Kelvin Thairu, of Nairobi’s Hero bar, chats about the Ode to the Oat serve and going all out for flavour in his cocktails.

*This feature was first published in the February 2023 issue of The Spirits Business magazine.

Paying homage to “the humble oat”, Ode to the Oat is a cocktail that recreates the base notes of single malt whisky, which there is a “local appetite” for in Kenya, according to Kelvin Thairu, bars manager for the Tribe Hotels Group.

“Ode to the Oat doubles down on the flavours of single malt whisky by incorporating oat, toffee and cashew nuts into the cocktail,” he says.

“The subtle notes of the pure spirit inspired the big bold flavours in the cocktail.” Oat milk, created in-house by the team, is selected as an ingredient for its silky mouthfeel.

“We noticed that extending the soaking time for the toffee, cashew nut, and oat combination deepened the flavour; this would have been challenging with dairy milk, as it would likely spoil,” Thairu explains.

The serve is suited to the country’s two distinct seasons: dry and wet.

“The drink is designed for both warmer and cooler days,” Thairu continues. “It is refreshing and bright for a sunny day, and also a nice warm hug for a rainy night.”

A classic cocktail that most closely resembles Ode to the Oat is a Milk Punch, and its palate boasts flavours of slight citrus, which cuts the thickness of the oat milk, and sweet toffee, which pairs well with whisky.

The drink, which features on the bar’s permanent menu, is a “surprisingly approachable cocktail, even for those who wouldn’t necessarily drink whisky”. The bar is driving its cocktail creation towards a more sophisticated focus.

“Kenya’s cocktail scene is rising. We have moved from a very tourist-driven sector of overly colourful and overly garnished cocktails you would find at lodges across the country, to now catering towards an increasingly very sophisticated palate,” says Thairu.

“Kenya does have a taste for whiskies and Cognacs but also has a growing craft beverage scene. Kenyan cocktails are typically sweet, however this is changing as the industry matures and develops.” The drink features in the menu’s ‘Sensai Sips’ section.

Since Hero opened, its design premise has revolved around the question of what a “hero or heroine” would drink, what it would look like, how it would taste, and how it would arrive, adds Thairu. “This one is no different,” concludes Thairu, in reference to Ode to the Oat.

For more acclaimed serves to craft from your own home, check out Ruby’s Old Fashioned and Charming covered in the December issue.

Ode to the Oat

Ingredients

60ml Singleton 12 Years Old

60ml Toffee-oat-milk infusion*

10ml Sugar syrup

Chocolate toffee wedge (for garnish)

Method

Shake the ingredients together in a cocktail shaker.

Strain and pour into a glass.

Garnish with a chocolate toffee wedge.

*To create the toffee-oat-milk infusion, place one-litre of oat milk and 350g of toffee into a vacuum bag and seal. Sous vide at 60°C for three hours. Then place in an ice bath to cool. Strain and use.