AUCHENTOSHAN

NIGHTS OVER EGYPT

Barbara, Aidan Beiers

GLASSWARE: Old Fashioned glass

GARNISH: Dehydrated orange wheel

INGREDIENTS:

60ml Auchentoshan American Oak 30ml Fresh lemon juice 20ml Maple-ginger syrup 15ml Egg white 2 x Dash walnut bitters

METHOD: Add all ingredients into a Boston glass and shake, then double strain.

Photographer: Morgan Roberts

Recreating a Classic with

The Whisky Dry is a classic for three reasons - it’s balanced, tasty and easy to make.

It was a match made in heaven for Greta Garbo, who made one of the earliest references to the drink in the 1930’s movie Anna Christie. “Give me a whisky, ginger ale on the side, and don’t be stingy, baby,” she said to the waiter after a long journey.

Greta wasn’t short of a stiff drink that night and if there’s one thing that’s always on the menu in this industry, it’s a thirst for new ideas.

Whisky and dry ginger ale is a classic, however, if you add a little imagination to the pairing it becomes a base for countless other concoctions.

In collaboration with Auchentoshan, a label made in 1823, in the heart of Scotland’s biggest city, Glasgow, whisky bars among our own hustle and bustle recently experimented to see how far they could push the Whisky Dry out of the box.

Each bartender had two ingredients that were a must - a nip of the smooth, tripledistilled Auchentoshan American Oak and ginger, the rest was up to them.

Max Greco at Vasco Bar, Sydney made a cocktail that makes us want to get up in the morning for. He mixed Auchentoshan American Oak with his very own spicy ginger beer, apricot (to bring out the stone fruit in the whisky) and quenching granny smith apple juice, finished off with a cinnamon rim.

‘Breakfast in the City’ was inspired by the one meal Greco has missed many of over the years, due to his “career and lifestyle,” he said.

“What’s breakfast without jam?” he asked, while working out what to add to the whisky and his ginger beer; the apricot and apple juice came next.

“I love it. It’s got a kick, it’s a little sweet and most of all it’s very refreshing,” Greco said.

Aidan Beiers at Barbara, Brisbane never misses a beat and neither does his cocktail ‘Nights Over Egypt’, named after one of his favourite songs.

It’s a simple drink, with complex undertones, made from Auchentoshan American Oak, spicy-sweet maple ginger syrup, lemon, bitters and egg whites (for texture).

But what’s that got to do with music? Talking of Nights Over Egypt, Beiers said, “To the untrained ear it’s just a bang on, great tune … it’s impossible not to dance to. However, explore the song on a deeper level and it’s pure ear candy - the production value, unconventional chord changes and complex rhythms. It’s a song that hits all ear holes and all I wanted was to create a drink that hits all palates.”

Another mover and shaker is Kacper Sienkiewicz at Mojo Record Bar, Sydney, who has made something that would make even a doctor sit up and drink.

‘What’s Up, Doc?’ is Sienkiewicz remedy to old connotations: Auchentoshan American Oak, fresh carrot and ginger juice, fresh lime juice and homemade honey syrup.

“Whisky is still labeled as an ‘old man’s drink’, hence the name What’s Up, Doc?, a Looney Tunes cartoon most of us grew up with,” Sienkiewicz said.

Luke Kelly at The Scottish Prince, Palm Beach finishes us off with the perfect nightcap. He’s combined Auchentoshan American Oak with Australian apera (sherry) to balance the sweetness, and ginger wine and toasted sesame to bring out the whisky’s oak spice and cinnamon note, respectively. Kelly then rounds off the drink with black walnut, giving it depth and playing off Auchentoshan’s bourbon cask. We’ll have one of those, please.

BREAKFAST IN THE CITY

Vasco Bar, Max Greco

GLASSWARE: Collins

GARNISH: Lavender

INGREDIENTS:

60ml Auchentoshan American Oak 20ml Fresh-squeezed Granny Smith apple juice 20ml White peach and vanilla syrup 10ml Apricot brandy 3 dashes of aromatic bitters Top with spicy ginger beer

METHOD:

Shake all ingredients apart from the ginger beer. Double strain into a Collins-style glass rimmed with cinnamon dust. Top with ginger beer and garnish with lavender.

Photographers: Yusuke Oba

HOUSE SPICE PLUM AND WHISKY MULE

18th Amendment, Gorge Camorra

GLASSWARE: Mule mug

GARNISH: Sprig of mint and lime wedge

INGREDIENTS:

45ml Auchentoshan American Oak 15ml Choya plum liqueur 20ml Fresh lime juice Top with ginger beer

METHOD:

Add ice to a mug, followed by the lime juice and plum liqueur. Pour in the ginger beer to fill the glass ¾, then float the whisky on top. Stir to drink.

Photographer: Samantha Schultz