Has there ever been a better cocktail book published in Australia than A Spot at the Bar? Michael Madrusan and Zara Young from The Everleigh have captured all the magic of their Melbourne cocktail bar and plenty more besides in its pages. To celebrate the bar being raised, we asked Madrusan to pair some cocktails with all the best things about summer.
**Stay Up Late
**When to drink it: the first night of your summer holiday
“The clue is in the name for this one; it’s best drunk when there’s no reason to get up early the next day. This refreshing tall sipper can be enjoyed throughout the long summer nights.”
45ml gin
15ml Cognac
22ml lemon juice
22ml sugar syrup (see note)
Soda
Lemon wedge to garnish
Add the gin, Cognac, lemon and sugar syrup to a shaker with ice and shake briefly. Strain into a frozen Collins glass with ice and top with soda. Garnish with a lemon wedge.
Note: To make sugar syrup, bring equal parts caster sugar and water to the boil to dissolve sugar and cool before use.
**Oh Mary!!
**When to drink it: a boozy brunch at home
“A boozy brunch at home can be easy. Save those cherry tomatoes from your salad and take that sherry vinegar we all love so much to make the Oh Mary!!”
30ml gin
22ml manzanilla sherry
15ml lemon juice
15ml sugar syrup (see note)
7ml sherry vinegar
2 dashes of hot sauce
4 cherry tomatoes (reserve 1 to garnish)
Ground black pepper to garnish
Add all ingredients to a shaker and muddle. Add ice and shake. Strain into a chilled large tumbler with ice. Garnish with a halved cherry tomato on a toothpick and black pepper.
Note: To make sugar syrup, bring equal parts caster sugar and water to the boil to dissolve sugar and cool before use.
**Queen’s Park Swizzle
**When to drink it: on a balmy summer date
“The Queen’s Park Swizzle, or QPS as we like to call it, is easy to make and even easier to drink. Grab a good handful of mint from the garden (or someone else’s garden) and supercharge the old Mojito with a couple dashes of bitters – the ultimate summer refresher.”
60ml light rum
30ml lime juice
22ml sugar syrup (see note)
1 sugar cube
Small handful of mint leaves
3 dashes of Angostura bitters
2 dashes of Peychaud’s bitters
Mint sprig to garnish
Add all ingredients except bitters to a shaker. Press with a muddler to crush the sugar cube and bruise the mint. Pour mixture into a frozen Collins glass and top up with crushed ice. Add bitters around the inner rim of the glass and swizzle briefly. Top up with more crushed ice and garnish with a large mint sprig.
Note: To make sugar syrup, bring equal parts caster sugar and water to the boil to dissolve sugar and cool before use.
**Fish House Punch (serves 10-12)
**When to drink it: at a silly-season cocktail party
“Punches are great for cocktail parties. Try one of our favourites: Fish House Punch; there’s simply something for everyone in this bowl. An age-old Punch that’s stood the test of time – three centuries in fact.”
350ml Cognac
255ml Jamaican dark rum
255ml lemon juice
255ml peach brandy or liqueur
255ml filtered water
Lemon, orange and peach slices to garnish.
Add all ingredients to a punchbowl with large blocks of ice. Stir, then garnish with slices of lemon, orange and peach. Serve in rocks glasses or tumblers with ice.
**New York Flip
**When to drink it: Christmas Eve
“Flips are great for Christmas Eve. They’re like cold Eggnog variations. Take our New York Flip with Bourbon and Port. Feel free to change out the bourbon for Cognac or your favourite brandy.”
30ml Bourbon
22ml tawny Port
15ml sugar syrup (see note)
15ml cream
1 egg yolk
Freshly grated nutmeg to garnish
Add all ingredients except egg yolk to a shaker. Add the egg yolk and dry shake to emulsify. Add ice and shake hard. Strain into a frozen cocktail glass and garnish with freshly grated nutmeg.
Note: To make sugar syrup, bring equal parts caster sugar and water to the boil to dissolve sugar and cool before use.
**Tattletale
**When to drink it: Christmas Day
“We always celebrate Christmas gatherings with rich whisky drinks. Try a Tattletale this year; it blends Scotch whisky with a little honey and smoky peated whisky on top.”
45ml Scotch whisky 15ml Islay whisky
1 bar spoon honey syrup (see note)
3 dashes Angostura bitters
Lemon twist to garnish
Build in a rocks glass or tumbler with ice. Garnish with a lemon twist.
Note: To make honey syrup, mix three parts honey to one part hot water, stir until completely mixed and cool before use.
**French 75
**When to drink it: New Year’s Eve
“Most often, the simple drinks really are the best, and the French 75 is our go-to for New Year’s Eve. It’s super simple and easy to make. Champagne, lemon and gin equal the perfect celebratory cocktail.”
30ml gin
15ml lemon juice
15ml sugar syrup (see note)
Champagne
Lemon twist to garnish
Add all ingredients except Champagne to a shaker with ice and shake briefly. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass and top with Champagne. Garnish with a lemon twist.
0Note: To make sugar syrup, bring equal parts caster sugar and water to the boil to dissolve sugar and cool before use.
**Corpse Reviver #2
**When to drink it: New Year’s Day
“If your New Year’s Eve party is anything like ours, you’ll need our Corpse Reviver #2 to get you up and going. Start with one early on in the day and go from there. The only way is up!”
22ml gin
22ml lemon juice
22ml Cocchi Americano (an Italian aperitif wine)
15ml triple sec
17ml sugar syrup (see note)
3 dashes absinthe
Lemon twist to garnish
Add all ingredients to a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a frozen cocktail glass. Garnish with a lemon twist.
Note To make sugar syrup, bring equal parts caster sugar and water to the boil to dissolve sugar and cool before use.
Champagne Julep
When to drink it: poolside
“Poolside drinks should be easy in our opinion. Something on crushed ice is always the preference. Being wine-based, the Champagne Julep allows you to have a couple without overdoing it too soon.”
290ml Champagne
1 bar spoon sugar syrup (see note)
1 sugar cube
Small handful mint leaves and a mint bouquet to garnish
Add all ingredients except Champagne to a julep cup and press with a muddler to crush the sugar cube and bruise the mint. Add Champagne and crushed ice. Swizzle briefly before topping up with more crushed ice. Garnish with a mint bouquet.
Note To make sugar syrup, bring equal parts caster sugar and water to the boil to dissolve sugar and cool before use.
**Eastside
**When to drink it: after a day at the beach
3“This will bring you back after a sleepy day in the sun. It’s a mix of gin, cucumber lime and mint – super-fresh and fragrant.”
60ml gin
30ml lime juice
22ml sugar syrup (see note)
Small handful of mint
2 cucumber slices, 1 to garnish
Add all ingredients to a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a frozen cocktail glass. Garnish with a slice of cucumber.
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This is an edited extract from A Spot at the Bar by Michael Madrusan and Zara Young (Hardie Grant, $45, hbk). Available from all good bookstores and at The Eveleigh, 150-156 Gertrude St, Melbourne Vic.