Wenneker Swizzle Masters Summer Scotch champion
Last month Swizzlers faced a tough brief: to create a refreshing and summery Scotch-based cocktail ideal for sipping in the shade.
Bar Américain’s head bartender, Francesco PetracciBartenders were tasked with creating a delightfully refreshing long drink using the complex and rich Balvenie 12 Year Old DoubleWood – and this month, Patrizia Cavaliere’s cocktail, Scottish Farewell, won over the judges palates.
Manuel Barducchi, bartender at Rules; Michael Browne, bar manager of Bar Américain; and Kristiane Sherry, editor of The Spirits Business, picked the cocktail as their favourite from 10 of the best entries, recreated to spec by Bar Américain’s head bartender, Francesco Petracci.
A combination of Balvenie 12 Year Old DoubleWood, Wenneker 24 Carrot, lemon juice, carrot juice, honey, and soda, Scottish Farewell received high praise from the panel.
“The earthiness of the carrot really complements the Balvenie, as does the honey,” said Sherry. “Very refreshing, and it perfectly meets the brief. A great accompaniment to a sunny afternoon.”
Barducchi added: “It’s fresh and balanced, with a little sweetness coming through in the end. It has a lovely finish – nice and light.”
Scooping second place was Ivica Mišic’s “truly summery” cocktail, Harlem, which “captured the brief nicely”, while Joshua Powell secured third place for his cocktail Vice and Virtue, which combined the base spirit with Wenneker Lychee, freshly squeezed lemon juice, Fee Brothers Rhubarb Bitters and cream soda.
Cavaliere’s recipe will now go through to the semi-final in October, when all nine winning drinks from throughout the year will be recreated once more and judged against each other. Five drinks will then be chosen to go through to the grand final in November. The bartender behind the winning recipe will be crowned Wenneker Swizzle Master 2016 and scoop £1,000.
The results of the Great British Gin heat will be published next month. For information on the next heat, please visit www.swizzlemasters.com.
Click through to the next page to discover how to recreate the winning recipes from the latest round.
1ST PLACE: SCOTTISH FAREWELL BY PATRIZIA CAVALIERE
Ingredients: 40ml Balvenie 12 Year Old DoubleWood, 20ml Wenneker 24 Carrot, 15ml lemon juice, 15ml carrot juice, 10ml honey, 5ml soda
Method: Add all ingredients except soda and crushed ice to glass and swizzle. Add soda, crushed ice and a straw, then garnish. Garnish with lemon rose and baby carrot
2ND PLACE: HARLEM BY IVICA MIŠIC
Ingredients: 40ml Balvenie 12 Year Old DoubleWood, 20ml Wenneker Triple Sec, 20ml Martini Rosso, 2 dashes Campari, 30ml fresh orange juice, 10ml fresh lemon juice, 80ml Moët & Chandon Impérial
Method: Add all ingredients except Moët & Chandon Impérial in to the shaker and shake well. Pour the contents into the cold cocktail glass and add ice cubes. Add Moët & Chandon Impérial and garnish with fresh mint, slice of lemon, orange peel twist
3RD PLACE: VICE AND VIRTUE BY JOSHUA POWELL
Ingredients: 45ml Balvenie 12 Year Old DoubleWood, 15ml Wenneker Lychee, 10ml freshly squeezed lemon juice, 1 dash Fee Brothers Rhubarb Bitters, cream soda to top
Method: Add all ingredients except soda into a cold shaker, add ice and shake hard for five seconds. Strain over fresh ice in a chilled highball glass. Top with the cream soda. Add a straw and garnish with a large sprig of fresh mint, a lychee
