Emma Crisp

EMMACrispaka Crispy

Group Beverage Manager and Drinks Creator @ Si Paradiso + El Grotto, 1/446 Beaufort St, Highgate, Perth

ABOUT CRISPY

Originally from Ipswich, I grew up in Perth, WA. Up until five years ago, I was a graphic designer and typographer who hated being stuck behind the computer and needed a change. I left for Barcelona for the European Bartender School as I’ve always loved studying whilst abroad - it’s always given me something to focus on. I love making things with my hands, but I didn’t anticipate falling in love with making drinks and the energy of the industry. The lifestyle in Barcelona and hospitality also helped with that!

Si Paradiso is just outside of the city in a bit of a hipster suburb called Highgate. Best known for catering for almost everyone and everything! We have amazing food and Eurocentric, minimal intervention wine offering in our dining room, a sunny courtyard and amphitheatre for entertainment and socialising as well as a basement that acts as a multipurpose entertainment space (and a bit of rave cave at times!). El Grotto is an Agave bar that sits comfortably along the beach with one of the best offerings of independent Mezcal and Tequila in Perth and Australia. Independent suppliers are a big focus here, especially when it comes to craft beer, wine and agave products. Si Paradiso the most exciting on a Saturday or Sunday from mid-afternoon through to about 11 pm. Large groups of eclectically dressed individuals catching up in the courtyard and amphitheatre over cocktails, craft beer and magnums of wine. The best spots are on the balcony wings overlooking the amphitheatre and can often feel more secluded with an abundance of pot plants and trees. Get in early to enjoy a seriously good long lunch and then head to the courtyard straight after to catch the afternoon sun. El Grotto peaks at similar times with everyone enjoying the sun over food, wine and beer, with the evening often getting a bit rowdy with trays of tequila and mezcal going out whilst a DJ or band kicks the night off. Again, getting in early to get the best seat - by the big window that still has shade but overlooks the ocean and setting sun.

CRISPY’S HOME COCKTAIL TIPS

Keep it simple! You don’t need a lot of fancy equipment or products to create a good drink. It really comes down to your ingredients. Making drinks with fresh, flavoursome fruit and veg is where it starts. Syrups and infusions using the best ingredients will be the backbone of any drink! I’m personally into lower ABV drinks that utilise fresh juices, syrup and sodas. Ultimately, it’s better for you too!

CRISPY’S T25 HERO COCKTAIL

I love working with agave products in cocktails. I particularly like the savoury, cooked agave flavours from tequila and how well it can complement sweet fruit. When creating this drink, I wanted to focus on the flavours of apricot. It’s a complex fruit with stages of savoury, sweet, bitter and sometimes sour with a furry and juicy texture. I wanted to encapsulate this within a drink. The tequila lends those savoury notes, whilst the apricot brandy and agave syrup provide sweetness. Amaro Montenegro gives us bitterness and builds on the complexity of the tequila. Rockmelon juice lengthens the cocktail and provides a lot of the texture that reminds us of the sensation of biting into a juicy apricot.

CRISPY’S DREAM BAR:

A Bar with Shapes for a Name, 232 Kingsland Road, London

LAST NIGHT OF CRISPY’S LIFE BAR:

Creps al Born, Passeig del Born 12, Barcelona, Spain

LAST NIGHT OF CRISPY’S LIFE DRINK:

Mezcal Clover Club

CRISPY’S NIGHT OFF BAR:

Republic of Fremantle, 3 Pakenham St, Freemantle

CRISPY’S TOP 4 COCKTAILS

1. La Granada

INGREDIENTS:

• 30ml mezcal • 7.5ml Campari • 10ml pomegranate syrup • 5ml sugar syrup (1:1) • 20ml pineapple juice • 15ml lime juice METHOD: Shake vigorously with ice to combine before straining. GARNISH: Grapefruit coin ICE: Cubed ice for shaking GLASS: Wine glass

2. Stargazer

INGREDIENTS:

• 15ml mezcal (preferably a

Cenizo from Durango) • 15ml blanco Tequila • 15ml jasmine syrup • 10ml lime juice • 80ml mandarin soda (Strangelove Very Mandarin

Lo-cal) METHOD: Build cocktail in glass and serve over ice. GARNISH: Orange twist ICE: Cubed ice GLASS: Wine glass

3. Amoro Amore

INGREDIENTS:

• 15ml Cynar Aperitif • 12.5ml Amaro Averna • 12.5ml Joseph Cartron

Creme de Mure • 15ml blackberry puree(* • 15ml lemon juice • 60ml soda METHOD: Build ingredients over crushed ice. Swizzle to combine and top with soda. GARNISH: Skewered blackberry ICE: Crushed ice GLASS: Collins

*BLACKBERRY PUREE Method: SBlend 500g defrosted blackberries with 300g of simple sugar until smooth. Strain through a fine strainer and store for up to 3 days.

4. Bamboo

INGREDIENTS:

• 45ml fino sherry • 35ml dry vermouth • 10ml Lillet Blanc • 1 dash orange bitters • 1 dash Angostura bitters METHOD: Stir ingredients in a mixing glass. Strain, and serve over ice. GARNISH: Lemon twist ICE: Ice sphere GLASS: Nick & Nora

SI PARADISO

A place where reality soon fades, food follows and drinks flow! Part bar, part restaurant, part club, Si Paradiso takes inspiration from European summer vacations with an all day/all night drink, dine and dance affair. A long lunch through to sunset aperitivo, bustling dinners and a night that ends somewhere far into tomorrow morning. Nostalgia is in every detail, from 1970’s parquetry to pizza, spritz and negronis on the menu, all served up with a slice of fun. The food and drink is Italian-inspired with a distinct West Australian flair. Sunny days spent in the amphitheater, amidst a sea of greenery, dotted with umbrellas, leading you into a night of performance under the stars or deeper into the subterranean rhythms of the basement. Redefine your expectations of a bar, restaurant, club with the atmosphere of a place that existed in another time, somewhere far closer to the Mediterranean.

Si Paradiso is open WednesdayThursday 5pm-11pm, Friday 4pm-1am, Saturday 12:00pm1am and Sunday 12:00pm-10pm.

Si Paradiso 1/446 Beaufort St Highgate WA 6003

APRICOT SLIPPER

BY: EMMA CRISP | EL GROTTO & SI PARADISO SPONSOR: HERRADURA REPOSADO

A drink that uniquely captures the sensation of eating an apricot: from the savoury, bitter and velvety skin to the sweet and tart flavours of the flesh.

INGREDIENTS:

• 20ml dried tarragon infused Herradura reposado* • 10ml Giffard Abricot (Du Rousillon) Premium

Liqueur • 12.5ml Amaro Montenegro • 1 dash agave syrup (adjust measurement to personal taste and sweetness of syrup) • 45ml rockmelon juice • 10ml lemon juice

METHOD: Shake vigorously with ice and double strain before serving. No garnish required!

ICE: Cubed ice for shaking

GLASS: Nick & Nora

*DRIED TARRAGON INFUSED REPOSADO

Method: In an airtivght jar, add 1 bottle of Herradura Reposado with 1/4 a small spice jar (approx 2g) of dried tarragon leaves. Leave to sit for 24 hours at room temperature. Use a fine strainer to strain leaves off and keep refrigerated.