Andrew Nicholls Cocktails & Bartending

I tend the bar in a very quaint establishment called Vesper in the Jordaan area of Amsterdam and those who have visited us will know just how intimate (small) the room is.

The picture on the left shows the front of the bar and our head bartender Fjalar Goud crushing ice before the onslaught of cocktail thirsty locals come trickling through the door. The soft lighting, gentle music and simplicity of the place create a placid environment, encouraging guests to sit back and enjoy a well made cocktail among friends or indeed, the company of the bartender. It’s a kind of “no worries’ vibe with great service and drinks…

Anyway, up here in the Northern Hemisphere, the last few months have been cold to say the least and it doesn’t look as though it’ll be warming up any time soon. With that in mind and digging deep into my bag of bartender’s responsibilities I, like so many bartenders in the past (and present it must be said) decided the good people of Amsterdam and all those visiting her need a good glass of winter warmth. Yes it’s cold outside, with the variety of delicious seasonal ingredients available to us at this time of year, it’s difficult for a bartender not to get a little (very) excited. I’m referring to nuts, fruits such as apples and pears and all the spices which suit them so well; cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and the likes.

The problem with the bar scene in Amsterdam is very few bartenders seem to embrace the seasonal change and the treasures which come with it. It’s winter and still, strawberries are being ordered in the same quantity as they would be in the heart of summer. Please tell me you see the utter stupidity in this…

I’m not saying people should divert from their favorite drinks, but rather that they should try a seasonal variation of that drink. For example, if you are someone who would normally order a strawberry margarita, ask your bartender if he or she could please make you a pear margarita. Pears work beautifully with the tequila in a margarita (you have to trust me on this!) and because they’re in season you’re getting fresher, more flavorsome fruit. Now doesn’t that sound grand?

At Vesper, we decided to take this little matter into our own hands and come up with a few drinks really worth trying. This week we shall be in the final stages of “tweaking” the balance of each drink and by next week, you will be able to come in and order some or all of the following:

Roasted Chestnut Mint Julep

Fresh Chestnuts roasted in-house and infused into Bourbon Whisky with Mint and a touch of Sugar.

Spiced Pear Margarita

Pears poached in Spiced Port and infused into 100% Agave Tequila, shaken icy cold with Cointreau and fresh Lime Juice.

Winter Bourbon Sour

Bourbon Whisky infused with house roasted Walnuts, Cinnamon Sticks and Cloves, shaken with fresh Lemon Juice, a touch of Sugar, Fresh Egg White and a drizzle of Pedro Ximez Sherry.

Dutch Winter Wallow

Bacon Fat Washed Jonge Jenever (Young Genever), shaken with fresh Lemon Juice, Home Made Pineapple Syrup and Spiced Pear Winter Port.

Making the ingredients was great fun and incorporated a few techniques taught to me by Tony Conigliaro, owner of 69 Colebrook Row in London. The bar was recently awarded Best Cocktail Bar in the UK for 2010 and if you have not been there yet, I strongly suggest you get moving…

Infusions for the new Vesper drinks involved more than simply throwing ingredients into a bottle and leaving them to marry for a week or so.

We made use of a Sous Vide technique, common to many modern kitchens whereby the ingredients are placed under vacuum and into a Bain Marie at a specific temperature for a specific period of time. By controlling the elements, you have greater control over the balance of the infusion and the consistency with every new batch.

A pretty big problem for us was the budget we were given for equipment, but in true bartender style, we got resourceful!

A bain marie with accurate temperature settings was way out of budget, so we found a €30 deep fat fryer, filled the basin up with water, put a digital thermometer in the water and with a bit of fiddling around, managed to find the point on the dial which stuck more or less at the temperature we required. You have to adjust it slightly about once every 15 minutes but it’s pretty stable other than that.

Next challenge was creating a vacuum without a vacuum machine. All I can say is thank the Big Guy up there for Ziploc Bags. Place ingredients in the bag, squeeze as much air out as possible and suck any remaining air out with a straw. The trick is zipping the bag closed without letting more air in. Once you get the knack of it, it’s quite easy and you’ll have a pretty interesting head rush…

After it’s time in the bain marie, strain the solids from the liquid, bottle the liquid and start making drinks.

As you can see in the picture on the left, our infusions are in old Maker’s Mark bottles and a Ketel Een Jonge Jenever bottle. Creating your own ingredients even gives you a reason to do a bit of in-house recycling of bottles…

Drop by for a taste and maybe even get your own local bartenders to start thinking seasonal.

Cheers!