OUTBACK COOLER

One of my own. Mixing one of Australia’s finest exports; Four Pillars Olive Leaf Gin; alongside a traditional English preparation; Shrub.

And taking on board Australia’s avante garde cocktail scene by marrying unusual flavours that work well together. Olive leaf gin is paired with both refreshing cucumber, lemon and mint, alongside almond a traditional flavour match to olive, and creates a super refreshing olive-green highball worthy of an outback spring afternoon.

Add the gin, shrub, lemon and orgeat to a shaker with some ice. Give it a quick shake and pour into a chilled highball glass. Fill the glass with ice and top with soda water before giving it a quick stir.
Garnish with some cucumber slices, a lemon twist and several mint tips for a fresh bouquet.

For the Shrub

Put all in a sealed container and let to infuse in the fridge for 24h.

After a day, stir it well to dissolve any remaining sugar, add to a blender and blend until smooth. Then strain the mixture through a cheesecloth/muslin before bottling. The preparation will last a week or so.

GREEN BEAST

Absinthe, the green fairy, the spirit with huge amounts of history and hearsay. This is a drink created by my old French friend Charles Vexenat, who now lives in Ibiza and owns the Bar 1805 cocktail bars there. It’s a clear example of how a typically difficult spirit can be tamed and turned into something delicious, fresh and exciting. To my mind this is a neat extension of the way Absinthe is traditionally enjoyed with water and a sugar cube as an Absinthe Drip.

Add all to a shaker with a scoop of ice and shake well. Pour everything into a highball glass, add more ice to fill if needed, and garnish with a single cucumber slice on top.

COPA VERDE

Known as King Cocktail, Dale DeGroff is the modern granddaddy of the American bartending scene. Where the UK has greats like Peter Dorelli (The Savoy) and Salvatore Calabrese (Lanesborough), Americans have Dale DeGroff, who rose to prominence managing The Rainbow Rooms bar at the top of the Rockefeller building in New York, where he gave the Cosmopolitan its infamous flamed orange garnish we know today. This Tequila aperitif shot that pays lip service to savoury Sangrita (a spicy tomato side for tequila) is a touch of genius in that it uses a whole avocado – honestly the only drink I know that uses avocado to this day!

Blend all until very smooth, then pass the mixture through a sieve into a large jug and refrigerate. If the mixture is a touch on the thick side a splash more water can be added, but it should still have the consistency of thick cream. When ready to serve, shake the mixture with ice briefly and strain into Salt or Chilli Salt rimmed shot glasses.