I’ve been in the hospitality industry for a while now but it’s been the last few years that I’ve transitioned (as has the venue where I work) from high volume, shot-slinging kind of bartending into creating more intricate, well thought out libations. When I create a new drink menu for a bar event, I try to keep it approachable and the ingredients recognizable. I keep in mind that we are still a high volume bar. I’ll play around with high-end ingredients, top shelf liquors and in-season fruits and vegetables. On a typical bar menu of mine, you won’t find too many “muddled” ingredients, but you will find homemade Simple Syrups, Reductions, and Infusions. I do my best to keep my event recipes streamlined and fairly quick to produce.
When I enter a competition, that is when I break out the muddler. I triple shake and double strain the cocktails. I hand craft my garnishes. I slowly layer each ingredient. The competitions are where I get to get a little weird with the ingredients. Where I can try a new technique. I love it.
When I entered to Patròn Perfectionist Competition, the only specification I had to follow was use Patròn Silver, Reposado, or Anejo. After some trial and error I decided to use the Silver and slowly my Perfectionist Creation was born.
Ibiscus Frizzante
2 ounces of Patron Silver
- 3-4 Dried Hibiscus Blossoms
- 1 scant Bar Spoon of Lemon Curd
- 1/2 ounce Lemon Juice
- 2 1/2 ounces Peach Nectar
- 2 drops of Orange Bitters
- 2 1/2 ounces Martini & Rossi Prosecco
Place Patron Silver and Hibiscus Blossoms in a tumbler and stir.In a Shaker combine the Lemon Curd, Lemon Juice, Peach Nectar, and Orange Bitters. Add ice and shake vigorously to combine. Strain the Patron Silver into the Shaker and stir to combine. Double Strain into a Flute and top with Martini & Rossi Prosecco
My inspiration for this drink came from my hometown, Cincinnati Ohio which is a beautiful place. We experience the best of all four seasons, from crisp snowy wintes to hot humid summers. I was inspired by a Cincinnati Summer in my mothers yard. Most of the early summer was spent helping her transform our yard from the bright new greens of spring to a wonderland of color! Our humid summers are perfect for a tropical plants, like Hibiscus. I was always drawn to the bright, oversized blooms- and so were the bees and hummingbirds. As I grew older I started drinking Hibiscus tea, with a squeeze of lemon, and the aroma always brought me back to those summer days.
We would go Peach picking at a local farm, and the Peaches would be so juicy we had to eat them outside, with the juice dripping down our arms. Peach and Hibiscus are one of my favorite flavor combinations.
The name, Ibiscus Frizzante, and the Martini & Rossi Prosecco are a nod to my Italian heritage as well as my families love of sparking wine. Martini and Rossi had been a long time favorite and we mark every holiday, big and small, with a glass.
With this cocktail I’ve found a way to combine a few favorite flavors, and memories, of my Cincinnati Summers. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!