GROWING DRINKS IN THE MODERN BAR SAM EGERTON & FRIENDS

Giacomo Franceschi and Sam Egerton

EXPLORE THE WORLD OF CREATIVE, SUSTAINABLE, COCKTAIL MAKING

FROM THE GROUND UP

MERIVALE’S GROUP BARS MANAGER, SAM EGERTON CAN’T HELP BUT FOCUS ON THE POSITIVES DESPITE THE CURRENT PANDEMIC THE WORLD IS FACING. DURING THIS TIME, SAM IS TAKING THE OPPORTUNITY TO TALK ABOUT SUSTAINABILITY, HOW IT HAS BROUGHT HIS STAFF CLOSER TOGETHER AND GIVEN HIM MORE TIME TO TEND TO HIS ROOFTOP GARDEN, ABOVE CHARLIE PARKER’S. SAM WAS RECENTLY INVITED TO SHARE THE LESSONS HE’S LEARNT AND THE LESSONS WE CAN ALL LEARN BY TAKING A WALK IN OUR OWN BACKYARD.

GROWING DRINKS IN THE MODERN BAR, IS A NEW ONLINE SERIES CREATED FOR BARTENDERS, TO EXPLORE THEIR CRAFT, CREATING SUSTAINABLE COCKTAILS FROM THEIR OWN COCKTAIL GARDENS, AS WELL AS FORAGING AND ALL ABOUT BEES AND BEEHIVE MANAGEMENT. HERE HE EXPLAINS WHY YOU SHOULD TUNE IN.

YOU ARE ONE OF THE ONLINE HOSTS OF THE BLENDS OF THE VIRTUAL WORLD (BOTVW) PLATFORM, WHICH LAUNCHED AS A RESULT OF COVID-19. WHAT IS YOUR ROLE WITH BOTVW, AND WHY DID YOU PARTNER WITH THE BLEND?

I was lucky to work with The Blend in 2016 when we opened Charlie Parker’s in Paddington, Sydney. Sustainability had become a cornerstone of industry conversation, and so we opened Charlie Parker’s with a focus on seasonally-driven produce and addressing the waste stream associated with bars. We and venue manager Tony Marshall were fortunate enough to go to Perth, Melbourne, Adelaide, Brisbane and Sydney to meet bartenders and share a little about our process. The Blend team approached me when COVID-19 first struck and I saw an opportunity to talk to not only the evolution of Charlie Parker’s, but also to how we have been integrating other natural elements at another venue we recently opened, called Will’s on Coogee Beach.

WHY SHOULD BARTENDERS WATCH YOUR CONTENT?

I think it’s an opportunity to see how easy it can be to integrate your local environment into your bar program. Hopefully, it provides some inspiration for the viewer to get to know their environment and use it in future drink creations!

WHAT CAN BARTENDERS LEARN FROM YOUR EDUCATION SYLLABUS, AND WHY DID YOU CHOOSE THOSE TOPICS?

At its simplest, we focus on gardening and foraging; I think these are two counterpoints in an environment-focused approach to flavour. We breakdown the dos and don’ts in both areas and provide some easily digestible information that can be applied anywhere in the world.

WHO ELSE FEATURES IN YOUR ONLINE SYLLABUS, AND WHAT IS THEIR ROLE?

I was lucky to have the assistance of two bartenders who work at the same company as I do - Charlie Parker’s bar manager Giacomo Franceschi and Will’s bar manager Luke Ashton.

FORAGING IS A TOPIC IN YOUR SYLLABUS. HOW DO YOU USE FORAGING IN YOUR VENUE, AND WHY IS IT CURRENTLY A TREND IN RECIPES, MENU PRACTICES AND METHODS GLOBALLY?

We use foraging at Will’s because we don’t have access to a garden like we do at Charlie Parker’s, but want to encourage the bar team to think seasonally. Foraging connects you to nature, slows you down and helps you to appreciate the effects that the environment, weather, and seasons have on produce and flavour. I think foraging is the next step towards returning to ‘local’, which we’ve seen happen globally in the past decade. As we move away from the massproduction of things we eat, I believe we are turning back to the things in nature that we can live on sustainably, the things I think we lost over the past few generations. Nutrition and flavour are all around us, you just need to know where to look for them and where to find them.

THE GARDEN IS USED EVERY DAY AT CHARLIE PARKER’S. DESCRIBE THE BENEFITS AND PURPOSE OF THE GARDEN.

Charlie Parker’s opening team conceived the idea of the garden, taking inspiration from the farms that Fred’s, the restaurant above Charlie Parker’s works closely with to bring seasonal produce to guests. Giacomo and the current team are the custodians of the space and have integrated the produce grown in the garden to drive the cocktail menu. As well as reducing the produce brought into the venue daily, the garden provides another layer of connection

“I think foraging is the next step towards returning to ‘local’, which we’ve seen happen globally in the past decade.”

between the venue team and the product served to our guests. Teaching a bartender about seasonality and the challenges associated with gardening gives them an incredible appreciation for the produce, and you can’t replicate the flavour of something you have grown and just pulled from the soil.

HOW OFTEN WOULD YOU SAY GIACOMO AND YOU ARE IN THE GARDEN AND WHAT NEEDS TO BE ACTIONED IN THE GARDEN EACH DAY?

Giacomo and his team look after the garden on a day-today basis. They have a roster to ensure the watering is done every day. The prep team will be up in the garden a few times a week to collect garnishes and the elements required for the cocktail menu. Beyond that, I try to get up there once a week to spend some time with the bees and see how everything is coming along.

WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN GROWING THIS MONTH?

We have a bunch of citrus trees that are new this year, so we’re excited to see how the flowers bloom and if we get any fruit in the coming months. Additionally, we did a pretty large redesign at the end of winter; we reduced some of the planter beds and raised them all to help with drainage. This meant a lot of pruning and trimming to get all the plants in the best spots for spring. Everything is looking happy and healthy; flowers are everywhere - so the bees are buzzing - and we will be looking at a few spring crops to replace the winter ones soon.

HAVE THERE BEEN ANY POSITIVES FOR THE VENUE OPERATIONS AND STRUCTURE AS AN OUTCOME OF COVID-19?

I think that the teams are a lot smaller than they were pre-COVID-19, so people are working tighter and more cohesively than before. I think the pandemic was a great equaliser. No one was isolated from its impact, and I think that helped to galvanise teams; everyone was in the same boat and everyone was looking out for each other. I think that was always the intention in hospitality, but the chaotic nature of our industry has meant that looking after our guests has occasionally come at the expense of our teams.

Garden to Glass

GROWING DRINKS IN THE MODERN BAR

HUNTLEYS COVE × DISCARDED PREP

GLASSWARE: Tall

GARNISH: Hares Foot Clover

INGREDIENTS:

45ml ROKU Gin 60ml Hard Lemonade* 10ml Huntleys Cove Honey Water** 60ml Soda

METHOD: Serve tall over ice

*HARD LEMONADE WITH GINGER & HONEY WITH SAISON YEAST 500g Glucose 125g Lactose 3000ml Lemon juice 5kg Spent Honey Soaked Ginger

METHOD: 40 minutes on high setting on the stove. Strain. 2.5L Yield 2L Water Added 4g Yeast Nutrient 5g Safale BE-134 Ferment for ten days. Bottle and store for minimum three months.

**HUNTLEYS COVE HONEY WATER 100g Honey 100ml Warm Water Stir to combine Bottle and seal

HOLM OAK

GLASSWARE: Rocks

GARNISH: Bay leaf

INGREDIENTS:

60ml Jim Beam Black Label 10ml Acorn Bitters* 10ml Galliano L’Autentico

METHOD: Stir down with a broken bay leaf *ACORN BITTERS 5 x Parts Acorn Syrup 1 x Part Acorn Tincture Acorn Syrup 250g Acorns

METHOD: Boil in water for 30 minutes.Strain off water and repeat. Roast in oven for 15 minutes on medium heat. Steep in 500ml 1:1 sugar syrup for 14 days. Strain and fortify with 30ml NGS Acorn Tincture 250g Acorns Boil in water for 30 minutes. Strain off water and repeat. Roast in oven for 15 minutes on medium heat. Steep in 250ml NGS for 14 days. Strain and bottle.

PINEAPPLE SAGE

GLASSWARE: Goblet

GARNISH: Sage leaf

INGREDIENTS:

30ml Maker’s Mark 60ml Pineapple Sage Mead* 7.5ml Italian Amaro 20ml Verjus 3 x Drops Sea Celery Solution** 2 x Dash Aromatic Bitters

METHOD: Build in glass and stir to combine. Add large format ice block.

*PINEAPPLE SAGE MEAD 1.65kg Honey 10L Warm Water 5g Mead Yeast 400g Pineapple Sage Leaves

METHOD: Begin mead fermentation by combing honey and warm water in chamber. Leave aside some warm honey water to activate yeast in. Once activated, combine in chamber and leave to ferment for approx. five days. Be sure to test everyday as temperatures vary. Once fermented correctly, pick sage from garden, wash and blend into mead using Vitamix. Leave to infuse overnight and strain through superbag.

**SEA CELERY SOLUTION 100ml Hot water 10g Maldon salt flakes 20g Sea Celery

METHOD: Combine salt and hot water and stir until dissolved. Blend with fresh sea celery leaves.

Coast to Glass

NIGHTSHADE

GLASSWARE: Rocks

INGREDIENTS:

60ml Jim Beam Black Label 20ml Lemon Myrtle Cordial* 10ml Black Nightshade Liqueur**

METHOD: Shake and strain into rocks glass. Top with crushed ice. Drizzle Black Nightshade Liqueur. *LEMON MYRTLE CORDIAL 5 x Lemon Myrtle leaves 200g Caster sugar 200g water

METHOD: Stir over low for 30 minutes. Add equal parts fresh lemon juice & lemon myrtle syrup. Add 0.5g citric acid per 100g

**BLACK NIGHTSHADE LIQUEUR 100g Black Nightshade Berries 100ml H20 25g Castor sugar

METHOD: Steep for one week. Strain and add 200g Caster Sugar. Add 0.5g tartaric acid per 100g

‘WET’ MARTINI

GLASSWARE: Coupette

GARNISH: Sea lettuce nori*

INGREDIENTS:

40ml Haku® Vodka 40ml Noilly Pratt 5ml Leather Kelp Solution**

METHOD: Stir down and strain into cocktail glass.

*‘NORI’ Wash sea lettuce. Steep in boiling salted water for five minutes. Pat dry and lay between two sheets of baking paper and season with sesame seeds. Dehydrate for two hours. Cut garnish to order.

**LEATHER KELP SOLUTION Dehydrate Leather Kelp. Steep in HAKU for two weeks. Strain and bottle.

SOUTHERLY

GLASSWARE: Highball

GARNISH: Rose Geranium

INGREDIENTS:

30ml ROKU Gin 60ml Lillet Rosé 30ml Coconut Water 15ml Rose Geranium Syrup* 10ml Aloe Vera 15ml Water 0.5ml Saline Solution 10ml Lemon Juice METHOD: All ingredients, except the lemon juice, are batched together and force carbonated.

When assembling, add ice to a highball glass, add lemon juice and then the Southerly mix. Gently stir.

*ROSE GERANIUM SYRUP 1 x Drop Rose Geranium Essential Oil 150ml 1:1 sugar syrup Blend for 60 seconds.