Raymond Blanc is one of my favourite chefs to watch. I am dying to go to his restaurant in Le Manoir in Oxfordshire. I recently came across his tips to making cocktails on a recent trip on the Eurostar in Eurostar Magazine.
He spoke how the cocktail has changed from 20 years with swizzle sticks and bright paper Umbrellas now the cocktail is having a revolution and I would say more of a bespoke experience. Here are some of his tips for the next time you are making a cocktail.
- That just like great dishes that are based on contrast, created by a build up of flavours. The same applies to cocktails.
- Follow the 3 S rule for cocktails
1) Strength, or the alcohol base, you should never blend to spirits
2) Sour,usually a fruit or a fruit juice. You should only stir a cocktail when it does not contain fruit juice, lemon juice is the exception
3) Sweet, which is liqueur or something sugary and fizzy.
He uses the classic gin and tonic as an example- the gin the strength, the tonic the sweet, and the the slice of lemon or lime the sour.
I hope this helps next time you are coming up with a cocktail concoction. I think it is important to sometimes go back to basic principals.