40 mlJacoulotLiqueurdeRose
10 mlMancinoBiancoAmbrato
Vermouth
10 mlPierreFerrandDry
CuraçaoTripleSecLiqueur
10 mllimejuice
2 small cubes Turkish Delight1 Placeallingredients,except
TurkishDelight,ina cocktail
shakerwith1 cupicecubes.
Stiruntilcombinedandchilled.
PlaceTurkishDelightin a chilled
Martiniglass,then strain liquid
over to serve.TurkishDelight Martini
MAKES1 // PREPTIME5 MINS“WelovetransportingMiddle-Easternflavours
into cocktails,” says Shane Delia, pictured left.S
haneDelia’stakeona mezebardoesn’tletitselfgetoverlyentrenched
inrulesortraditions.Instead,MahaBarlookstotheMiddleEast
forinspiration,whilekeepingonefootfirmlyplantedinmodern-day
Melbourne.“Ourwholeaimis tocookunrestrictedMiddleEastern
food,”explainsDelia.“We’reneverboundbythethinkingthatif an
ingredientorflavourdoesn’ttypicallyexistina MiddleEasternkitchen,we
wouldn’tuseit.”Thisis exemplifiedinhiseverpopularsesame-studdedbeef
buns,whichseebrisketbolsteredwithlemongrass,coconutcreamandkaffir
limeleaves,alongsideharissapaste.“Thefillinghasa SouthEastAsian-feel
toit,buttheideastillcomesfromthegreatborekbunsofTurkey,”saysDelia.
“InthegoodmezeandarakbarsallthroughouttheArabicworld– weinclude
Turkeyeventhoughit’snotstrictlya partoftheMiddleEast– there’salways
a senseoffunbutalsopurpose.”
Delia’svisionforMahaBaris alsoinspiredbypersonalmemoriesof
travellingthroughouttheregion.“Iwenttoa reallycoolshantypop-up
barinLebanon.It wasinthemiddleofa no-gozone,andtherewasart,
cocktailbarsandstreetfoodalldonefromshippingcontainers,”hesays.
“Thiswasinthemidstofshelledbuildings,attwoo’clockinthemorning
intheMediterraneanheat.It wasjustsofun,andI lovedhowlocalartworks
wereblendedwithincrediblecocktailsandfood,andtherewasstillthat
senseofauthenticityatthesametime.”
WhenDeliaopenedMahaBarinFebruaryhewantedtocapturethose
feelingsandemotions.It’snotonlyevidentinthefood,butinthedrinks
andonthewalls,too.“WesourcedBeirut-basedartistRaphaelleMacaron
todoallofourartwork,”saysDelia.“Andthecocktailsarealsosoimportant.
We wanttoofferdecadentdrinksthataren’twankywithsmokeandmirrors,
butalsoreallygoodliqueurswithamazingfinishes.”Throwina banging
soundtrackandyouhavethecompleteMahaBarexperience.“Musicis such
animportantelement,”addsDelia.“Wegavetheplaylisttothearchitects
beforetheystarteddesigningthespace,sotheycouldhearit andunderstand
whatit’smeanttofeellike.”Andboydoesit feelfun.
MahaBaris thekindofplaceyoucouldrolluptofora MiddleEastern-
infusedcocktailandquickbiteat thebar,orgrazethenightawayina dimly
litbooth.Untilthat’sanoption,youcanstayhomeandrecreatetheexperience
withthesecocktailandmezerecipes.Hitplayandsettleinfora greatnight.
Maha Bar, 86 Smith St, Collingwood, Vic, (03) 9417 3531, mahabar.com.au