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By Harriet Leigh, Head of Hospitality

8 easy three-ingredient cocktails to try

Three ingredient cocktails are great, mainly because it takes a certain kind of energy and bank balance health to source all the ingredients to craft a good Zombie. If you can reach for a couple of bottles and whip up something delicious then you’ve saved time and money. Here are some of our favourite picks using a selection of bar cart essentials and Archie Rose Spirits.

THE NEGRONI:

The Negroni is one of those magical beasts: a three-part, holy trinity of a drink, the whole so much greater than its parts. Those parts are equal measures – gin, sweet vermouth and Campari – and they become indivisible. The gin provides the backbone while the sweet vermouth and Campari play a marvellous tug-of-war on your palate. In an instant, you’re lulled into a sweet sweet vermouth embrace and then, just as you’re relaxing in its voluptuous arms, you’re sharply slapped across the face, reminded that one-third of the Negroni’s being is the uncompromising and assertive Campari.

The haircut on the Negroni is either the fancified orange twist you’ll get in swanky Australian bars (If you want to make your own twist here’s how), accenting the bitter notes with zesty Valencian oils, or a fat wedge of orange – the Italian job – the soft fresh orange juice softening Campari’s blow. This might be the best option for your first encounter with a Negroni - it’s certainly the most satisfying, often becoming the first time in years many adults remember the joy of biting the flesh away from the orange and grinning for a few glorious moments, pretending your teeth are made of orange peel.

INGREDIENTS:

METHOD:

Stir well, serve on the rocks, garnish with an orange twist.

THE MARTINI:

The ratio of a Martini is a matter of preference. The argument between vodka and gin will forever rage. We like both but my go-to is Archie Rose Distiller’s Strength Gin, very dry, with a twist.

A few things to play with while experimenting might include the ideal ratio of gin to vermouth. In many bars, you’ll find the bartender will suggest starting with a 5:1 ratio (50ml of gin to 10ml of dry vermouth) and here is the kicker that will trip up the virgin Martini drinker: the less dry vermouth the drier the Martini. I know. Craziness. Dry vermouth is sweeter (less dry) than gin, hence the confusion. If you ask for dry you’ll probably be served a 5:1 (50ml to 5ml). If you ask for it wet you might be served something around the 40ml:20ml ratio. If you are very precise and call your ratio, you will offend no one. Mine does vary depending on the gin, but when tentatively meeting a new gin I’ll start off dry.

Next up, you’ll need to decide on garnish (we have a handy guide to garnishing the Martini here). If you aren’t sure, opt for the lemon twist (If you want to make your own twist here’s how). It’s more often than not the right answer. If you have a savoury palate then you may opt for olives, and if you really love saltiness you may have it a little dirty (a touch of the olive brine is added to the mixing glass), but please for goodness sake don’t order it filthy because that is your idea of flirting with the bartender. No one is impressed with a Dirty Martini. A dirty mind, maybe, but not a Martini.

INGREDIENTS:

  • 50ml Archie Rose Gin or Vodka

  • 10ml good quality dry vermouth

  • garnish – a twist of some sort of citrus peel or Sicilian olives

METHOD:

Stir well. Serve up. Garnish.

ESPRESSO MARTINI:

A modern classic brought to you by Dick Bradsell in the 80s. Allegedly created for a supermodel who wanted something “wake me up and mess me up” - her language was a little more colourful at the time. It’s so simple, of course, it stands the test of time. Vodka, coffee and sugar. It does exactly what it says on the tin. In the Archie Rose Bar we wash the vodka with coconut oil and stir down with cold drip giving a more elegant refined cocktail. But the classic is easy to master at home.

INGREDIENTS:

METHOD:

Shake all ingredients with ice, double strain into a coupette. Become alert but not alarmed.

THE HIGHBALL:

What could be more simple? Whisky and soda. It’s all too rare, but when it’s made well there are few sparkling drinks more elegant. It’s super dry, but this just brings out the accents of the whisky lengthening and highlighting its natural characteristics. Pour a healthy double of Rye Malt Whisky, top with soda and garnish that little number with a lemon slice, you’ll be mightily pleased you did.

INGREDIENTS:

METHOD:

Build over ice in a highball glass. Garnish with a lemon wheel and enjoy.

THE MAMIE TAYLOR:

A pretty simple combo here - dating back to the turn of the last century - a splash of whisky topped with lime juice and lashings of ginger beer. In its simplest form this is a fancy Rye & Dry - it’s a whisky Dark & Stormy. And, most importantly, it’s a good time in a glass.

INGREDIENTS:

METHOD:

Build over ice in a highball glass.

THE MANHATTAN:

Whisky. Vermouth. Bitters. What a combo. This is one hell of an elegant beast. The perfect after-dinner drink. There is nowt so luxurious as a fine Manhattan after a big dinner. And because it comes from New York it’s not out of place regardless of whether dinner consisted of a steak, a pizza or a hot dog.

To make a Manhattan start with a decent whiskey. There are no hard and fast rules. Go with your palate. Personally, I like a rye Manhattan, which is drier than bourbon, but I can also be swayed into Scotch, in which case I’m enjoying a Rob Roy. Next, select vermouth. There is an argument for three kinds of Manhattan, sweet, dry or perfect. Sweet means opting for sweet vermouth, dry, yes, you’ve guessed it, means dry vermouth and perfect is a combination of the two. The correct answer is sweet. The ratio is yours to fine-tune. You want something along the lines of 2:1 whiskey to vermouth. So around 40ml whiskey to 20ml vermouth will do you no harm. If you like the whisky to stand out in your drink, consider 45ml:15ml or even 50ml:10ml. Then a good whack of Angostura bitters. (There’s nothing wrong with experimentation here, too; for a fun change try orange bitters, or walnut, or chocolate. Bitters maketh the Manhattan. Be bold.)

INGREDIENTS:

  • 45ml Archie Rose Rye Malt Whisky

  • 15ml sweet vermouth (different vermouths will do different things, play around)

  • 2 dashes of bitters.

METHOD:

Stir well. Serve up. Garnish with a cherry or lemon twist.

THE BOULEVARDIER:

“Boulevardier” is an excellent French word. It means someone who frequents the boulevards of Paris. And that is something we can all aspire to. A person about town, who enjoys the city and its magnificent streets. The namesake cocktail is a drink befitting such a stylish wag. In short this drink is for you and me.

Essentially it’s a rye or bourbon Negroni (the ratio is slightly different: 40:20:20, heavier on the whisky than the Negroni is on the gin). It does wonderful things to the mind when mixed correctly. I like to think of it as an after-dinner Negroni. I personally love the spice that rye gives the drink. Ask for it in a decent bar near you, or come down to Rosebery and have one with us.

INGREDIENTS:

METHOD:

Stir well, serve up or on the rocks, garnish with an orange twist.

OLD FASHIONED:

The Old Fashioned is a drink bestowed upon the world by the Americans. Like so much of the great cocktails of history; its roots are humble. Faced with a world of new “fancy drinks” some curmudgeonly drinkers railed against the modern drinking crazes, insisting they wanted an Old Fashioned drink - just hooch, bitters, water and sugar. And 150 years later not much has changed. There was a small hiccup in its history in the second half of the last century when bartenders went rogue and started adding muddled fruit and other monstrosities. Lucky their collective heads were smacked together and they came to their senses. Thank goodness.

INGREDIENTS:

METHOD:

Stir all the ingredients over ice, tasting as you go. Rye Malt sits at 46% ABV - which is hotter than your average bear. If you find this a little assertive for your palate give it a touch longer in the mixing glass to provide some additional dilution. Garnish with an orange twist.

This is the starting ratio for all Old Fashioneds, try experimenting - get into some niche bitters and see what happens. Switch up the citrus. Have a play.