Rodney Macuja
Fresh as it may be, this drink comes with a pedigree. The Whiskey Freezer appears in Crosby Gaige’s 1944 Standard Cocktail Guide says Michael Madrusan, owner of Melbourne’s Everleigh cocktail bar and its soigné new extension, The Elk Room. “Traditionally it’s a Bourbon Rickey,” says Madrusan. “We dropped the E in whisky and changed it to Scotch to better suit our menu. Madrusan uses 12-year-old Dewar’s in the version he makes at the Elk, and sometimes serves it over a long, large single piece of ice. Feel free to experiment as your liquor cabinet and ice racks dictate. The Elk Room, level 1, 150-156 Gertrude St, Fitzroy, Vic, (03) 9416 2229.
Half-fill a shaker with ice. Add 60ml blended Scotch whisky, 30ml lime juice and 20ml sugar syrup. Shake hard and fast, strain into a chilled highball glass filled with large ice cubes and top with soda. Garnish with a large sprig of mint and serve with lime wedges.
