Cara Devine

CARADevine aka Cara

Venue Manager @ Bomba Tapas Bar and Rooftop, 103 Lonsdale St, Melbourne

ABOUT CARA

I’m from Glasgow in Scotland but fell in love with the bar industry while on a working holiday in Vancouver, Canada. I stumbled into a hostess job in a high-end cocktail bar. I watched the bartenders craft amazing experiences for guests night after night and got hooked. I’ve done one or two competitions, but I’ve never done that well - I’m more servicefocused, to be honest. I would rather crack you a beer and have a chat! Our bar is a Spanish-inspired restaurant and rooftop bar. We have a great selection of vermouth, sherry and Spanish wine and often build our cocktails around them. And there’s tapas, of course! We have a restaurant on the ground floor where we take bookings and have a larger food menu - even before I worked here I loved propping up at the bar there for a Perfect Marriage montadito and a glass of manzanilla. The Rooftop is more relaxed bar vibes, just walk in and order at the bar. We’re open from 3 pm every day, so we transition from spritzes in the sunshine to pre-theatre cocktails, afterwork beers and wines and (if the mood is right) on to pumping beats and shots of tequila. We do a lot of functions as well; it’s a beautiful spot for a long lunch.

CARA’S DREAM BAR:

Gerald’s Bar, Iparragirre 13, San Sebastian, Spain

LAST NIGHT OF CARA’S LIFE BAR:

The Pot Still, 154 Hope St, Glasgow

LAST NIGHT OF CARA’S LIFE DRINK:

2004 Ledaig Artist Series bottling from La Maison du Whisky with a half of Tennent’s

CARA’S NIGHT OFF BAR:

Gerald’s Bar, 386 Rathdowne St, Carlton North and Black Pearl, 304 Brunswick St, Fitzroy

CARA’S HOME COCKTAIL TIPS

Batching is your friend, as are drinks which can just be ‘built,’ i.e. no shaking or stirring required - having a bit of forethought will mean you get to spend more time with your guests. Herbs are a cost-effective and easy garnish that will elevate something simple (even just a G&T) to feeling like a special occasion drink. Think about the alcohol content of what you’re serving if you’re planning on a long night - lower ABV bases like fortified wines won’t have anyone under the table before dinner!

CARA’S T25 HERO COCKTAIL

The Jabberwocky is a Martiniesque favourite of mine, which uses manzanilla sherry and Lillet Blanc. Here, I switched out the Lillet for Yuzushu (a yuzu sake) to match the Japanese elements of Roku and used Aphrodite bitters which include ginger, chilli and ginseng, to add spice and tie the whole drink together. It’s fruity but elegant, with an awesome umami savouriness that keeps you coming back for more. Dangerous, like its namesake.

CARA’S TOP 4 COCKTAILS

1. Bomba #4 Cup

INGREDIENTS:

• 60ml Bomba Cup batch* • 20ml lemon juice • Cucumber ribbons • Mint • Fill with Ginger Beer METHOD: Add mint leaves and cucumber ribbons to a glass. Then add the Bomba Cup Batch and lemon juice before topping the glass up with ginger beer and ice. If serving in a jug, use the same ratio of ginger beer as as Bomba Cup batch. GARNISH: If serving individually, an orange wedge and a mint sprig. If in a jug, add orange slices and mix through with mint and cucumber. ICE: Cubed ice for jugs and glasses GLASS: Jug and/or highballs

*BOMBA CUP BATCH (makes 1 batch/16 cocktails) • 480ml white vermouth • 240ml gin • 160ml orange curacao • 80ml maraschino liqueur • 15ml orange bitters • 2tbsps fennel seeds • 1 lemon, sliced • 1 orange, sliced Method: Add ingredients to a large container and leave to infuse overnight. Start with a little bit less of each liqueur to ensure that the final product is not overly sweet. Strain.

2. Mile Rye Club

INGREDIENTS:

• 30ml rye whiskey • 30ml cream sherry (alternatively use 15-20ml

Pedro Ximinez) • 20ml apple and ginger cordial • 20ml lemon juice METHOD: Shake aggressively with ice. Use a hawthorne strainer to hold back ice while fine straining into glass. Garnish. GARNISH: A dehydrated apple wheel or fresh apple fan. ICE: Ice for shaking GLASS: Coupe or Martini glass

*APPLE AND GINGER CORDIAL • Apple and Ginger Cordial: • 1 inch ginger, sliced • 1000ml cloudy apple juice • 500g sugar Method: Add ingredients

to pot and bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer until reduced by about half. For extra spice, leave the ginger in as it cools (or even overnight). Strain.

3. Cariño

INGREDIENTS:

• 30ml rich dark rum • 30ml Amaro Nonino • 30ml Cocchi Americano • 2 dashes chocolate/nut bitters METHOD: Stir with ice until chilled and diluted, then strain over large block ice. GARNISH: An orange twist ICE: Cubed for mixing and large block ice for serving GLASS: Rocks

4. The Mandarina

INGREDIENTS:

• 30ml blanco tequila • 30ml oloroso sherry • 45ml mandarin juice (can be store bought) • 15ml spiced mandarin shrub • Splash soda water • 5-10ml mezcal METHOD: If using, rim your glass with mandarin sherbet. Add tequila, sherry, spiced mandarin shrub and juice, then fill with ice. Add soda until the drink is almost full then top with mezcal. GARNISH: Mandarin sherbet (optional) and a sprig of thyme ICE: Cubed ice for glass GLASS: Highball

*SPICED MANDARIN SHRUB Method: Peel 8 mandarins and cover skins and flesh with sugar. Add a handful of pink peppercorns and a cinnamon stick and muddle gently. Cover and leave overnight. In the morning, add some mandarin juice and stir until sugar is dissolved. Strain off the syrup and add apple cider vinegar to taste (it provides the acid in this drink so should be quite present but not overpowering). Additionally, the mandarin peel and flesh can be dried out in an oven on low or in a dehydrator and blitzed to make sherbet.

BOMBA

Stylish, laid-back and absolutely delicious. This central-Melbourne venture has managed to capture what the Spanish do best: awesome food and drinks without letting it get too serious. With a tapas-inspired menu downstairs and Spanish-fusion cocktails on the roof, this is one place that is extremely difficult to leave.

Though the building is elegant and spacious, Bomba is always packed with life and draws in a diverse crowd. You’ll see young professionals out on first dates, foodies sharing protein-heavy Spanish delights, and cocktail-lovers who have come to try the latest offerings from Cara Devine and her team.

Featuring a subtle tendency towards Spanish flavours and ingredients, the cocktails are exciting, fresh and always well made. The rooftop bar also features Sangria on tap alongside a collection of crafty and traditional beers. If wine is more your thing expect to discover some unique Spanish gems. Bomba’s parent company owns their own import business which means there are some bottles of wine and vermouth behind the bar you’d be hard-pressed to see anywhere else in Australia!

The rooftop bar has a view out over central Melbourne that sets the tone no matter who you’re drinking with.

Bomba is open: Sunday-Thursday 3pm-midnight, Friday-Saturday 3pm1am and can be found at 103 Lonsdale St, Melbourne.

For more information, email info@bombabar.com.au or call (03) 9650 5778.

THE KAIJU MARTINI

BY: CARA DEVINE | BOMBA SPONSOR: ROKU GIN

I knew my drink had to contain sherry, and I knew it had to be a twist on a classic: most of my drinks are! I took inspiration from a favourite—the Jabberwocky—and the Japanese elements of Roku gin to create a fruity, spicy and umami aperitif.

INGREDIENTS:

• 30ml Roku gin • 30ml manzanilla sherry • 20ml Yuzushu • 2 dashes Dr Elmigrab’s

Aphrodite bitters

METHOD: Stir briefly with ice. Strain into a chilled glass and garnish.

GARNISH: A pickled ginger ‘rose’. Pickled ginger is found at most Asian grocery stores. Roll the slices up and skewer it so that it looks like a flower and place it on the edge of the glass.

ICE: Cubes for stirring

GLASS: Coupe or Martini glass

*YUZUSHU Method: If you cannot find Yuzushu, substitute a bright and juicy vermouth, or blend any white vermouth or savoury sake with yuzu juice found in most Asian grocery stores. Otherwise, steep a citrus fruit skin such as mandarin or tangerine in vermouth or sake overnight.