As part of the Recovery Summit, 50 Best screened three food and drink Masterclasses where viewers were invited by top chefs and bartenders to learn the skills and secrets they use to create world-beating dishes and drinks. In the final Masterclass, wine expert and gastronomy consultant Douglas Blyde gives you the inside line on tasting wine and selecting glassware, working with Nude Glass.
Next, Giorgio Bargiani from Connaught Bar, London, No.2 in The World’s 50 Best Bars 2019, mixes up two delicious serves featuring The Dalmore whisky, while Andrea Gauldi from Maybe Sammy in Sydney, Australia, winner of the Michter’s Art of Hospitality Award 2020 makes two sustainability-focused drinks with Flor de Caña rum. Finally, Krystian Hordejuk of Galaxy Bar, Dubai, winner of the Campari One To Watch 2020 produces a pair of fresh creations featuring Gin Mare
Watch the 50 Best drinks Masterclass here:
Make it at home
CONNAUGHT BAR’S MEDITERRANEO
Serves 1
50ml The Dalmore King Alexander III
20ml Mediterranean citrus mix (equal parts fresh juice: lemon, lime, bergamot, grapefruit)
15ml Sage syrup
5ml Espelette liqueur (or home-made chilli liqueur)
10ml Orange bitter liqueur
15ml egg white
For the sage syrup
4 leaves sage
150ml boiling water
150ml sugar
Make a tea using five sage leaves and infuse for 4 minutes. Add the equal volume of sugar to the liquid. Heat so it dissolves and reserve.
For the chilli liqueur
1 bottle vodka (or colourless spirit of your choice)
4 chillies of your desired heat
100g sugar
Slice the chillies and add them to the spirit. Leave to infuse for 48 hours and taste for the heat of the spirit. If it is not hot enough, leave for another day. Once it is ready, add the sugar and stir to dissolve, strain and decant into a bottle.
To make the cocktail, first add the egg white to a shaker and blitz with a hand blender for 10 seconds to aerate. Then add ice and the other ingredients, except the orange bitter liqueur. Shake vigorously and serve into a wine glass over crystal-clear ice. Finally, add the orange bitter liqueur into the side of the glass.
CONNAUGHT BAR’S THE PATH
Serves 1
50ml The Dalmore 15 Year Old
20ml sherry infused with cocoa husk and mace blades
2 dashes tonka bean bitters
For the sherry infusion
100ml Oloroso sherry
100ml Palo Cortado sherry
5g mace blades
5g cocoa husk
To make the sherry infusion, take the sherries and spices (both available in the spice section of a supermarket) and cook these together in a sous vide machine at 60C. If you don’t have a sous vide machine, put the ingredients into a Zip-Lock bag and cook in water in a saucepan for one hour. Use a thermometer to ensure that the temperature remains consistent at 60C for the entire cooking time. Remove from the bag, stir, decant and cool.
For the cocktail, add the ingredients to a shaker over ice and throw between both parts of the shaker 6 times to aerate and chill the liquid. Serve over ice in a rocks glass.
MAYBE SAMMY’S ONE AND ONLY
Serves 4
150ml Flor de Caña 12 Year Old
50ml toasted coconut syrup
120ml Vermouth bianco
250ml coconut milk
For the toasted coconut syrup
100g sugar
50g coconut flakes
100ml coconut water
This drink serves four, so make it in a large vessel and chill in advance of guests arriving. Start by making the toasted coconut syrup. Shave some fresh coconut to create flakes and add them to a saucepan. Heat on a very low heat and keep stirring until they turn golden. Once cooled, add the coconut water and sugar to the pan and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Decant and leave to cool in the fridge.
For the cocktail, add the ingredients into a large bottle or jug. Add the coconut milk last and allow to curdle. Leave to settle overnight, then, using a funnel, strain through a cheese cloth or muslin into a clean bottle. Chill for at least three hours and serve into a wine glass with frozen coconut chunks.
MAYBE SAMMY’S SECOND CHANCE
Serves 1
30ml Flor de Caña 12 Year Old
30ml PX sherry
90ml coffee kombucha
For the coffee kombucha
700g used coffee grounds
1.5l water
250g sugar
200ml previous batch of kombucha (or unpasteurised kombucha if it is your first use)
1 scoby (if starting a new kombucha)
To start, make the kombucha. Add the coffee to the water and sugar and leave overnight. Stir to make sure the sugar is dissolved. The following day, combine the old batch of kombucha (or fresh kombucha) and add the scoby. Allow to ferment for 5 days, tasting every day till gets the right acidity for your palate. Then strain, bottle and keep it in the fridge.
For the cocktail, combine ingredients in a shaker with ice and throw the liquid between the two halves of the shaker. Pour over ice in a rocks glass and garnish with a lime leaf.
GALAXY BAR’S M&T – MARE & TONIC
Serves 1
50ml Gin Mare
25ml fennel seed cordial
3 dash rose water
Tonic water to top
For the fennel seed cordial
400ml water
150g caster sugar
20g fennel seeds
2g citric acid
Place the water, sugar and fennel seeds into a saucepan over a very low heat. Stir until the sugar is fully dissolved. Allow to cool in the fridge and then add the citric acid and stir again. Then strain and decant into a separate bottle.
For the cocktail, take a highball glass and fill with ice. Add the Gin Mare, fennel seed cordial, rose water and give one stir. Then top with tonic water, add a sage leaf and celery ribbon garnish to serve.
GALAXY BAR’S SOY DE MEDITERRANEO
Serves 1
50ml Gin Mare
10ml brine tincture
Arbequina oil
1 caper berry to garnish
For the brine tincture
50ml white soy sauce
50ml Sauternes wine
Start by making the brine tincture. Simply add equal volumes of white soy sauce and Sauternes wine and stir down over ice for 30 seconds. Then decant into a small bottle.
For the cocktail, add all ingredients into a mixing glass over ice, stir for 30 seconds and strain into a coupe glass. Garnish with a caper berry and 3 drops of Arbequina oil floating on top.
Catch up on all of the events from the 50 Best Recovery Summit on The World's 50 Best Restaurants TV YouTube Channel and on Facebook.
