Swizzle Masters Great British Gin finalists

This month Swizzlers were challenged to take inspiration from all things quintessentially British and come up with their own unique gin cocktail.

Daniel Cavalcante, bartender at 214 Bermondsey, was tasked with recreating entrant’s recipes

Using Greenall’s gin as the base spirit, and at least a dash of Wenneker liqueurs, we asked bartenders to celebrate all things great about Great Britain in cocktail form following on from the Queen’s 90th birthday.

Alessandro Paludet, bar development manager at Urban Leisure Group; and Alan Hunter, bartender at Antico Restaurant; joined me, Annie Hayes, social media editor at The Spirits Business, at 14 Bermondsey – where bartender Daniel Cavalcante took great care in recreating 10 of the most worthy recipes to their exact specifications for us to sample.

The results of this heat will be published in the July 2016 edition of The Spirits Business magazine.

Think your cocktails are up to scratch? The deadline for the next heat, Japanese Highball Twist, is on 14 July. Enter online now at www.swizzlemasters.com.

Click through the following pages to view finalists’ recipes in the Great British Gin heat of The Wenneker Swizzle Masters 2016. 

 Viola Grey by Enitan Allison

Ingredients
1.5oz Greenall’s Gin, 1oz Wenneker Parfait Amour, 0.5oz sugar syrup, 2.5oz Earl Grey tea, 0.5oz Blavod Black Vodka

Garnish
4 McVities Rich Tea Biscuits on a cocktail pick dusted with cocoa powder

Method
In a mixing tin, combine all ingredients together. Add ice and stir with a barspoon for 15 seconds. Strain gently into a chilled teacup on a saucer. Garnish with McVities Rich Tea biscuits on a cocktail pick

Glassware
Teacup

G&S Party by Solomon Sanderson

Ingredients
35ml Greenall’s Gin, 15ml Wenneker Triple Sec, 20ml lime juice, dash caster sugar, strawberry and raspberry teabag, strawberry jam

Method
Place teabag in shaker, add 35ml gin, and let it soak for about 30-40 secs. Squeeze in 20ml lemon juice then take out tea and squeeze remaining juice from tea bags. Add caster sugar, 15ml triple sec, and a teaspoon of strawberry jam, then dry shake in a Boston shaker for 30 secs. Add ice and hard shake, and pour into coupette glass that has been sugar rimmed and chilled

Glassware
Coupette glass

The Violet Rose by Josephe Kourmouzis

Ingredients
30ml Greenall’s Gin, 15ml Wenneker Sloe Gin, 10ml Wenneker Blackberry, 10ml Monin Caramel Syrup, 10ml Wenneker Blueberry, 30ml freshly squeezed lemon juice, 8 blueberries

Garnish
Lemon twist

Method
Put ice in your Champagne coupe and set aside to chill the glass. Place blueberries and Monin Caramel Syrup into your shaker and muddle into a paste. Then add Greenall’s Gin, Wenneker Sloe Gin, Wenneker Blackberry, Wenneker Blueberry and freshly squeezed lemon juice to the shaker. Fill your shaker with ice and shake vigorously for approximately 10 seconds. Empty the ice out of your now chilled coupe glass and double strain the drink out of your shaker, making sure no ice or blueberry bits get into your glass. Get a large lemon peel and twist the zest over the drink, making sure the essence of the lemon gets all around and over the drink giving it lovely and fresh aromatics. Then place the twist on the side of the glass

Glassware
Champagne coupe

Princess Diana by Trinh Quan Huy-Philip

Ingredients
40ml Greenall’s Gin, 20ml Wenneker Red Rhubarb, 30ml freshly squeezed lemon juice, 10ml Dubonet, ½ cooked Beetroot (ready-to-eat from supermarket)

Method
Use the half of Lemon to rim coupe and dip into dark cacao powder. Gently muddle half of beetroot in the mixing glass with Greenall’s Gin. Then add the rest and fill up with fresh ice cup. Shake well until chill. Fine strain the drink into the prepared coupe

Full Bloom by Joshua Powell

Ingredients
50ml Greenall’s Gin, 15ml Wenneker Vanilla, 20ml freshly squeezed lime juice, 10ml simple syrup, 2 twists black peppercorns, 1 small cooked beetroot

Garnish
Edible flower

Method
Muddle the beetroot in the bottom of a shaker before adding the other ingredients. Make sure to wear gloves and an apron because this can be messy. Add good cold ice to top and shake well for 10 seconds. Fine strain into a coupe and garnish with an edible flower such as a pansy

Gentleman’s Icetea by Jacob Flärvall

Ingredients
45ml Greenall’s Gin, 5ml Wenneker Limoncello, 15ml fresh lemon juice, 10ml egg white, 220 grams muddled cucumber, 10ml homemade earl grey-flavoured syrup

Garnish
Earl grey twig, lemon curl

Method
Shake once without ice for 5-7 seconds in normal ferocity, then shake again for 5-6 seconds with lots of ice and double strain into a frozen cocktail glass

Earl Grey syrup method
Make cup of tea using 3 earl grey teabags then mix it with sugar – 60% sugar 40% tea – and then chill

Rhubarb Britannia by Charlie Gollands

Ingredients
25ml Greenall’s Gin, 30ml Wenneker Red Rhubarb, 15ml lemon juice, 20ml Aperol

Garnish
A small chunk of rhubarb, then v cut at one end

Method
Shake and then double strain into a pre-chilled martini glass

Glassware
Martini

Gin Toffee by Diego Cruz

Ingredients
1 1/2oz Greenall’s Gin, 1oz Wenneker Ginger, 1 black teabag, coriander Leaves, stick of cinnamon, cardamom, egg white, dash of tonic water

Garnish
Sweet date and coriander leaves

Method
Boil and muddle all ingredients except egg white, tonic water and Greenall’s gin. Then add the Greenall’s and egg white in a boston shaker and shake hard. Serve in a glass, add a tonic water dash, and garnish with coriander leaves and a sweet date

Grand Slam by Janneke Timmerman

Ingredients
30ml Greenall’s Gin, 10ml Wenneker Peach, 10ml fresh lime juice, 10ml Curacao Orange Wenneker, 10ml fresh orange

Garnish
Slice orange, lemon slice, mint

Method
Shake

Djinn Eye by Kriss Kovy

Ingredients
40ml Greenall’s Gin, 20ml Wenneker Sloe Gin, 10ml Wenneker Gold, 10ml fresh lime juice, 3 drops Angostura aromatic bitters

Garnish
Slice lime with lime zest

Method
Add all ingredients (except Wenneker Gold) with ice cubes into a shaker and shake well. Strain into a pre-chilled martini glass, pour Wenneker Gold on top. Garnish with lime zest in middle of the lime slice (like an eye)

Glassware
Martini