Down the cakehole: savoury cocktails
Savoury cocktails are the latest trend to hit the capital's bar menus. But we're not talking about a dash of Tabasco or a cursory olive. Now Babybels are replacing cherry garnishes and bourbon is washed with bacon fat.
The London Cocktail Club has developed a selection of drinks all based on classic pairings straight from the dinner table. "It's interesting to look at how people put flavours together in their mouths but when you create that in a beverage it scares them," explains the club's owner and award-winning barman, JJ Goodman, who says he is trying to create a shock factor.
The Gastro Mixology menu (prices range from £5 to £9, londoncocktailclub.co.uk) includes an Oyster Bomb, a Squid Ink Sour, a Cheese and Pineapple Gele and even an Egg and Bacon Coupet, a surprisingly popular item - "it's accidentally become our signature drink" - made from bourbon infused with smoked bacon, mixed with egg whites, lemon and sugar and served in a martini glass with a pancetta crisp.
"People like to get an emotion, whether it's shock or intrigue, and you can do that through food and drink. That's what people like Heston Blumenthal and Raymond Blanc are doing and this is our own little take on it. Spirits have a future on the dining table and it hasn't been explored," JJ adds.
