Wenneker Swizzle Masters Italian Apéritif finalists
With longer days and sunnier evenings nigh, we challenged Swizzlers to come up with a series of light, refreshing pre-dinner drinks to whet the appetite of our judging panel.
Bar manager of K Bar, Ben Manchester, was tasked with shaking and stirring up entrant’s recipes
Bartenders took inspiration from Italian culture to create a delicious apéritif using either Bianco or Rosso Martini vermouth and at least a dash of Wenneker liqueurs.
Francesco Petracci, head bartender at Bar Americain at Brasserie Zedel; Tschaka Prescod, bar manager of Del’Aziz Bermondsey; Fabio Adler, marketing manager of K Bar, The Kensington Hotel; and Melita Kiely, senior staff writer of The Spirits Business tasted 10 recipes recreated to specific instructions by K Bar’s esteemed bar manager, Ben Manchester.
The results of this heat will be published in the May 2016 edition of The Spirits Business magazine.
Think your cocktails are up to scratch? The deadline for the next heat, Summer Scotch, is on 12 May. Enter online now at www.swizzlemasters.com.
Click through the following pages to view the finalists’ recipes in the Italian Apéritif heat of The Wenneker Swizzle Masters 2016.
Sunset in Torino by Joshua Powell
Ingredients:
50ml Martini Bianco, 20ml Wenneker Limoncello, 15ml Suze, 4 small basil leaves, splash of Prosecco
Garnish:
Basil, rosemary
Method:
Add 50ml Martini Bianco, 20ml Wenneker Limoncello, 15ml Suze and 4 small basil leaves to a mixing glass. Add good cold ice in to the top. Stir for 10 seconds. Strain over a large rock of ice in an Old Fashioned glass and add a splash of Prosecco
Torino-Roosendaal by Luca Palladini
Ingredients:
22ml Martini Rosso, 30ml Wenneker Genever, 8ml Wenneker Marasquin, citrus soda: 2 parts grapefruit juice, 2 parts orange juice, 1 part tangerine juice, 5 parts water, and Co2
Garnish:
A kitsch tangerine slice decorated with the flags of Netherlands and Italy
Method:
Shake Martini Rosso, Wenneker Genever, Wenneker Marasquin and ice cubes briefly and strain into the glass. Add a big chunk of ice and top with citrus soda
Glassware:
Pre-chilled fancy double Old Fashioned glass
Black Sax by Eric Pallas Perez
Ingredients:
20ml Fernet Branca, 20ml Wenneker Hazelnut, 40ml Martini Bianco, 40ml espresso
Garnish:
orange peel, 2 coffee beans
Method:
Make an espresso and leave it aside for a short while so the customer can start to smell the aroma of the fresh coffee. Pour Fernet Branca, Wenneker Hazelnut, 40ml Martini Bianco and the espresso into a small cobbler shaker. Don’t put any ice yet, make the garnish while the ingredients are getting along in the shaker.
Take a big piece of orange peel and cut it very thin so there is almost no white meat on it. Carve it into the shape of big smiley lips. Prepare 2 coffee beans for the eyes, choose good looking ones. Remove the ice from margarita glass, put big chunks of ice into the shaker – don’t do it with little ice, we don’t want water in our cocktail. Shake vertically and very very strong until the whole shaker is frozen outside. Pour the cocktail into the chilled glass. Place the garnish on top of the foam drawing a smiley face
Glassware:
Pre-chilled margarita glass
The Odd Man by Alan Kennedy
Ingredients:
60ml Martini Rosso, 15ml Wenneker 24 Carrot, 15ml Bonded Bourbon, 2 dashes Jerry Thomas Decanter Bitters
Garnish:
Expressed Lemon Peel
Method:
Stir and Strain. Serve with a smile
Glassware:
Coupe
Blue Jay Spritz by John Livanos
Ingredients:
30ml Martini Bianco, 15ml Wenneker Creme de Cassis, 2 dashes Regan’s Orange Bitters, 90-120ml Prosecco, splash club soda
Method:
In an AP wine glass fill about 2/3 with ice. Add the Creme de Cassis, vermouth, and bitters. Slowly pour Prosecco over the top until the glass is about 2/3 full. Top it off with just a splash of club soda. Give it a quick stir with a bar spoon to incorporate all the ingredients – 2 to 3 stirs should suffice
Garnish:
5 blueberries on a skewer. If blackcurrants are in season, use them instead!
Glassware:
AP wine glass
Lamento by Trinh Quan Huy-Philip
Ingredients:
30ml Martini Rosso, 30ml Wenneker Cherry Brandy, 30ml freshly squeezed lemon juice, 30ml pink grapefruit soda, 30ml Prosecco
Method:
Combine Martini Rosso and Wenneker in a white wine glass and balance with freshly squeezed lemon juice. Fill up with fresh ice cubes. Top with pink grapefruit soda and Prosecco then gently stir the drink
Garnish:
3 Luxardo Maraschino Cherries stuck on rosemary stick
Glassware:
White wine glass
Cruz Cruise by Diego Cruz
Ingredients:
30ml Wenneker Elderflower Gin, 15ml Martini Rosso, 15ml Wenneker Lychee, 1/2 spoon egg white, Angostura Bitters
Garnish:
Pine tree leaves
Method:
Shake the first 4 ingredients with ice, and strain into glass with ice cubes or an ice ball. Then garnish with a pine tree leaf, the angostura bitters and rim the glass with pink sugar with Wenneker Lychee. Smoke leaves of pine tree and serve
Cherry Love Negroni by Charlie Gollands
Ingredients:
25ml Wenneker Cherry Brandy, 25ml Martini Rosso, 15ml lemon juice, 20ml Campari
Garnish:
2 cherries (tied together and dropping one over the edge
Method:
Shake vigorously for 10 seconds and serve in a pre-chilled glass
Glassware:
Small coupe shorty glass
The Wenneker Sea by Fabio and Michela Madeddu
Ingredients:
30ml Martini Bianco, 25ml Wenneker Blue Curacao, 5ml Fabbri Black Cherry Syrup, 45ml La Hechicera Rum, 45ml Valdobbiadene Prosecco
Garnish:
Fabbri black cherry and a little mint bunch
Method:
Combine Martini Bianco, Fabbri Black Cherry Syrup, La Hechicera Rum and Wenneker Blue Curacao. Shake once – and not too strongly because we don’t want too much dilation. Strained into a previously chilled Martini glass, top up with 45ml Valdobbiadene Prosecco and garnisgh. Put the bottom of the mint bunch inside the black cherry then slightly slice the black cherry and adjust it on the side of the glass
Glassware:
Pre-chilled Martini glass
