Living the Dream in NYC

New York City... There has been no other place that we’ve been to which has carried such anticipation and exception as we arrived.  As our plane arrived into JFK airport from Iceland, we both couldn’t wipe the smiles from our faces. We were in America! The land of the free and the home of the brave. Since becoming a bartender, it has been my dream to one day visit New York City and drink in some of the great bars of the world.  Cara and I quickly gathered our bags and jumped on board the NYC metro train and headed  for Union Square, located in the lower east side of Manhattan.  Throughout our travels, Cara and I have tended to stray away from the cab option when travelling from airports to city centres. We find that catching public transport gives you a better feel for how the locals live. Our first train ride in America will be a memorable one. Mid-way through the trip, a couple of dances jumped on and began to give the commuters a break dancing show. We’d seen buskers in trains in Italy and France, but this was something else. Using the trains handles and poles to perform flips and other break dancing tricks, running up and down the carriage as the train was moving. It was quite a good show and a great introduction to life and culture in America. 

We made it to our hotel on 17th Street, dumped our bags and headed across the street to a bar for frosty cold beer and classic New York style pizza.  I ordered a pint of “Blue Moon” Beer, this popular NYC beer, is a Belgium style beer which is brewed in Colorado. Blue Moon is produced by the MillerCorrs Company, one of the biggest brewing companies in America. MillerCorrs are most commonly known for the Miller Genuine Draft range along with Corrs lite (2 of the most popular beers in America). Both the Miller and the Corrs and very light in colour and are made in more of a lager style, so the inspiration behind the Blue Moon was to create a European style beer which was more similar to an ale. This unique beer has proved to be successful as I noticed throughout our time in New York, that almost every bar had the Blue Moon on tap.  After a our beer and pizza, the time was 11pm, but with the time difference from Iceland,  our body clock was telling us it was about 4am. So we got back to our hotel and hit the hay. We needed sleep as the next few days were going to be busy. 

There are so many places to visit in New York City, where do you start? Cara and I had no idea what to do first. If you had to see only one thing in New York, what would it be? After some debate, we agreed that the Statue of Liberty would be the top of the list. So we set out and made our way to the lower west side of Manhattan Island. On our way to the Statue of Liberty, we had the opportunity to visit "Ground Zero”, the site of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. No words can describe the feeling when visiting the World Trade Centre site. Cara and I felt many emotions during our visit. Obviously great sadness for the victims, but we also had much admiration for the people in New York. These locals have turned this tragedy and have used it to pull together and support each other and build a community spirit which can never be broken.  

Once leaving Ground Zero, we were only a short walk from the Staten Island ferry. This free ferry service, takes you from Manhattan Island, right past the Statue of Liberty, to Staten Island. Its the best and cheapest way to see the Statue up close. Once we cruised to Staten Island and back, taking many photos along the way, it was time for lunch.  As we went in search of the typical NYC diner, we suddenly found ourselves standing on Wall St, out the front of the New York City stock exchange. After more picture taking, we found a diner, and had another regular meal in a New Yorkers diet, a classic Hot Dog.  

We began to make our way back to our hotel to freshen up, as we had a big night planned. We were heading to Times Square and also popping into B.B. Kings Jazz Bar to see the band “Atlantic Star”.  As we made our way up 5th Ave, we decided to stop off in a local tavern, not for a cocktail, but for a simple rum and coke, just to get a feel for what your standard New York “watering hole” was like. We struck up a conversation with the bartender who was happy to explain to us the "do’s" and “dont’s" for tourists in NYC. A “do” was to tip well and you’ll get “hooked-up” by the bartender, by over pouring your next drink, tip poorly, and you might as well just purchase a coke, because you won’t have much rum in you glass next time you order. Another “don’t” was not to take a horse and carriage ride through central park. New yorkers see that as a bit of a joke. If you want to see Central park, walk it, or hire a bike. So we took that advise on board as our next day was going to be spent in the park.  We finally made it to Times Square and did what thousands of other tourists were doing and thats take as many photos as we could and try not to get hassled by buskers or people dressed up as movie characters trying to get you to have your picture taken with them.  This place was packed, and it was just your usual saturday night. You could only imagine what it would be like for the famous “ball-drop” on new years eve.

After an amazing night out at B.B King’s and Times Square, we needed to return to our hotel. We had another busy following day ahead.  I could go on and describe every single little thing we did during our time in New York, but it would go on forever. To summerise, The next day was spent entirely in Central park, with dinner later that night spent around the lower east side of Manhattan. The following day was jam packed with us conquering the Empire State building and going to the Ed Sullivan Theatre for a taping of the “Dave Letterman Show”, then going to some of the top drinking spots the city had to offer.

When it comes to cocktail bars in various cities we visit, It’s usually me, who does the bar research and Cara is the one who gets dragged around to the many amazing bars we’ve drunk at. But this time, Cara suggested a bar that we must visit as it was featured in “Sex and the City”, one of her favourite shows. So I was more than happy to visit a bar which i’d never heard of before but is apparently well known to many locals. It was a place called “The Monkey Bar”, a short walk past Madison Ave on 54th Street.  This bar was definitely not a touristy bar. Filled with business men and women who had just finished work. It was quite intimidating for Cara and I as we walked through the door. We didn’t let this bother as too much as we pulled up a stool at the bar and ordered our drinks. I ordered a cocktail called a “No Problemo”. I martini style drink which consisted of Reposado tequila, Celery bitters, lime juice, an egg white and Licor 43 (a bright yellow Spanish liqueur, which has a strong vanilla and herbal flavour). Cara ordered a drink called “Mule Variations”. This was exactly what the name said, it was a variation on a classic Moscow Mule. It was made up of aged rum, fresh pressed ginger juice, lime juice and spiced walnut liqueur. Both our drinks were nice and well balanced. After two years of travelling the world drinking cocktails, it now takes a lot to impress Cara and I, So despite our drinks being very nice and well balanced, they didn’t exactly rate up there with the best drinks we’ve ever had. But that didn’t matter though. We were sitting in a swanky NYC bar, absolutely loving life and it gave us a chance to stop for a second and reflect on the past few busy days in the city the never sleeps.

We had one more day left in New York, so we decided to head out of Manhattan and visit Queens. After spending a gorgeous afternoon in Flushing Meadows Park we had one last thing to do in Manhattan. I mentioned earlier about the classic New York hot dog which we had at a local diner, and as delicious as the diner hot dog was, no visit to NYC is complete without a visit to “Grays Papaya” probably one of the most famous chain of hot dog stores in the world. So just before we returned to our hotel for the last time, we made a stop off at Grays Pappaya, just near 17th street.  It was our last night in New York and it has been a visit we will never forget. We tried not to get to upset about leaving, we still had much left in America to see. As we chowed down on our “Papaya” hot dogs we looked ahead to our next stop... Philadelphia.

“No Problemo”

In a Shaker,

45ml Reposado Tequila

15ml Licor 43

A dash of Celery Bitters

30ml Lime Juice

1 x Egg White

Shake and double strain into a Martini Glass

“Mule Variations”

In a Shaker:

60ml Aged Rum

30ml Lime Juice

5ml Ginger juice

15ml Walnut Liqueur

Shake and strain over ice in a short glass

The Amazing New York City, Looking out from the top of the Empire State Building.

Top 5 Things We’ll miss about the UK

Well our time here in the UK has come to an end. We now begin to slowly make our way home to Australia. Our time here has been unforgettable and truly life changing.  Over the last 2 years I posted things on this blog largely to do with the cocktail culture and the hospitality trade outside of Australia. But our trip has been so much more than cocktails and food. It been about experiencing a lifestyle which is different to what we have been used to in Australia. Sure you can go and holiday to the UK and see all the popular tourist attractions, but it is only when you get stuck into the day to day life of working and living that you get a true understanding on what life is like in the UK.  It has also made Cara and I appreciate what we have in Australia. The large open spaces, the gorgeous weather, cheaper  living expenses amongst many other things. In saying this though, there are many things that we will miss about Great Britain. On our last night in London, we decided to visit a bar which we’ve been just recently been voted as one of the top 3 bars in the world, a place called “NightJar”. It is at this bar where we’ll have our last cocktail in the UK, and reflect on the last couple of years. We decided to think back and put together a list of the “Top 5 things we are going to miss about the UK”. 

(In no particular order)

The Classic British Pie:  In Australia you can pretty much guarantee that you’ll find a “Schnitzel” on every pub menu. But in the UK, it's the classic pie. Usually a steak and ale pie, or a beef and Guinness pie, Cara and I had our fair share of this popular pub dish. Always served with chips and vegetables or in some cases, mushy peas.  Some of the pies we’ve had in our travels have been amazing. We think only maybe a very select few pubs in Australia could compete with the quality of the pies. 

You’ll never run out of things to do in London:  We have spent most of our time living and working in London and even after living somewhere for so long, there is always something new to do. A new exhibition, a new west end show, a different market to check out. You never seem to be short of things to do. I’ve heard this quote many times since being in London, “If you are tired of London, you are tired of life”.   This saying seems to mostly ring true. Although the hectic busy lifestyle of London can wear thin after a while. We’ll never get sick of exploring the city and discovering new hidden gems which make London so special.  

The Picture Perfect Countryside:  When we would go out our little adventures outside of London, and even when we toured the Scottish highlands, we could not get enough of how beautiful the landscape is outside the big sprawling cities. We saw plenty of pristine green rolling hills which look like landscape paintings, something which we don’t see much of in the baron outback of Australia. The Aussie countryside has it’s own beautiful qualities, but nothing as lush and green as the UK.

The Accessibility to the rest of Europe:  What makes the UK so appealing to many Australians is the close proximity to the rest of Europe. Cara and I have certainly taken advantage of this, doing quick trips to Italy (3 times), France (Twice), Spain and also Ireland just recently. Living in Australia means you are so far away from (what feels like) the rest of the world.  

Friends and Family:  Last but certainly not least, we will miss our friends and family who we’ve spent so much time with over the last 2 years. For me, I had the chance to see my extended family, who I’ve not seen since I was 3 years old. I have no memory of that trip, so it was like I was meeting family for the first time. They have all made Cara and I feel welcome and at home, and for that we can not thank them enough.  We’ve also made many close friends who we are all urging to make the trip to Australia. Whether they make it over or not, we’ll certainly stay in touch with all of them.  

Of course there are going to be many other things we’ll miss about the UK. I’ll miss the Haggis in Scotland. Haggis, Neeps and Tatties was a dish I fell in love with living in Glasgow. It’s something I probably won't eat for a long time, if ever again. Also, being a big fan of European football, I’ll miss watching games in primetime. It’s back to either staying up, or setting the alarm to watch live soccer in the middle of the night. 

We sat at Nightjar reflecting on our time and we had the pleasure of drinking some of their delicious cocktail creations. We were joined by some friends and began working our way through the menu. Every cocktail served at Nightjar was an amazing work of art. We could understand why this bar is regarded as one of the best in the world. It was hard to pick out our favourite drink of the night, so I thought I’d share 2 cocktails from our Nightjar experience. One drink which stood out was a cocktail called a “Naked Lady”. This consisted of Santa Teresa Claro Rum, Umeshu (a sour Japanese liqueur), lemon juice, egg white and grenadine. It was a simple drink with a nice, well balanced flavour, but what made this cocktail amazing, was it’s presentation. The use of icing sugar on the outside of the glass and the egg shell floating in the drink made for an interesting look. The egg shell was filled with tiny easter eggs and the foam created by shaking the egg white, made it strong enough to hold the weight of the shell. Along with the egg shell, was an assortment of berries, which added to the overall presentation of the drink. The recipe itself was quite simple, but the presentation made this cocktail fun and was certainly a conversation point with us all. Another cocktail which blew us away with it’s unique design was a drink called “Chicha Morada”. This consisted of vodka, sherry, date syrup and Peruvian blue corn soda. Again, another simple recipe, but the fact that it came out to our table served inside a butternut pumpkin and topped off with berries almost made the taste irrelevant. The cocktail looked so impressive it was almost too good to drink.  Every drink we ordered at Nightjar was a mystery as to how it would be served. It made for a fun filled evening with friends as we celebrated our last night in the UK.

As mentioned, Our time in the UK has been unforgettable. But our trip is far from done. Next stop... Iceland!!

“Naked Lady”

In a shaker:

45ml Santa Teresa Claro Rum

15ml Umeshu Liqueur

15ml Lemon Juice

Dash of Egg White

Dash of Grenadine

Shake Hard and Strain into Cocktail glass

“Chicha Morada”

Build inside a Butternut Pumpkin:

60ml Vodka

15ml Sherry

15ml Date Syrup

Add Crushed Ice

Top with Peruvian Blue Corn Soda

Garnish with Berries

Discovering Bath & Bristol

Well it’s getting towards the end of our UK adventure, but before we depart we had time for one last trip. We decided to visit the city of Bristol and the near by town of Bath. These places had been highly recommended to us by many friends. I’d also read a lot about Bristol’s cocktail culture. Several articles have said that some of the bars in Bristol rival the top places in London. So we jumped on a train and headed west towards Bristol. 

When I researched what there was to see in Bristol, I was impressed with the many museums and galleries that seemed to be on offer. Over the past couple of years, Cara and I have had our fare share exploring museums, so we decided to do something a little different. I’d heard about Bristol’s famous “Nelson St”, before our visit. A once dark and dirty road which had been turned into a vibrant display space for street art. The project was called “See No Evil” and it is the largest outdoor street art display in the UK. The display was only opened in August 2012. It involved 45 graffiti artists, 3,500 cans of spray paint spread over 12 buildings along Nelson Street.  It was certainly an impressive site. We had to  walk down the road twice, as when you walked from the top of the road to the bottom, you only saw half of the designs. When we turned around and walked back, the street took on a whole new look, as new pieces emerged. 

As our day of exploring Bristol came to a close, It was time for us to start thinking about where we would have dinner and which of Bristols many bars we’d visit and review.  A highly recommended restaurant on Bristol’s waterfront was the “Severnshed”. This converted boat shed offered an extensive dinner menu offering many different cuisines, which suit us perfectly as we’d worked up quite an appetite during a day of walking around Bristol.  There cocktail menu was impressive too. A selection of classics, variations on classics and around 5 or 6 of the house signatures, meant we had plenty to choose from but without being to overwhelmed with choice.  Cara continued her love for gin and ordered a drink called a “Gin Honey Sour”. The variation on the classic sour, consisting of Beefeater Gin, pink grapefruit juice, a squeeze of honey, lemon juice, sugar syrup and one egg white. In the past I’ve found ‘sours’ a type of drink that can be easily made badly. Sometimes, bartenders feel the need to take the name ‘sour’ to literally and cram to much lemon juice into the drink. but it is in fact the sugar which is the secret to a good sour. Fortunately this “Gin Honey Sour”, had the perfect balance of lemon and sugar. To compliment this, was the grapefruit and the honey which gave the drink some body and changed it from just being a plan old ‘sour’, into something unique.  

After a great meal and satisfing cocktails, we ventured across to the other side of Bristol to visit a little prohibition style bar called “Hyde & Co”. This bar also was highly recommended and boasted weird and wonderful creations and unique alterations to prohibition classics.  We had a few different drinks but one which stood out to us was a cocktail called a “Confire”. This drink was made up of Chairmans Reserve Rum, Blanco Vermouth, rhubarb syrup, a dash of lemon juice, Chartreuse and a dash of egg white. Chartreuse is often a difficult spirit to use in cocktails due to it’s over powering nature. But this was subtle. What really came through strongly in this drink was the rhubarb syrup. This gave the drink a nice sweetness was balanced out well with the lemon juice and the egg white gave the cocktail a smooth, fluffy texture which made it a pleasure to drink. After a great dinner and some amazing cocktails we returned to our hotel, ready for another big day visiting the small town of Bath.  

This little town is around 15 minutes on the train outside of Bristol. By far the main tourist attraction is the Roman Baths. As Cara and I got of the train and made our way in toward the Roman Baths. We were instantly impressed with the architecture which lined the streets leading up to the baths. As we arrived, I was in photography mode as the neighbouring Bath Abbey was a site you couldn't miss. After many photos and much exploring outside the site of the baths, We entered the site of the ancient ruins, and straight away we could feel the warmth coming from the hot springs. It was a nice change from another bitterly cold british day.  We learnt that the baths were first discovered in 836 BC, but it wasn't until after the Roman invasion, around 60 AD, that construction of the temples and surrounding baths began. Over the next 300 years the Romans would gradually build the site up and around the hot springs to create a place of spiritual meaning and healing.  As we continued to explore, we noticed the many statues and figures on display, all with their own story and special meaning in Roman history. Most notably was the statue of Julus Ceasar, which was positioned at the head of the "Grand Bath".  We continued on through past the Sacred Spring and underground through the many temples to finally at the end have the chance to taste some of the (so called) fresh water which was taken from the Sacred spring. Unfortunatly this was not one of the tastiest beverages we've had on our travels. Dispite the dodgy sacred water, Cara and I both had an amazing day. We got to (as was mentioned several times on the tour) "Do as the Romans did" and enjoy walking around the beautiful hot springs.

We headed back to Bristol for the night and got our selfs ready for our last trip back to London. We are always excited to do something different on our trips, and our visit to Bristol and Bath gave us a chance to see some amazing street art in Bristol, walk in the footsteps of the Romans in Bath and have some delicious food and some quirky cocktails.

“Gin Honey Sour”

In a shaker:

45ml Beefeater gin

30ml Pink Grapefruit juice

A Teaspoon of Honey

15ml lemon juice

15ml Sugar syrup

1 Egg white

Shake hard and strain into cocktail glass

“Confire”

In a shaker:

30ml Chairmans Reserve Rum

15ml Blanco Vermouth

15ml Rhubard syrup

A Dash of Lemon Juice

10ml Chartreuse

Dash of egg white

Shake well and strain into cocktail glass

The London Cocktail Bar Crawl

Last week, myself and one of my work colleagues decided to go on a bit of a cocktail bar crawl around London’s west end. The Soho/ Covent Garden area is notorious for having some of the most stylish and trendy bars in London, so we were excited to visit some of them and see what creations they had to offer.

We visited a number of different bars throughout the day, but there were a few different cocktails which stood out from the rest. The first was at the Covent Garden Cocktail Club. We asked the bartender to make us a drink which is a bit different, but also one which he enjoys making. He served us up a “Berlin Sour”. Invented in 2009, by Thorsten Pannek at the Hilton Hotel Frankfurt, the "Berlin Sour” consisted of Kummel (cumin liqueur), Luxardo maraschino liqueur, lemon juice and sugar syrup. All ingredients were shaken together and double strained into a martini glass. The flavours worked together well. Despite it being a sour, it was still very sweet and powerful. The Kummel cut through the lemon juice and the Luxardo complemented it well without over-powering the other flavours.

We made a short walk down the road to another popular bar in Covent Garden, "Navaja Joe’s Cocktail Bar”. There we decided to try a simple variation on the Classic Mojito. The cocktail was called “Rumdog Millionaire”. This cocktail used rum, lime and mint, muddled together, strained into a tall glass over ice and topped up with mango juice and Ginger beer. It was a simple and refreshing concoction, exactly what i would expect from a varied Mojito.

We then moved on to a place called “Dirty Martini”. Here I tried another mango based cocktail, A “Mango and Chilli Martini”. Even though I had already had a mango cocktail at the bar before, I was interested in how the mango would mix with the chilli. This martini used mandarin vodka, chilli infused vodka, lime juice and mango juice. The cocktail worked in two stages. When first sipped you get a hint of the chilli instantly, but then the cooling taste of the mango takes over and balances the entire drink out nicely.

After a few more bars, we decided to finish off our crawl at the E.C.C (Experimental Cocktail Club). With a name like that, we expected some crazy drinks, and they didn’t disappoint. I decided to order a “Redneck Flip”. A totally original creation with Laird’s Applejack (apple brandy), Buffalo trace bourbon, a budweiser & marshmallow syrup, a whole egg, Memphis BBQ bitters and finished off with grated nutmeg. All shaken together and double strained into a daiquiri glass.  This would not be the sort of cocktail that just anyone would order. It’s bizarre mix of flavours made such a unique taste. It can’t say it is the nicest cocktail I’ve ever had, but is up there with the most interesting. I guess I enjoyed the drink just for the sheer appreciation for what the bartenders at E.C.C were trying to create, which is a totally unique drinking experience.

As our night came to an end, I couldn’t help but think that we hadn’t even begun to scratch the surface of the London cocktail scene. I think another cocktail bar crawl needed to happen in the not to distant future.

(Covent Garden Cocktail Club)
 “Berlin Sour”
In a Mixing Glass:
30ml Kummel Cumin Liqueur
30ml Luxardo Maraschino Liqueur
30ml Lemon Juice
30ml Sugar Syrup

Shake All Ingredients
Double Strain into a Martini Glass

 (Navaja Joe’s Cocktail Bar)
“Rumdog Millionaire”
In a Mixing Glass:
Muddle Lime (with some sugar syrup)
Add a Handful of Mint
60ml White Rum
30ml Mango Juice
Shake together and Double strain into tall glass
Top up with Ginger beer
Garnish with a sprig of mint

(Dirty Martini)
“Mango and Chilli Martini”
In a mixing Glass:
30ml Chilli infused vodka
30ml Absolut Mandarin
15ml Lime Juice
30ml Mango Juice

Shake all together
Double strain into Martini glass
Garnish with a small chilli on the rim of the glass

(Experimental Cocktail Club)
“Redneck Flip"
In a Mixing Glass:
30ml Lairds Applejack (Apple Brandy)
30ml Buffalo Trace Bourbon
15ml Budweiser & Marshmallow Syrup
Dash of Memphis BBQ Bitters
1 whole egg
Shake all ingredients
Double Strain into a daiquiri glass (or martini glass)

The Love for a Good Cup of Tea

There is no doubt that people in the UK love a good cup of tea. So when Cara and I were out and about on one of our many adventures around London and we came across a bar which sold a cocktail called the “Earl-Grey-tini”. After seeing this,  I couldn’t resist and had to try it.

The cocktail used a london dry gin infused with earl grey tea.  The method of infusion has been around for hundreds of years. Starting as a way of making medicine, the technique of mixing herds with hot water quickly became a popular drink. Tea grew in popularity throughout Asia. It has been said that the Chinese have been drinking herbal tea since the 10th century BC.  But is wasn’t until the 1700’s that tea expanded out side of Asia and was brought to europe. At first it was considered a luxury hot beverage, only drunk be the rich, but it soon became a drink that everyone could enjoy.

As mentioned, the “Earl-grey-tini” uses earl grey infused gin. To get the best flavour from an infused spirit, the rule of thumb is that the spirit should be infused for a minimum of 3 days, but with tea being made to dissolve, I doubt it takes that long to get a good tea flavoured gin. The cocktail starts with 45ml of earl grey infused london dry gin, 30ml of sugar syrup, a squeeze of lemon juice and dash of egg white, to give the cocktail a nice texture. Its then shaken with ice and strained into a martini glass.

When I tried this drink, i was quite impressed. It was just like a refreshing ice tea. The lemon juice and sugar syrup balanced each other nicely. The tea infused gin, brought another flavour which made this cocktail very enjoyable. Lastly, the egg white brought all the ingredients together making this smooth in texture to drink.


"The Earl-grey-tini”
In a cocktail shaker:
45ml Earl grey infused gin
30ml Sugar Syrup
A squeeze of lemon juice
Dash of Egg White
Shake with ice and serve in
a Martini Glass

The Art of the 'Flip"

I love the looks on people's faces when they see you cracking a raw egg into a shaker as you prepare their cocktail.  A look of disgust mixed with fear of what they are about to drink. But once the drink is complete and they slowly and reluctantly take that first sip, they are soon hooked on the smooth fluffy texture mixed with the sweetness of the liqueurs and spirits added.  In case you haven't already worked it out yet, a flip drink is a drink that contains a raw egg. There are many cocktails around that contain egg white but they are not considered a 'flip'. A 'flip' is the whole egg, yolk and all. I remember when i first began learning about cocktails and i came across the idea of adding a whole raw egg to a drink, at the time i thought it was so unheard of, but after learning more about 'flips', i realised that this technique has been around for hundreds of years.

The idea of the 'flip' began in the late 1600's, but the original idea was not with an egg, but with beer. The idea of the original drink was a mixture of rum, sugar and beer. This cocktail was heated up either over a fire or with a hot iron. The beer would froth up and give the drink the fluffy texture that we now get from using an egg. Over time the beer was eliminated and replaced with eggs and it was served chilled as opposed to hot.  Modern day flips now contain things like grated nut-meg or cinnamon. Other herbs and spices like coriander and ginger are also found in many modern flips.

There are literally hundreds of different flip recipes out there. I'll go over one of the simple classics, the classic brandy flip. Start with a cocktail shaker half filled with ice (you don't need to much ice when making flips because the ice is used to just chill the drink, whereas many of the other classics, ice is important because it's used to dilute the cocktail). Next add 60ml of your favourite brandy, 1 whole egg, 30ml sugar syrup and a pinch of grated nut-meg. If you want, you can also add a dash of thickened cream, but this is optional.  Shake the drink hard and fast. It's important to mix the egg up well. You need the egg to froth before you serve so spend a good 30 seconds shaking. Now simply strain your mixture into your glass. I like to use a wine glass, but any glass will do. Finally, garnish with some more grated nut meg on top.  Using this technique, you can make tons of variations simply by substituting the brandy for what ever other spirit you'd like. As mentioned earlier, no don't need to use nut-meg either. Try cinnamon or ginger if you wish to give your flip some extra flavour.

In a previous post i talked about the 'snickers bar' cocktail. This is a great drink to turn into a flip. 15ml of butterscotch schnapps, Baileys Irish cream, creme de cacao and frangelico with a whole egg and a spoon of peanut butter, shake well and serve. I guarantee that's a winner every time.

It's important to understand that the egg in these drinks has no flavour, so it doesn't effect the taste in anyway. I think that's what scares people off the most, is the idea that they'll taste the raw egg. The egg simply gives the drink texture. Having said that, have to many of these and they will fill your stomach up. They are eggs after all. Usually one or two is usually enough.

I urge everyone to try a flip cocktail. You won't be disappointed. Like many classics, drinking a flip drink is an experience. I hope it's an enjoyable one.

Classic Brandy Flip:

In a Shaker:

Half fill with ice

Add 60ml Brandy

30ml Sugar syrup

1 whole egg

pinch of grated nutmeg

(thickened cream optional)

Shake well and strain into a glass.

The Whiskey Sour

Sucking on a lemon can not be the most pleasant thing to do, neither is drinking straight lemon juice, but a well made "sour" can certainly tantalise the taste buds without making you screw up your face. The first and most famous of the sour cocktails in the whiskey sour. This cocktail is said to be created  by Elliot Stubb in 1872. Elliot Stubb was an Englishman who moved to Port Lquique (a port in North Chile) with the dream of settling and opening a bar. Has experimented with creating many different drinks and mixes, most of which contained lemons and limes which grew in large amounts throughout the area.  One day he mixed scotch whiskey, with lemon juice and a dash of sugar. Amazed with the delicious result, he made it the house specialty in his bar. He called it "The Whiskey Sour". Word spread fast about this drink amongst customers and soon the drink was being served in bars throughout the UK and the USA.  Many years later the idea of adding egg white was included in the recipe to add texture to the cocktail.

We start with a shaker, add 30ml of freshly squeezed lemon juice, followed by 15ml of sugar syrup.  The sugar syrup is used to slightly take the edge off the lemon juice but without making it sweet. Now add 1 egg white. This sometimes scares a lot of people when they see you cracking an egg over your shaker, but i reassure you, the egg white adds no flavour what so ever. However it does give the drink a great fluffy texture once shaken. It'll give your cocktail a nice white creamy head which makes the cocktail very smooth to drink. Lastly add 45ml (or 60ml, depending on how strong you like your drinks) of scotch whiskey. There is no specific type of scotch you need to use, just use your favourite. Something aged is often nice. I like to use Chivas Regal or Glenfiddich. These famous scotch's are both aged for at least 12 years in oak barrels. This gives the scotch and smokey finish. A common characteristic with these scotch's is honey, which adds sweetness to the spirit, making it a lot smoother to swallow.  Fill your shaker up with ice and shake as hard as you can. As mentioned earlier, the egg white in the drink gives it a great texture, but it needs to be shaken well. So don't hold back.  Once shaken, you can simply just pour your drink in to a glass and serve.

If you love your scotch, this cocktail can really tantalise the senses. Plus the egg white gives it a unique fluffy texture.  I always enjoy watching the reaction of people when i present them with this drink. Often customers don't know how to tackle it, but once they take that first sip they can't put it down until the glass is empty.

In a shaker:

30ml Lemon Juice

15ml Sugar Syrup

1 egg white

45ml (or 60ml) Scotch whiskey

Add Ice and Shake well

Pour into glass and serve