Behind The Drinks
Year summary! Trends in the world of cocktails and recipes worth entertaining at home
Every year I celebrate and host you in my bars at your various happy events, this season of the year I often find myself preparing special cocktail menus for the end of the year and Hanukkah celebrations. In the recipes I add a mention of the sparkling Christmas for the locals and foreigners who are waiting for the magical holiday atmosphere. Together with regular guests, friends and family we celebrate the New Year's Eve in the heart of Dizengoff when we all enjoy drinking cocktails and celebrations and waiting for the countdown.
The last year was a crisis year for the entire hospitality industry. I was looking for a way to continue doing what we love at Spicehouse, hosting you, being part of your events, celebrating and preparing the best cocktails for you. We found ourselves grateful when we were able to perform our role in a different but original way.
And now that the festive atmosphere of the end of 2020 has landed in the world and the beginning of hope is already here, there is no more perfect time than to launch our New Year's edition for you!
In the edition are four cocktails with the flavors of leading cities in the world, which celebrate the beginning of the new year with a spectacular fireworks show. Intense and seasonal flavors such as the Paris cocktail that combines strawberry and lavender dry sherry to the New York cocktail that combines bourbon smoked cherry chocolate. Limited edition .
An easy year's summary of the global world of cocktails! And finally, of course, homemade recipes later!
Minimalism
At Spicehouse today you can get complex cocktails, the drinks sometimes contain ingredients that have undergone soaking, freezing, fruit extraction, and the decorations we won't get started... ranging from edible flowers to crowns of spices, gin caviar, banana leaves, oranges and lemons dried in a food dehydrator and the hand is still tilted. Recently, bartenders and chefs have returned to enjoying simple three-ingredient cocktails. The cocktails are usually without decorations, a little fruit, without sweeteners and mixing as many types of alcohol together as possible, in short strong and alcoholic flavors which is good...
The niche where cocktails return to a simpler form is called Back to basic. We expect to have good drinks and with this expectation, there is less pressure to do something avant-garde, and more emphasis on precision, purity of flavors and use of the highest quality ingredients.
exist
Just as we want to know the source of the food we consume, we also want to know the source of our cocktails, their ingredients and the processes they went through. Alcohol distilleries in an effort to protect the environment use more green energy. They maintain extraction of the raw material and also work to eliminate the use of plastic in their products.
I was especially happy about the promotion of the biodegradable hard rock trend that started in the world a few years ago and at the beginning of 2020 conquered Tel Aviv as well. We at Spicehouse also make an effort to reduce the use of plastic and make sure to use natural raw materials.
"Infusion" soaking alcohol in natural ingredients
In this method, the alcohol, for example gin or rum, is soaked in herbs and spices: from peach, green tea to chocolate and coffee. The role of the ingredients varies from softening the liqueur to strengthening natural flavors. One of the advantages of the method is that the perceived taste can be measured every period of time to reach accuracy. A good use of a good infusion technique can turn a gin or vodka into a perfect drink to drink neat over ice like for example our cucumber infused gin. And it can be a good base for a cocktail, such as tequila that has been soaked in red chili, it won't be very good for drinking on ice, but it is an excellent base for a spicy margarita cocktail in our Woodstock style. containing tequila, lime, martini bitters passion fruit triple sec.
Martinis and vermouths, and dry sherry
Fortified wines and vermouths from France and Italy such as Martini Rosso, Martini Piero, Noli Prat, Mancino that recently arrived in Israel or just dry sherry. Drinks with a low alcohol content of 16-23% on average, and are used to make the popular cocktails that have returned to fashion such as the Martini, Negroni and Manhattan.
Hormots also open up the possibility of drinking more than one drink throughout the evening to enjoy the entertainment and the flavors without getting drunk quickly. This trend has increased the use of bourmots in the last year. Try drinking a rosé martini with tonic at home, refreshing and easy to prepare.
And now recipes…
The flavors of the season are crème de cassis, cocoa, coffee, ginger, hazelnuts and almonds, spiced rum
Classic drinks like bubbly cocktails, eggnog, spiced wines, whiskey sour cherry, Manhattan, or apple cider.
I have chosen two delightful and simple recipes to prepare, perfect for entertaining at home in the new year and throughout the cool season, enjoy!
Spicy mulled wine
Ingredients:
1 bottle of red wine 750 ml
200 ml high-quality orange liqueur
350 grams mixed berries
100 ml brandy/cognac
8 cinnamon sticks
5 star anise
50 ml of red grapefruit juice
200 ml sugar water (1:1 water and dissolved sugar)
preparation:
Cook all the ingredients on low-medium heat for about 10 minutes and mash the berries while cooking
Bring to a boil and reduce to a low heat
You can let the punch cool and drink it either cold or lukewarm (can be stored for two weeks in the refrigerator)
Enough for 8-10 glasses
Decorate with a cinnamon stick, fruits and spices of whatever comes next
Cocktail set for the New Year is available on the website
Eggnog
Ingredients:
6 large eggs
Half a cup of sugar (125 grams)
250 ml American whiskey (for fans, half and half with spiced rum is also possible) 500 ml of milk
200 ml sweet cream Half a grated nutmeg
10 ml of rose water, syrup is also possible
preparation: Break the eggs and separate the whites from the yolks
In a bowl, beat the sugar together with the egg yolks until it melts
Gradually add the whiskey and then the milk and cream
In a stainless steel or ceramic bowl, beat the egg whites until they form soft upper layers
Gently and slowly mix the mixtures into one vessel
Grate half a whole nutmeg
*It is recommended to heat in the microwave for about 45 seconds before serving in a large coffee/tea mug
You can open with a little hot water if necessary
Decorate with dried roses or enough rose syrup for 6 glasses
See you in 2021
Jotham,
and the Spicehouse team