Palomar (Restaurant) - The Palomar cookbook.

FOR THOSE WHO WANT TO KICK BACK

A SELECTION OF OUR SIGNATURE COCKTAILS

A LIFE IN THE MIX

by Marco Torre

I guess it was back in 2000 that I began to take bartending seriously. At the outset, it was the fun, social aspect of the job that appealed to me. I loved the interaction with colleagues and guests, the frenetic environment, and I still get a kick from all that, but I hadnt yet really appreciated the craft involved. The first cocktail bar I worked in was AKA in Londons Covent Garden, which was, of course, next to The End, both run by Layo and Zoe Paskin. It was the first DJ bar in the UK, stocking a wide selection of spirits and sporting a strong cocktail list. I was fortunate to work with some very skilled bartenders who had all trained under the renowned Dick Bradsell and had come from some of the top bars in London at the time, such as the Met Bar and the Match Bar. The standard was high and I had to work hard and fast to keep up with those mixologists. AKA was open and slamming five nights a week, and ran nonstop through the weekends. It was the perfect place for a 23-year-old Italian boy without a clear idea of his future and yet eager to learn a new profession. I suddenly realized bartending wasnt just about making vodka and tonic or tequila shots. There was an art and a whole world behind it: the history of cocktails and spirits, the craft of tending a bar, the science involved in making drinks. I started developing a deep interest in mixing flavors and learning what is actually in any given bottle of boozethe long journey that makes a plant into a great drink.

Since the Negroni is my ultimate choice of desert island cocktail, its ingredients are always in my cabinet; its probably my Italian background that has given me a passion for all vermouths and bitters. I have always been fascinated by classic cocktails and their simplicity, and I love to create modern variations of those timeless drinks. The way I see cocktails are like most things I admire in life there is nothing more exciting than striving for perfection in creating and mixing a drink. Its addictive.

At The Palomar, I have the opportunity to run a small bar alongside a dedicated and skilled kitchen. All of our bartenders are fully involved in the development of the cocktail list: it is creative teamwork, as with every other aspect of the restaurant. We have a 10-strong cocktail list that changes regularly, where we offer a variety of key spirit choices to satisfy most palates, but we also like to maintain a good balance between aperitifs and after-dinner drinks. Here are some of our greatest hits.

DRUNKEN BOTANIST

A great aperitif made with all the bartenders favorite ingredients! We created this by giving a twist to the Cardinale cocktail, which is basically a drier version of a Negroni. When we devised the Drunken Botanist, we didnt compromise through concern about whether or not the customers would like it, but instead focused on coming up with something authentic that we truly wanted to drink. Early on in the days of my bartending I thought Campari was a really bitter drink, but now with a few years on the clock I find it very sweet. Our palates evolve as we grow up, and this is very definitely a grown-up drink.

For the saline

5 parts water

1 part salt

Ingredients

2 tbsp gin

4 tsp Campari

1 tbsp dry vermouth (ideally Dolin)

1 tsp Fernet Branca

tsp green Chartreuse

1 dash Maraschino

orange peel twist, to garnish

To make the saline, heat the water and salt together in a saucepan, stirring, until the salt has dissolved, then leave to cool. Store in a sterilized dropper bottle (see ) in a cool, dark place. It will keep for up to 1 month.

Stir all the cocktail ingredients together in a mixing glass and add 1 drop of saline. Strain into a chilled coupette. Garnish with a twist of orange peel.

BUMBLEBEE

I have always been fascinated by honey where it comes from and how its produced and I love that it can be used as a healthy alkaline sweetener. I wanted to make a cocktail without refined sugar; sweetness is a key component in both food and drinks, but how to get away from the refined stuff? I drew inspiration from an old Prohibition cocktail called a Bees Knees, which was a mix of gin, honey and lemon juice. From there on it was straightforward: I made a syrup of honey and ginger juice and combined it with the lemon juice, gin and curaao, a liqueur made from the dried peel of bitter oranges. (See photograph on .)

For the honey and ginger syrup

1 parts runny honey

1 part fresh ginger juice

Ingredients

cup gin

4 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice

tsp orange curaao

2 dashes orange bitters

ice cubes

orange peel twist, to garnish

To make the honey and ginger syrup, blend the honey and ginger juice until smooth. Pour into a sterilized airtight bottle (see ), seal and chill in the fridge. It will keep for up to 2 weeks.

Put all the cocktail ingredients into a cocktail shaker and add 4 tsp Honey and Ginger Syrup. Shake and serve over ice in a rocks glass. Garnish with a curl of orange peel.

INTO THE WILD

This drink was created by one of our team, Giuseppe, and is an excellent palate cleanser that pairs well with our fresh and spicier food. The licorice makes it a great digestif due to its soothing properties.

For the mint syrup

2 parts just-boiled water

1 part fresh mint leaves

1 part granulated sugar

Ingredients

3 tbsp vodka

4 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice

2 tsp grappa alla liquirizia

tsp green Chartreuse

Angostura bitters, in a spray bottle or atomizer, to garnish

To make the mint syrup, brew a strong mint tea with the just-boiled water and mint leaves. Mix 1 part hot mint tea with 1 part granulated sugar until the sugar has dissolved, then filter through a muslin. Pour into a sterilized airtight bottle (see ), seal and chill in the fridge. It will keep for up to 1 week.

Put all the cocktail ingredients into a cocktail shaker and add 1 tbsp of mint syrup. Shake and double strain into a Nick & Nora glass. Garnish with 2 sprays of Angostura bitters.

BISHBASH POSH WASH

This was created by another of our team, John, to mimic the torta de aceite a traditional Spanish sweet, crisp, flaky biscuit flavored with anise and fennel. The word bishbash is Moroccan for fennel, while wash is the method of infusing the vodka. Basically, this is a spin on the great vodka martini, with notes of fennel, caraway and anise. (See photograph on .)

For the butter and olive oilwashed vodka

cup clarified unsalted butter

1 cups olive oil

3 cups of vodka

Ingredients

1 tsp kmmel liqueur

tsp dry vermouth, (ideally Dolin)

tsp arak

1 drop Saline (see Drunken Botanist)

Tuile (substitute the hazelnuts for fennel seeds, see ), to garnish

To make the butter and olive oilwashed vodka, melt the butter with the oil in a saucepan and mix together, then add the vodka and stir well.

Pour the mixture into a strong, sealable plastic food bag and heat in a water bath of warm water, at 140F for about 20 minutes.

Remove the bag from the warm water and leave to rest for a few minutes, then place the bag in the freezer for several hours until the butter and oil become solid.