Is any cocktail truly original?
As cocktails continue to evolve into weird and wonderful creations, Tom Aske asks whether anything is really new?
Reinventing the wheel? The Toronto cocktail, based on an Old Fashioned, at Nightjar, LondonA wise brand ambassador once told me that when it comes to ideas nothing is new and everything is borrowed. In the world of mixed drinks I do not think there can be a more apt description of the current trends amongst mixologists where centuries of recipe documentation have given the modern bartender a strong blueprint for the reinvention of classic cocktails.
It is very rare to find bartenders that are truly innovating and creating a new era of modern classics, drinks that will eventually find themselves on cocktail lists globally.
One of the last modern classics to be created was first built over twenty years ago. This gives a good indication as to the challenges associated with not only creating a classic but ensuring the drink gains global recognition. Almost all newly created cocktails can in some way be linked to a drink from a bygone era.
Take for example the Cerez Joker at Purl London, a seemingly complex drink that is presented with a helium-detonated garnish that showers the vessel with lemon oils. Innovative, yes, but if you dig a little deeper into the DNA of this cocktail, the aficionado amongst us will quickly realise that this theatrical drink is a simple Sour, served up. The ingredients of spirit, lemon juice, sugar and egg white are no different to the type of drink perhaps served by Jerry Thomas or Harry Craddock.
Classics for a reason
The truth is that the cocktail foundations left for us by the great bartenders past still work for the modern palate. Sticking closely to the ingredient ratios in books such as The Flowing Bowl or The Savoy Cocktails Book offer endless possibilities for the reinterpretation of established drinks. In the simplest form, bartenders have been adapting drinks with a minor substitution of ingredients for many years. Replace sugar syrup for an alternative sweetener such as honey or maple syrup in a Sour or Fizz and all of a sudden you have a new version of a drink that has been around for centuries.
Bars such as The Nightjar are taking this practice to new levels, their menu features (amongst many other great adaptations) the Delicious Sour, a nineteenth century drink documented by William (the only William) Schmidt. Their adaptation replaces peach with Umeshu plum wine and in true Nightjar fashion is garnished with an Oolong tea foam and miniature toffee apple. Delicious indeed.
Goldfish in a Bag from The Happenstance, LondonAll the world’s a stage
A bar’s service-ware is playing an enormous part in the delivery of historical drinks for the modern palate. Visionary chefs are utilising service-ware as a way of bringing to life the heritage or locality of a dish, and this practice is starting to find its way onto some of the country’s top cocktail menus: creating a milk punch served in a glass milk carton, a Sazerac served in a silver plated egg cup or Sex on the Beach served with edible sand and a Durex – okay that last one was a pudding served at Bo London, but this is the way that the modern bartenders’ mind is working.
The danger of course is providing theatre over substance, a drink that is mind-boggling to the eye but the balance of which has become an afterthought. This is where sticking to the fundamentals of classics and the reliability of proven recipes comes in. Understanding the proportions, balance and background of a classic cocktail opens many creative avenues for the right bartender to explore. The value of adapting classics also lies in consumers’ understanding of the original cocktail. Recognition of the cocktail’s name or ingredients will often lead to a sale, giving the bartender the license for reinterpretation.
Guests are looking for empowerment when choosing a drink, they wish to order something they are familiar with, yet are always interested in innovation. This is the attraction of reinterpreted classics. The team at The Connaught Bar have for some time been providing a version of the Red Snapper that I personally believe to be a vast improvement on the original. The incredibly subtle adaptation that finds a celery air layered on top of the glass manages to anesthetise the palate between each sip. The modernist techniques that have been added within these classic cocktails evoke conversation and entertainment for today’s innovation-hungry consumer.
Scientific developments
The quest for perfection and recognition has also led to the sourcing and use of ingredients previously considered foreign behind the bar, such as liquid Nitrogen. Its key feature is its incredibly low temperature and its non-toxic nature, the perfect ingredient to create an ultra cold Martini. As the world’s most famous cocktail, it could be considered a dangerous task to reinterpret a drink so iconic. On the contrary, the introduction of liquid Nitrogen to this drink results in a bitingly cold, almost spicy Martini, the lifespan of which has been lengthened, whilst the enhanced theatrics also appeal to the consumer’s desire to try something new.
As the drink is laid to rest in the liquid nitrogen bath at a frighteningly cold -196 degrees, its vapours spilling onto the bar top, all attention is shifted to this drink, and orders follow. There are of course pitfalls attached to the use of such ingredients within cocktails. The visuality of liquid Nitrogen and dry ice can have the affect of fogging judgment and reason when it comes to choosing a drink. The allure of theatre and excitement prove too much and consideration for the drink’s profile is ignored. Communication between the bartender and consumer is crucial to ensure that they are ordering this particular drink for the right reasons and not just for the attached theatrics.
The techniques common to today’s bar have evolved mixed drinks dramatically. A new wave of drinks is emerging that engage the consumer on both a physical and emotional level. Despite this the question must still be asked as to when and by whom the next modern classic will be created? Only time will tell whether these classic interpretations and adapted recipes gain the global recognition required to become the new blueprints for tomorrow’s bartender.
