HOT BITES

HOT

BITES

CALL ME CUPID How can you not love someone who seduces you with tasty food? Adding a fresh, fruity pink wine to the mix just ramps up the warm and fuzzy feelings that the annual Valentine festivities bring. Woo your partner this February with a stunningly seductive combo suggested by Roodeberg: their classic rosé 2019 partnered with a light yet tasty meal of marinated chicken kebabs and a suitably pink side salad of watermelon and feta cheese.

Fresh and crisp with a lingering fruity finish, the salmon-pink wine will make you fall in love with foodie Elmarie Berry’s delicious ginger and lemon marinated chicken kebabs.

Expect to find subtle strawberry, candy floss and raspberry with hints of rose petals on the nose and palate. It’s already been a hit with wine judges who awarded it a gold medal at the 2019 Michelangelo Awards.

Once you’ve sourced a bottle of Roodeberg pink, get cracking on the preparation of this recipe, courtesy of Elmarie Berry (@ElmarieBerry; www.elmarieberry.com )

GINGER AND LEMON MARINATED CHICKEN KEBABS WITH WATERMELON AND FETA SALAD

CHICKEN KEBABS

6 chicken breasts Marinade:

4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice 2 teaspoons fresh ginger, finely grated 3 cloves of garlic, peeled and minced ½ teaspoon chili flakes 60 ml olive oil Instructions: Place the chicken pieces in a large bowl and add the marinade ingredients. Mix everything well. Cover, and refrigerate for two to 24 hours. Heat a non-stick griddle pan over medium-high heat. Arrange the chicken onto the skewers. Oil the kebabs with olive oil. Cook for about 7 minutes on each side, until the chicken is well done. Season to taste. Serve with yoghurt sauce and watermelon salad.

WATERMELON SALAD Slice watermelon and add crumbled feta. Top off with pitted olives, avocado, basil and mint with plenty of black pepper and drizzle with olive oil. Yoghurt sauce

60 ml olive oil 1 cup double thick Greek yoghurt Handful of freshly chopped mint ½ teaspoon chili flakes Salt and pepper Instructions: Mix the double cream yoghurt and olive oil with a whisk until well combined. Add the chopped mint, chili flakes and season with salt and pepper.

SHORT SMILE

60 ml Woodford Reserve Bourbon 7.5 ml Cinnamon Maple Syrup 7.5 ml Banana Chip Dry Sherry 2 Dashes Chocolate Bitters 3 Dashes Angostura Bitters

Method: Add ingredients to a mixing glass Add ice to mixing glass and serving glass Stir ingredients Strain into serving glass Garnish with orange zest and a cheeky smile.

TRENDY OLD-FASHIONEDS Cocktail bars throughout South Africa bid 2019 farewell by participating in the fifth annual Woodford Bourbon Trail campaign – and all were tasked with producing their take on a South African version of the classic Old-Fashioned. Woodford Reserve is a super-premium, craft bourbon following the traditional method of distillation to produce bourbon of exceptional quality. The art of making fine bourbon first took place at Woodford Reserve in 1780, making the distillery one of Kentucky’s oldest and smallest today.

Woodford is particularly suited to the Old-Fashioned, a classic American bourbon cocktail steeped in history. The recipe is said to have been invented by a bartender in 1881 in Louisville, Kentucky, in honour of a prominent bourbon distiller who brought it to the internationally acclaimed Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City.

Woodford’s version of an Old-Fashioned sees 50ml Woodford Reserve Distillers Select, a teaspoon of brown sugar, two dashes of bitters mingled and stirred together in a glass with a strip of orange zest added for that final flourish. Mixologist, Alex Fahrenheim of Shucked Oyster Bar in Johannesburg set the “Short Smile” made with tasty maple syrup, chocolate with banana undertones before the judges. Coco Safar in Cape Town’s Sea Point area is where Marshall Siavash is slinging drinks. His “Peared-up” OldFashioned was infused with pear, walnut oil and topped with a naartjie zest. Durban’s top performer was Lamoure Benton from Chefs Table. An old hand at competition, he created “The Reserved Cowboy”, and his rendition included an unusual mix of mezcal and tonka bean syrup.

NOT BITTER AT SECOND SPOT Orphanage Cocktail Emporium bartender Leighton Rathbone is not at all bitter at placing second in the Africa and Middle East regional finals of the Angostura Global Cocktail Challenge.

In the regional heat which took place in Cyprus the Capetonian was beaten fair and square by Vasile Dorofeev representing Dubai. “Angostura, Cyprus and her people were incredible hosts. It was a pleasure to compete with the national champions of Dubai, Kenya and Cyprus and to have placed second. But the true prize was the people I met on this journey and the friends I made,” Rathbone said. Dorofeev said bartending had become a way of life for him and he strongly believed that bartending is something you felt, not just something you did. “The customer experience in a bar is a full 360° experience and no detail should be overlooked!”

Dorofeev is set to compete for the global honours in the Grand Final of the Angostura® Global Cocktail Challenge 2020 in Trinidad and Tobago in February. It’s the opportunity of a lifetime for the finalists with a tour of the Angostura® distillery and museum, visits to local steel bands and the chance to enjoy Carnival Tuesday before moving on to the contest.

The winner of the Grand Final will win the title of the “Global Cocktail Challenge 2020 Champion”, $10 000 and a two-year contract to serve as the Angostura® Global Brand Ambassador, representing Angostura® aromatic bitters, Angostura® orange bitters, Angostura® Rums and Amaro di Angostura®.

KEEP IT CHILLED IN SUMMER Vioolsdrift in the Northern Cape is officially the hottest place in South Africa. A temperature of 50.1°C was registered there on 27 November! Other than air-conditioning, visiting your local TOPS at SPAR beer fridge or seeking watery refuge in a swimming pool, how is it possible to stay cool?

Rhodes fruit juices have come up with a way to chill as the mercury in the thermometer heads north. They’ve shared recipes for fruity popsicles, slushies and sorbets – all of which are easy enough to whip up at home. Want to get fancy and raise the stakes? Brighten things up by serving in colourful cones, add sprinkles or sprigs of mint and decorate with fresh fruit and pretty paper straws.

WATERMELON AND PINEAPPLE SLUSH Cubed fresh watermelon and Rhodes 100% pineapple juice make this the taste of summer. Ingredients

2 cups watermelon cubed and frozen 4 tsp lime juice or lime cordial ¼ tsp vanilla essence 100ml Rhodes quality 100% pineapple juice 2 cups of ice cubes

Method: 1 In a blender, add all the ingredients 2 Blend using the pulse setting 3 When the ice has been crushed, transfer to glasses and serve

TROPICAL FRUIT POPSICLES (MAKES 6) Freeze Rhodes fruit juice in popsicle moulds for a refreshing treat that everyone will love. Ingredients

Fresh fruit of choice or try using Rhodes pineapple pieces 1 l (4 cups) Rhodes Quality tropical 100% fruit juice Method: 1 Peel and thinly slice kiwi fruit, guavas, strawberries or Rhodes Quality pineapple pieces and place in the popsicle moulds. 2 Pour in the Rhodes Quality tropical 100% fruit juice. Seal and freeze overnight before serving.

GUAVA SORBET A perfect summer sorbet especially for lazy family Sunday lunches. Try different variations by changing the fruit such as Rhodes Quality pineapple and granadilla pulp to switch things up. Ingredients

2x 410g cans Rhodes Quality guava halves in syrup 65ml (¼ cup) castor sugar 30-45ml (2-3 Tbsp.) lemon or lime juice 2 egg whites, stiffly beaten

Method: 1 Drain the cans of guavas in syrup and place the fruit in a blender with the sugar and lemon or lime juice and blend until smooth. 2 Push the mixture through a sieve and place in a metal mixing bowl. Fold in the beaten egg whites and place the bowl in the freezer. 3 Stir and break up any ice crystals every 30 minutes or so until the sorbet is too frozen to stir any longer then transfer to a storage container, cover and keep frozen until required.

ROCKING THE SHANDY Apparently Rock Shandies are a South African thing ... The refreshing non-alcoholic long drink packed with ice which is perfect for slaking a thirst on a long, hot summer’s day or after a game of squash, hockey or golf just wouldn’t be the same without its signature dash of Angostura® bitters.

Golf clubs, country clubs, restaurants and bars all know how to make the rock shandy. Local beverage maker Chill Beverages even has a pre-mixed version in a can under their Country Club brand!

And it’s something you can serve up at home. Here’s the recipe:

Lemonade and soda water – sharing the billing 50/50 – are poured into a glass over ice. Between 4 and 6 dashes of bitters are shaken over the top before the drink is stirred. A wedge or slice of lime or lemon is entirely optional. (It’s also acceptable to substitute ginger ale for the lemonade.) There’s also the Steelworks: Fill a glass three-quarter way with ice and add soda water to the level of the ice. To this, add 30ml cola tonic and top up with ginger beer. Then add 4 dashes of Angostura® aromatic bitters, stir, garnish with a lemon wheel and serve.