated a classic cocktail to highlight and complement their story.

It was tough for the judges deciding on the winners with the array of talent and quality of cocktails served up. In the end, Evan Stroeve from Sydney’s Shady Pines Saloon took out the Apprentice category, while Adelaide’s Ollie Margan from Maybe Mae took out the Professional category. This was Margan’s second time competing in The Perfect Blend, showing that persistence does pay off, “This was the second year of the comp and my second time through to the Grand final so I had a slight edge perhaps? It was such a great feeling, and now to tick that off and enjoy the comp from a judges point of view next year will be ace. I

think knowing I had done it before (compete at that level) allowed me to be more relaxed and comfortable in my presentation”, said Margan.

Drinks World caught up with both winners to gain some insight into the competition.

Evan Stroeve said, “As an amateur, and my first competition, the hardest part was staying composed on stage. It’s a completely different style of bartending. I was sh****g myself. A few shots of Jim Beam Rye, and an insanely picturesque background made it all a little easier.” When asked about the level of competition in the final, Ollie Margan commented, “This was definitely the most difficult competition I have been involved in.

A really strong class of bartenders were involved, representing some of the most accomplished and reputable cocktail establishments in the country.”

Keep an eye out for the 2018 competition, with entries open from September 4 until November 4, 2017. The competition challenges bartenders to created a signature drink to ‘Celebrate the Occasion’, paying homage to a historical moment in time, a personal achievement, your favourite cultural day, a significant birthday, graduation or event in your life. Interpretation is as you make it. The prize for this trip is none other than a trip to Kentucky, visiting the Maker’s Mark and Jim Beam distillery, then winners will be taken down to Bayou country to New Orleans for an week at Tales of the Cocktail, the world’s premier cocktail festival.

2017 Apprentice winner Evan Stroeve spoke highly of the competition, “Everyone brought

original ideas. Everyone was looking to push the boundaries and challenge common conceptions of what constitutes a modern cocktail. The calibre of bartending, in my opinion, was one of the highest that I’ve seen in one place, and I would urge anyone considering entering in 2018 to do so.”

For more information check out the-blend.com.au

Celebrate The Occasion HOW IT WORKS • Log on to www.the-blend.com.au • Choose the whisk(e)y region you would like to represent • Select your ‘hero’ whisk(e)y from the Beam Suntory portfolio • State which category you are entering (Apprentice or Professional) • Describe with detail the ‘occasion’ you have chosen and why • Submit your entry

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Tales of the Cocktail 2017 Wrap

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he annual Tales of the Cocktail festival in New Orleans once again saw a bunch of Aussie revelers make the trek over to The Big Easy for a string of events, culminating in the Spirited Awards, that this year saw none of other than Melbourne’s Black Pearl take home the title of Best International Cocktail Bar. Well done to Tash Conte and the crew at Black Pearl. We can’t wait to have a celebratory drink with you next time we’re down in the Big V! Here are some highlights from the 2017 event.

SEMINAR HIGHLIGHTS • Shake outside of the box • Mastering your prep game • Fermentation in-depth session featuring presenters such as PS40’s Thor Bergquist and Rutte Gin’s Master Distiller, Myriam Henrickx.

• Big shout out to Anya Montague who nailed her Drinking Around the Garden session.

EVENT HIGHLIGHTS • Bacardi Portfolio Party - Neon Tide!

• Bacchanal Sunday session • Sailor Jerry House of Sin • The Alibi – where everyone ends up at the end of every night • Hendrick’s departure lounge • Love Supreme, William Grant & Sons portfolio party, surprise performance by Bow Wow • Diageo’s Dogg House, surprise performance from Snoop Dogg • Elyx House - if you were lucky enough to test out their 20min experience and choose drinks from the emoji menu • Altos Tequila, Luchaslam party - tequila and

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luchador wrestling, what a great combination!

• Kilbeggan House, stylish and elegant cocktails with local caught oysters, topped off by a personal tasting with Global Brand Ambassador John Cashman

OUR $0.02 WORTH We spoke to a couple of bartenders about the experience and asked for their tips. Group Bars Manager for Public House Management, Kurtis Bosley said, “I learnt how to deal with a hangover quick enough to back up for the next day.” Black Pearl’s Nathan Beasely had some similar words of advice for those looking to attend or return, “The most important thing to remember about your week in New Orleans for Tales is to pace yourself with regards to consuming alcohol, drink plenty of water (it’s one humid place!), and to get to at least one seminar, and at least two live music gigs!” We have to agree with Nathan on the live music front (and the water consumption), after all, NOLA is known for live jazz and brass. Head to the iconic Maple Leaf Bar and check out some

Hotel Monteleone Steps

music y’all.

Of course, the end of the night inevitable comes and this is where The Alibi comes in hand. Just off Bourbon St in the French Quarter, you can be assured that if you lose your group of friends, you can always find them there (or make new ones). Post 1am is when this place really gets rocking.

After night comes day, and you can get yourself a full breakfast of grits, bacon and pancakes at The Grill. This is where you can indulge in authentic New Orleans cooking and hospitality, and request your own tailor made breakfast to go with your hangover. Our tip, try the chocolate milkshake. For an afternoon or late night snack, a burrito from Felipe’s is second to none, we recommend the carnitas! For the seafood lover, check out Peche, amazing catfish, shrimp and local oysters, which are a staple of The Big Easy. For fried chicken head to Brothers Fried Chicken for some of the tastiest around, and fear not, they’re open 24 hours! Oh and biegnets, yep those are good….really good., especially from Café Du Mont. The Joint,

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Spirited Awards

Bobby Carey Lookalike Photo by Andy Hemmingway

Chris Hysted-Adams, Nathan Beasley and Rob Libecans accepting the award for Black Pearl

Trash Tiki founders Iain Griffiths and Kelsey Ramage Pat McEwan enjoying the Bayou

Joe Worthington

Black Pearl victorious!

Altos Tequila Luchador Event Naren Young at the Dante Pop Up

Nick Miles

Ryan Lane Monkey Shoulder team

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Cane & Table, Herbsaint, Coops Place, Willies Chicken (late night feed yass), and Daisy Duke’s are all good for food in their own right.

If you can make some time, it pays to spend an afternoon down in Bayou country on a fan boat.

Around 40 mins drive from the heart of New Orleans, this is a perfect mini getaway.

Stay – Hotel Monteleone. Not only is this place in the heart of the French Quarter, it’s also one of the most stunning hotels you will find.

Make sure you book early, as not surprisingly it fills up way ahead of time. The Hotel Monteleone is the heart and soul of Tales. Also be sure to visit the Carousel Bar and try the famed Vieux Carre which was invented there.

For the full New Orleans experience, grab a Po Boy at Duke’s.

Speaking of New Orleans traditions it would be rude not to head to The Sazerac Bar in the Hotel Roosevelt, the birthplace of the Ramos Gin Fizz and of course, The Sazerac. If you have time, get yourself a Grasshopper at Tujague’s.

For early drinks check out Beachbum Berry’s Latitude 29, French 75, and make your way to the aforementioned Alibi if you make if that far.

Time to kill during the day (you should be at seminars!) but hit the pools at Sonesta or Royal Hyatt to keep things cool, or take a walk down Dacatur St for some shopping. For the art fan in you, Royal Street is great for a little education on some local art, and spend time appreciating the architecture and hidden gems across this unique city.

DRINKS WORLD’S TOP HONOURS

Bacardi Neon Tide

Australia Team Dinner

• RYAN LANE Drinking Veteran of Tales Where you could find others sneaking in a nanna nap before the evening parties, Ryan would be testing out another selection of the local bars and wedge a solid four to five Old Fashioneds in to fill the time. We don’t know how you do it mate.

• NATHAN BEASLEY & JOE WORTHINGTON Most Dangerous Drinking Partners (Joint Winners) If you ever lost them you could be sure to find them again at 4am outside Alibi! If you don’t want to see the next day you can attempt to party with these boys through the night…

They’d never lead anyone astray!

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° MEET °

IGOR PACHI I

gor Pachi first arrived in Australia from Brazil over a decade ago. Working in bars to supplement travel, Igor discovered a passion for the creativity of bartending, was drawn to it and never left!

For the past few years Igor was the cornerstone at Assembly Bar in Sydney, holding the Group Operations Management role, before recently taking on a role with Bacardi. Drinks World’s Lukas Raschilla caught up with Igor to chat about the industry and his new role.

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LUKAS RASCHILLA: Tell me about your first job in the industry?

IGOR PACHI: Like many young people, I started out working in bars as part of my travels, pouring beers in exchange for free food and drink! I enjoyed the social side of making friends around the world, but I had no idea back then that this would become my life’s passion and career.

LR: When did you first discover your love of bartending?

IP: Travelling! Visiting different places around the world, discovering new cultures and making friends along the way, usually involving a bar!

When I finally settled into a career in graphic design – being in front of a computer screen or making presentations on packaging, market strategy and design, I began to realise how much I missed the social and creative buzz of the bar environment. So I followed my heart back into the place I love most and for the last 12 years, I’ve been exploring and experimenting with different combinations of ingredients, flavours and aromas in the wonderful world of cocktail bartending, where innovation is encouraged and creativity thrives. I feel so lucky to have unlocked my love of design into a career that I am truly passionate about.

LR: Why did you first move to Sydney?

IP: The culture! The unique, open-minded, young and multi-cultural society that is Sydney. After 10 years of living in this amazing country, I’m now proud and honoured to be an Australian citizen. Since I first set foot here many years ago, I’ve never really left Australia. My love for the country and especially the growing professionalism of the bar industry has grown.

LR: How do you view the Australian bar scene?

IP: Australia is up there as one of the most inspiring bar scenes in the world. I’m really proud to be part of the movement that’s setting everincreasing standards of professionalism, welcoming more women as bartenders and developing young, upcoming talent. Operators have had to work hard to overcome the difficulties that the new lockout laws have forced us to address and, as a result, the industry has become stronger and has a better future ahead of it.

LR: You’ve recently taken a role with Bacardi, can you tell me about the new role and what you’ll be doing?

IP: I love to set myself new challenges and I’ve been thinking of moving to the supplier side of the industry for some time now. As a bartender I’ve really got to know every single brand that’s out there and I’ve been especially impressed by the quality of the Bacardi portfolio of premium spirits - including Grey Goose vodka, Bombay Sapphire gin, Dewar’s scotch whisky and all the single malts, and of course Bacardi rums and the versatility they bring to great cocktail making. As the Australia and New Zealand Brand Ambassador in Global Travel Retail, I’m now responsible for increasing the standard of excellence in promotions and strategies that bring our brands to life in cruise and airports. My mission is to inspire travellers to love our brands and to give them unforgettable, high quality cocktail experiences as part of their vacation and travels. You will still see me around a lot in Sydney’s bars as I’ll be working closely with the domestic team in Australia – after all we share the same consumer, they’re just in a different place when they’re travelling to when they’re at home. We’re keen to develop much stronger links between our travel and domestic markets for this reason.

LR: One of your first loves is skateboarding. Do you still get out and skate these days?

IP: Not as much as I used to or as I’d like to, but it’s still a life-long passion that’s been with me since I was about four years old in my home country of Brazil. Back in the early 90s I was into it big time, I was ambitious and skateboarding hard for sponsorship – with a little bartender moonlighting on the side! In fact, I started a company in partnership with a good friend, which we called Elaborate Skateboarding. The philosophy was all about ‘elaborating your life’ and we literally took that to heart as a lifestyle for several years. Just like my other loves of art and design, I’ve now found a way to adapt this passion of elaborating my life, although now it’s towards different goals.

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wner of Manhattan bar, famed German bartender and Jägermeister Global Brand Ambassador Nils Boese was recently in Australia hosting a series of classes and bartender events. Drinks World’s Lukas Raschilla caught up with Nils for a chat about his bar philosophy, the European bar scene, and of course, Jägermeister.

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LUKAS RASCHILLA: You’ve owned and operated Manhattan Bar for over 15 years.

Can you tell me about your philosophy of not having a drinks menu?

NILS BOESE: I’m always trying to keep people interested in new things and new drinks, and the bar is a very small room in itself. At first I was working with a menu, it was the late 90s and it was quite an extensive menu and people usually order something because they’re used to it, and think it’s secure, they’re not necessarily wanting to change. Around 2006 I was looking for a more satisfying approach and I stopped working with a menu. Having a menu meant that people tended to automatically stick to what drinks were on the menu. I was getting into a mood and a little disgruntled, but that wasn’t the fault of the customers, I just needed a change. I see my approach like the difference we have with food. On one hand, we eat food because it’s nourishing and we need energy, which is called eating, and then we have fine dining, which is a luxury. That is more where the focus is on the experience. So with alcohol we kind of have the luxury aspect already inherent because it’s always a luxury and we don’t need alcohol. Alcohol in itself is always a luxury. It’s difficult to get people to come to a bar and open up, but the moment they step into a fine dining restaurant, they open up because they know they are going to spend money and have a good time. When people go out to drink alcohol, they just want to have a good time and that’s usually the only focus they have. It was a harsh decision to do away with the menu and people were used to it, and sticking to it but it felt necessary for me to do away with having a menu and now I just work with recommendations.

LR: When you’re not in Hildesheim, the bar is closed. Tell me about the evolution of the bar, namely not having any staff other than yourself and only opening when you’re in town?

NB: It was coming to a point around 2009 where I decided to more or less slow down and change the place. I closed down, and during this point I made the conscious decision to avoid banks and not seek out any loans, so changes could only be made to the bar once I had the money. That meant the renovation time

was more extensive than I actually planned, but during that time I realised that I was really looking forward to working again and I wanted to have the freedom of not being there every day and I didn’t want to be dependent on other people.

Obviously with any business you need to have people working for you and you need to trust them and you need to open them up and have the time it takes to teach them, but being a perfectionist and having more or less only a limited amount of people in the bar at any time, there hasn’t been a need to put other staff on.

At that time there wasn’t the kind of interest in the bartending scene that we have now.

Then obviously not being based in a big city like Berlin, Frankfurt or Munich it was a decision to have the bar only open when I’m there and want to work. Maybe in the future I will look at having the bar staffed but for the last few years it’s been the most comfortable arrangement because I can work around my schedule. I have an openness, which is nicer, and it gives me flexibility and piece of mind. It’s like getting out of a hamster wheel where you just keep turning.

Right now whenever I open the bar, I’m the happiest man ever.

LR: Can you tell us a little about the German bar scene, and how it’s changed during your time in the industry?

NB: It has changed massively. I recall a big acceleration in terms of the bartending scene, not just in Germany, but in Europe around 2008. After the big bust in the economy there were a lot of young people going to other countries. So, for example, some of the best Spanish bartenders I knew were working in the Netherlands, some of the best Polish bartenders were working in Berlin, and people were going between places and working in different cities and from these places they were taking all this experience away. A result of that, right now in Madrid for example, the bartending scene accelerated and before that there was no real bartending scene, and that’s a real benefit of Europe we’re seeing now because we’re so well interconnected. They all have their own flair and style but learnt different things from working in different countries.

There are also knowledgeable guests, and

that kind of means the bartenders and guests feed off each other; you can only have a sophisticated bar and bartender if you also have sophisticated guests.

One of the very obvious changes from the consumer is that people are drinking more consciously in terms of what they choose, not necessarily about volume or how much they drink but what they drink. They are more open in terms of taste and getting more adventurous with trying new things.

LR: What do you want people to understand about Jägermeister and how do you envision it being used in venues?

NB: What I want to get across with drinks is trusting in the product. The only thing I care about is that you’re trusting in your own taste. I want everyone to be like, “I know this taste now and I trust this product”.

For me, the way I envision Jägermeister being used is by a good bartender that thinks intelligently and adventurously when incorporating Jägermeister into drinks. When they actually know the product and how to build a new drink and know when to apply a rule and when to ignore a rule, that for me is the perfect use of Jäger.

LR: What is the most enjoyable aspect of working with Jägermeister?

NB: The product and the company are enduring me. I now have an influence and a platform to mix with the biggest shot brand in the world!

How much confidence do you have as a brand when you say, “Yeah, we’re going to let this guy walk around and talk about it.” That is how much respect we have for each other and that’s why it’s so much fun.

When I think about working for Jäger as a brand, with most brands and companies there’s always structure, when I started working with Jägermeister there was no clear plan, there was no structure, sometimes there still isn’t, but that isn’t a problem the moment you have trust. And that is the basic beauty of working with Jägermeister. It’s more like a journey we started together. It’s always evolving and always changing and that’s what I love.

DRINKS WORLD

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PURE NATURAL BOTANICALS

Stay chilled. Drink responsibly.

Jägermeister 35% ABV. Produced and bottled by Mast-Jägermeister SE, Wolfenbüttel, Germany

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° VISIT ° NZ

NE W Z E A L A ND

WELLINGTON O

ur Kiwi neighbours always seem to be doing great things, often even better than us Aussies, and we’re not just talking about the All Blacks kicking our butts. We thought it was about damn time to take a look at New Zealand’s capital, the other ‘Harbour City’ across the Tasman, Wellington. Jump across the ditch and pay a visit to these venues for drinks, food, and friendly banter.

HAWTHORN LOUNGE Hawthorn Lounge opened in Wellington in 2006, with owner Justin MacKenzie creating a bar that’s small, welcoming, intimate and private – with an air of yesteryear’s nostalgia.

Harking back to the elegant decadence of the 1920s speakeasys - think plush red walls, leather sofas, poker tables, an open slate fireplace merrily crackling away, banker’s lamps lining the bar top - Hawthorn Lounge lends a sense of occasion wrapped in lush comfort.

Hidden away upstairs, slightly off the beaten track, a visit to Hawthorn Lounge will take you on a journey of world-class libations – from the original 1920s classics, through the inspired modern cocktails of today, to their individual bespoke concoctions.

Address: Upstairs at 82 Tory Street, Wellington 6011

DRINKS WORLD

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° VISIT ° NZ

LAUNDRY Laundry is a one-of-a-kind juke joint, tucked away atop Cuba Street in an old up-cycled launderette. Since 2013 this locally owned and operated free-house has been pumping out award-winning burgers, tasty New Zealand craft beer, and late night speakeasy sounds. The burgers here are truly magnificent, and don’t just take our word for it, the venue took home the 2015 and 2016 Visa Wellington on a Plate burger and beer match competitions! The venue wears a few different hats, and is well known for its stomping parties that run till 3am every Friday and Saturday night. For those of you looking for a unique experience on a night out in Wellington, Laundry is a must visit.

Address: 242 Cuba St, Te Aro, Wellington 6011

CRUMPET Crumpet is a creative juxtaposition where you can find the rare and unusual but ultimately a cosy and comfortable cocktail bar. The back bar reflects that with the usual faces taking a back seat. Here, new or seasoned drinkers find something original to try. Having so many lesser known spirits allows the knowledgeable staff to guide guests, allowing a ‘flavour wheel’ to spark the imagination for ideas rather than a menu. Taking inspiration from the guests’ selection, the crew here will whip you up something new or suggest a classic cocktail to match.

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Failing that, they are building an evolving Rolodex of drinks from all over the world and drinking eras. The A-Z of drinks is built from classics with new additions being added monthly and a handful highlighted every month on the Crumpet Guide.

Crumpet has a relaxed vibe, soft lighting, bizarre wall hangs and a wide range of world music with a tone of blues, rhythm and soul throughout. A solid Wellington hangout.

Address: 109 Manners St, Wellington 6011

DRINKS WORLD

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NZ

GARAGE PROJECT TAPROOM The Garage Project taproom was designed to be a real showcase of their beer range and is located across the street from their Aro Valley brewery. It features a world-class draft system, with 18 beers on tap, which can be poured at three different temperatures depending on the style. The system is driven by a ‘flux capacitor’, that allows the crew to precisely control the gas pressure, and mix of CO2 and Nitro on every line. Two hand pumps offer proper real ale, with steel casks kept in a fridge at cellar temperature.

The fit out is clean with subtle cues to Garage Project art adorning the walls. It’s a snug spot, but has a firm following in the local area and is a must visit spot for any visiting beer fan to Wellington.

Address: 91 Aro Street, Aro Valley Wellington 6021

HAVANA BAR Situated in colourful and cosy historic cottages, Havana is an award-winning cocktail bar and restaurant serving a diverse range of internationally inspired tapas and seasonal plates. The bartenders offer a seasonal cocktail menu around modern techniques and the discovery of new flavours. The drinks list comprises of classic and modern drinks with a specific focus on freshness, innovation and homemade products. This is coupled with a diverse assortment of local and international wines and beers. The bar supports local and international musicians and DJs three nights a week for your listening pleasure.

Address: 32a-34 Wigan St, Te Aro Wellington 6011

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° VISIT ° NZ

NICE. TAKEAWAY BY PARROTDOG Nice. Takeaway is a quaint retail space nestled within Parrotdog’s production brewery in the heart of Lyall Bay, a stone’s throw from Wellington airport.

The main objective behind the design is to create an environment that feels almost ‘homelike’ – a comfortable atmosphere with a timeless design.

Parrotdog did this by focusing on what they consider to be an ‘old mate’ aesthetic – something that fits with the brand’s personality, while focusing on elements you might’ve seen in a classic bottle shop in the 1970s and 80s.

Nice. Takeaway boasts 10 taps, offers complimentary tastings, an array of merchandise and artisan treats from neighbouring producers.

Address: 60-66 Kinsford Smith St, Lyall Bay, Wellington 6022

HANGING DITCH Hanging Ditch was opened by two career bartenders who grew tired of Wellington’s limited number of quality cocktail venues since its hospitality heyday of the early-mid 2000s, feeling the city was really lacking an intimate pre and post dinner cocktail and wine focused bar. The name is in reference to co-owner, Andrew Gray’s UK roots, where The Hanging Ditch was a slang name for an old waterway in Manchester, UK dating back to the 1300s, and fits well with the hanging bottles and the north east England connection of this part of Wellington (Leeds Street, and nearby Manchester Apartments).

The design of the bar is a relaxed mix of Wellington’s industrial history and refined luxury.

Located in what used to be Hannah’s Shoe Factory, exposed steel girders and reclaimed wood are punctuated with leather menus and armchairs.

The menu here is kept fresh and seasonal, along with a focus on cocktails and 20 New Zealand wines by the glass along with seven local craft beers on tap - often from within keg-rolling distance of the bar!

Address: 14 Leeds St, Te Aro, Wellington 6011

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DRINKS WORLD

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NZ

BLACK DOG BREWERY The award-winning Black Dog Brewery offers interesting alternatives to beers already on the market. This is the place where you can experience something special in a working brewery in the heart of Wellington. Where always being interesting and intrepid is the motto, Black Dog embraces independence and stays in tune with what the beer drinker wants.

Head here when you’re looking for something a little different, with eight Black Dog brews on-tap, a range of craft beers in bottle and can from other Wellington craft breweries and take-

away sales of both 1 and 2 litre glass bottles, you’ll find something to wet your whistle. While the current brewery is located at 19(A) Blair St, Black Dog is expanding to a new site at 216 Cuba St, a double storey site with a brewery and tasting room downstairs coupled with a bar and function area upstairs.

Address: 19 (A) Blair Street, Wellington W: www.blackdogbrewery.co.nz (For updates on the new site, or any of the beer range)

C.G.R. MERCHANT & CO Step into C.G.R. Merchant & Co. where scarred wooden floors lie beneath your feet, scents of orange and spice are in the air, fans spin languidly above, with creepers and vines trailing from the plunder-laden ceiling.

Inspired by the coastal shipping routes of the Spice Trade, specialising in rum and gin infusions, C.G.R. Merchant & Co. will challenge your tastebuds, and ideas on flavour combinations, with their intriguing and imaginative range of bespoke hand crafted infusions. Gin with balsamic grilled fig, rum and chorizo, or raspberry and clove gin…the rule of thumb here is – if they can imagine it, you can drink it.

Tucked away upstairs on Courtenay Place, far from the maddening crowds, C.G.R. is somewhere to catch up, fall in love, or wind down after a long day.

Address: Upstairs, 44 Courtenay Place, Wellington 6011

DRINKS WORLD

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WANDERLUST

COCKTAIL CLUB

By Ryan Snedden

INGREDIENTS: • 50ml Bacardi Carta Blanca • 20ml Lemon Juice • 20ml Pineapple Juice • 20ml Grapefruit Syrup • 10ml Crème De Mure • 7.5ml Pedro Ximenez METHOD: Add all ingredients to a shaker before shaking hard. Shake and double strain into a chilled Nick & Nora glass.

GARNISH: Lemon Zest

C

elebrating our hero spirit for this issue, rum, we took a look some new school rum-based cocktails courtesy of some of DW’s T25 Class of 2017 from both Hong Kong and Australia.

And, as an ode to Bacardi Legacy Australia topthree finalist and one of our favourite Scots, Ryan Snedden, we have included his wonderful Wanderlust creation. #dontforgettherum

GLASS: Nick & Nora

SHMANGO SHMAQUIRI

By Harriet Leigh

INGREDIENTS: • 60ml Diplomático Planas • 20ml Bergamot Juice • 10ml Sugar Syrup • 5ml Absinthe • 20ml Messina Mango Gelato METHOD: Add all ingredients into a shaker, if the gelato is too cold it may need to be muddled to break it up. Shake and fine strain into a Nick & Nora glass.

GARNISH: Mango Fruit Leather or Dried Mango GLASS: Nick & Nora

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DRINKS WORLD

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° DRINK °

JAMAICAN JOURNEY

By Paul Gurung

INGREDIENTS: • 50ml Appleton Estate Signature Blend • 25ml Fresh Apple Juice • 10ml Liqueur de Mirabelle • 5ml Ginger Syrup • 5ml Wray & Nephew OP Rum • 1 x Dash Lemon Bitters METHOD: Add all ingredients to a shaker.

Shake and double strain.

GARNISH: Lime Twist with Orchid Flower GLASS: Martini

PINEAPPLE RUCKUS

By Dim Rtshiladze

INGREDIENTS: • 40ml Plantation O.F.T.D. • 20ml Le Fruit de MONIN Pineapple • 15ml Le Sirop de MONIN Falernum • 20ml Becherovka • 30ml Fresh Lime Juice • 3 x Dash Aromatic Bitters • Top with American Style Pale Ale METHOD: Add all ingredients except pale ale to a shaker. Shake and strain over ice, top with pale ale.

GARNISH: Pineapple Leaf and Dehydrated Lime Wheel GLASS: Pineapple

DRINKS WORLD

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DRINKS WORLD

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A POSTCARD FROM LYNCHBURG, TENNESSEE. FUNNY HOW WE NEVER GET ANY ‘RETURN TO SENDER’.

EVERY DROP FROM A SINGLE SOURCE, LYNCHBURG, TENNESSEE.

PLEASE ENJOY EVERY DROP RESPONSIBLY

JACK DANIEL’S AND OLD NO.7 ARE REGISTERED TRADEMARKS. ©2017 JACK DANIEL’S. TENNESSEE WHISKEY ALCOHOL 40% BY VOLUME (80 PROOF). DISTILLED AND BOTTLED BY JACK DANIEL DISTILLERY, LYNCHBURG, TENNESSEE.

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21/07/2017 7:14 pm pm 31/8/17 2:00

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