PHOTOGRAPHYMARK ROPERSTYLINGKIRSTEN JENKINSI LOVEAdrink,andwhilethereis nothingwrongwithknocking
thetopoffa stubbyoropeninga cheekybottleofsauvblanc
(nomatterwhatthewinesnobssay),I preferthereliable
consistencyofspirits.Thetwangofa goodG&T,thepleasure
ofa perfectlybalanced martini, or the joy of a rum and Coke
atthefooty.
Backin the’50s,it wasfarmorecommonfora hometohavea
bar,andthecocktailshakertobeemployedregularly.Cocktails
in the2020s,however,area farmoreegalitarianaffair– nofancy
cocktailshakerorstrainerrequired.Justchillyourglassesand
awayyougo!Herearesomeof my favourite mixed drinks to
makeathomeforfriends.
DIRTYNEGRONIfroma SanFranbikerdivebar
Onassignmentfordelicious. withphotographerCatherine
Sutherland,wehita divebarthatwasa formerHell’sAngels
hang-outand– afterwe’ddrunkenough‘manly’beers–
persuadedthebigblokein theleatherwaistcoatbehindthebar
tomakeusNegronis.Afterall,weexplained,it wasjusta shotof
gin,vermouthandCampari;allofwhichwerestandingtherein all
theirfading‘seldom-opened-since-EasyRider-was-on-release’
glory.Thedrinkwasroughbutpassable– allthesugar!The
solutionwastodisguisewitha littlesaltrimonthenextround.
Byroundfourit hitus:wecouldaddbrinefromtheolivejar
instead.We’dworkedin Madridtheyearbeforeandfellin love
withthecombinationofvermouthandgreenolivesatthe
vermutbarsthere.Orangezestwiththeoliveswouldhavebeen
theperfecttweakbutI wasn’tmanenoughtoaskfora three-
olive-and-orange-zeststickgarnish,whichliftsthisdrinktoa
greaterlevel.Oh,andadda littlelessCampariandusea good
vermouthforthebestresults.Useabouta teaspoonofbrine for
every90mldrink,ormoreif youarefeelinga bit hairy.
ELDERFLOWER& ROSEGINGARDEN
MissPearlswas,andis,a doyenneofMelbournebarcultureat
herzenith,presidingovertheratherloucheMadameBrussels
rooftopbarin muchthesamewayCatherinetheGreatranthe
Russiancourt.It wasdangerousfun,thego-todrinkwasa jugof
itsGinGarden.I havezerorecollectionsofwhatwasin it,but
comesummeryou’llfindmepre-mixing500mlofelderflower
cordialwith700mlofgoodginsoI canpourthismixwithsoda
toorder.If I getmysh*ttogetherI willhaveinfusedtheskinsof
cucumbersin theginfor 24 hoursbeforehand.Bytheway,all
thesugarin thecordialdisguisestheboozinessofthedrinkso
becareful.Youcanmakethisdrinkwithanelderflowerliqueur
likeStGermain,butit’smuchmoreexpensive!Garnishwith
slices of peach, cucumber and pop a nasturtium leaf on top so it
PEAR& ROSEMARY GIN FIZZ
MAKES 1
Youcanreducethepearjuiceby30ml,andusetonic instead of
soda water for a more boozy-tasting version.(^1) / 4 cup(60ml)gin
(^1) / 2 cup(125ml)chilledpearjuice
Juiceof1 lemon,plus lemon slices, to serve
1 rosemarysprig
(^1) / 4 cup (60ml) chilled soda water
Looselyfilltheglasswithice,thenpourovertheginandthe
pearjuice.Adda goodsqueezeoflemonandswizzle
enthusiasticallywiththerosemarysprig(cutstemdown)and
leaveintheglass.Adda few slices of lemon and top with soda
just before serving.
lookslikea prettypond.ThissummerI gotfancyandstarted
garnishingwitha spritzofrosewaterandswirloffreshraspberry
juice,whichbrings a pretty pink blush to the drink.
BILLYTEA
DrivingthroughthedrycountryoftheMitchellPlateauin thefar
northofWA,iceis a luxury.Sowhenyoufindit,celebratewith
thissimplelibationthatis perfectforslakingawaythedustfrom
sevenhoursdrivingovercorrugations.Thiscocktailis best
madein anoldbillycanwhereit wasoriginallyconceived.Place
twoslicedlemonsin thecanandthenpourin 1 litreofapple
juiceandtwobottlesofthebestgingerbeer.Addwhiskyto
taste– wearetalkingatleasthalfa bottle.Yes,youcanswing
thebillyroundin a bigcirclelikeyouarea vintageswagman–
butonlyif youarearounda campfireandneverwhenyouare
makingthesecondround.Servein enamelcampingmugsfilled
withice.Thecocktailhasthe colour of weak billy tea but has
somewhatmorepunch.
PEAR& ROSEMARYGINFIZZ
OftenwhenpeopledemandI makethema cocktail,there’slots
ofboozeavailablebutfewmixers,soI havetoimprovise.Thisis
onesuchexampleofMacGyveringmywayoutofa situation.
Pearandapplebothlovetheflavourofrosemarybutwhile
I preferapplejuicewithwhisky, I think pear juice has a beautiful
affinitywithgoodgin.
Headtodelicious.com.auformoreofMatt’sfavouritedrink
ideas,includinga rippingrumandmandarintea,theBlack
HeadedVulture,thePickleback, and even something for the
designated driver.
I LOVE... COCK TAI L S
WITH A SPIRIT OF FUN
Notonetosticktoconvention,MattPreston’s loveforthingswithcharacter
extends to his drinks list. Refresh your usual tipple with this effervescent creation.
I’M LOVING.
14 delicious.com.au