Another travel inspired drink, which appeared on my menu at Le Colomba pretty early and has remained one of the biggest selling cocktails this summer, ‘Monteverde’.
I wanted a drink with a tropical feel to it, so i drew inspiration from my time in Costa Rica 8yrs ago. My memories being the hot, dark rainforests of the beautiful Monteverde region.
My base spirit of choice for this drink was Centenario 9yr old Costa Rican Rum, with notes of vanilla and dark fruits, it was the perfect choice of rum for this drink. Next, Creme de Mure (Blackberry Liqueur), the dark forest fruits pairing wonderfully with the rich rum.
I then added Suze, a Swiss (not very tropical i know!) aromatic bitter aperitif made with the roots of the gentian plant. The wonderful bitterness of the Suze and unusual flavour of the gentian adds a layer of complexity and length to the drink. A little pineapple juice, lime juice, sugar and Angostura bitters complete the tropical vision in traditional style.
‘Monteverde’
‘Monteverde’
35ml Centenario 9yr
20ml Creme de Mure
15ml Suze
20ml Lime Juice
15ml Sugar Syrup
25ml Pineapple Juice
2 Dashes of Angostura Aromatic Bitters
Shaken, and double strained over cubed ice in an Old Fashioned glass. Garnished with 2 Blackberries and a Physalis.
I will have a lot more to add to this blog in the next few weeks, including a TV appearance and a visit to Domaine Mavela, the biggest distillery in Corsica! Lots of exciting things coming up!
The Backpack Barman 