Monkey Shoulder Model Ambassador, Rachael Bartlett, tackles the stereotype of the normal ‘whisky drinker’ with these cocktail recommendations. Observe her at @rach_bartlett
We’ve all had a visitor decline a drink suggestion, as a result of they’re ‘not a whisky drinker.’ The model of drink doesn’t are inclined to matter; merely having the phrase ‘whisky’ in a cocktail description is commonly sufficient for some prospects to baulk at a drink suggestion, step again, palms raised, as if avoiding an indignant hippo.
However what’s a ‘whisky drinker’? For many spirits, folks don’t outline the kind of drinker they’re, you don’t see the time period ‘sambuca drinker’ bandied round all that generally.
In case you dare to ask Google for a ‘definition’ of the phrase you’ll get a spread of outdated stereotypical articles, claiming every thing from the ‘maturity and confidence’ of the traditional whisky consuming human, to their ‘steadying presence in any scenario’. It’s lots of ‘he and him’ and the time period ‘scotch man’ seems a minimum of as soon as. Let’s not even go into the City Dictionary definition of the phrase.
Nevertheless, in the event you break ‘whisky drinker’ down into its element elements, you get:
Whisky: a spirit distilled from malted grain, particularly barley or rye. Drinker: an individual who drinks a selected drink. Due to this fact, put merely, a whisky drinker is an individual who drinks a spirit distilled from a malted grain.
Easy, proper? There’s nothing about, age, gender or confidence, nor how this ‘spirit distilled from a malted grain’ ought to be consumed. But the phrase ‘Oh, I’m not a whisky drinker’ continues to be heard all too regularly in bars. A fast (very scientific) ballot of our workplace throughout lunch, as to why a few of my colleagues’ pals don’t drink whisky, supplied up a spread of responses. The final theme was ‘straight whisky is simply too harsh’. When you consider it, this isn’t shocking; for a lot of shoppers, most spirits are comparatively harsh while you drink them neat in the event you aren’t accustomed to them. Outdoors of visitors who like to sip their means by way of the backbar, or are a fan of a tasting flight, tequila pictures are usually shortly adopted with lemon, vodka has discovered its dwelling with soda and contemporary lime, and while not quite a bit can beat gin and tonic, ordering straight gin tends to lift some eyebrows outdoors of hospo circles. While Single Malt is well-loved as a neat spirit, the belief that that is the one method to drink whisky has been prolonged to the remainder of the class by many shoppers.
Even in the event you enterprise down the traditional cocktail route, whisky drinks are inclined to lean in direction of the boozy finish of the spectrum. In case you Google ‘high 5 whisky cocktails’, you’ll get an inventory like: Sazerac, Previous Long-established, Manhattan, Rob Roy, Whisky Bitter.
Now there’s completely nothing unsuitable with these drinks, a well-made Sazerac is a private favorite that isn’t ordered typically sufficient. Nevertheless, they’re not notably approachable. They’re boozy, sluggish sippers, and that’s nice, for lots of people. Nevertheless, for visitors already apprehensive concerning the spirit, these traditional cocktails is usually a flip off, and subsequently a cause to not delve into the world of whisky.
When Monkey Shoulder was launched in 2005, it was something however conventional. Constructed from three Speyside single malts, however designed to be drunk in another way, Monkey Shoulder was created for the cocktail world, created for cocktail innovation. While its flavour profile lends itself effectively to whisky classics, its versatility makes it nice to get inventive with. Three Melbourne bartenders have taken Monkey on a fair wilder journey, outdoors of the drinks you could historically suppose to see whisky.
Savoury cocktails are actually not a brand new thought – the origins of a Soiled Martini will be traced again to 1901, nevertheless their rising resurgence supplies an area for innovation and drink creativity, incorporating components of enjoyable and playfulness. The menu at Melbourne’s One or Two showcases Andy Chu’s strategy to cocktail innovation, with a drive to alter the mindset round ‘atypical cocktails’. The ‘Anchovy Toast, incorporating Monkey Shoulder, Sotol, Xo Sauce, Chilli and Sourdough, is something however atypical. Umami and flavoursome, garnished with anchovies and crème fraiche on toast, it’s an ironic homage to the favored Melbourne wine bar snack. Most significantly, it’s very drinkable, and it’s very enjoyable.
There’s a consensus that combining scotch and soda right into a highball works as a drink, it’s a traditional serve for a cause, nevertheless it’s nonetheless too ‘whisky ahead’ for some shoppers. Swap out the soda for Dry Ginger ale, add in an orange wedge, and while you’ve nonetheless obtained a refreshing drink, typically one thing extra elevated matches the invoice. Enter Alejandro Archibald’s ‘Dr Flemming’.
Every of those drinks problem the buyer notion of what a whisky cocktail will be. They’ve stepped out of the realm of the Previous Long-established and Manhattan and put whisky right into a world of prospects.
The sixteenth century Italian traditional, the Sgroppino, has been a function of many a drink particular over the summer season months in venues throughout Australia, pairing white spirits, fruit sorbet and prosecco into a relaxing, heat climate deal with. An autumn Sgroppino, utilizing whisky as the bottom spirit is considerably left of area, nevertheless after making a fermented mango honey sorbet recipe, the inspiration for the lovechild of a Sgroppino and Penicillin was born. This ‘trendy traditional with a twist’, performs with a ginger, lemon and honey sorbet, Monkey Shoulder, Pennyweight Gold and glowing wine, completed with a mist of smoky whisky, to create a drink that defies seasonal conventions.
Nostalgic cocktails have gotten a frequent function on menus, however these drinks aren’t essentially a reimagination of retro classics. For Trinity Chook, of Beneath Driver Lane, nostalgia offered inspiration for her latest menu addition, ‘Punch a Monkey’.
Incorporating the ‘reminiscence of coconut shavings falling into your lap, the spongey texture of the marshmallow cream and the gooey raspberry jam’ when consuming an iconic Australian biscuit, into an approachable whisky cocktail, Chook has created a ‘gentle pink, creamy delight with all of the enjoyable of an grownup Iced VoVo.’
Utilizing the ever-present milk punch as a foundation for the model of drink, Chook wished to ‘translate each sensation to an ingredient, in the end guaranteeing it tasted just like the traditional’. Coconut milk is used because the curdling ingredient, imparting each flavour and texture with raspberry tea and Chambord invoking reminiscences of sticky raspberry jam, tied along with coconut rum and Monkey Shoulder to spherical out the ultimate biscuit-y notes of the well-loved snack. Garnished with toasted marshmallows, ‘Punch a Monkey’ heroes blended malt whisky in a drink crammed with relatable flavours.
Every of those drinks problem the buyer notion of what a whisky cocktail will be. They’ve stepped out of the realm of the Previous Long-established and Manhattan and put whisky right into a world of prospects. By taking part in with the flavour profile of Monkey Shoulder, and pairing it with enjoyable, much less typical flavours, be it candy or savoury, these drinks assist to make the broader whisky class much less intimidating to these exploring spirits. Whisky doesn’t simply must be drunk neat, combined drinks make you a whisky drinker too.
This story featured in our July version of Australian Bartender Journal and on the quilt, due to our pals at Monkey Shoulder. In case you’re concerned about mixing with Monkey Shoulder, attain out to Rachael @rach_bartlett or your William Grant & Sons rep.
