If you are putting on a party at home, sometimes it’s good to take some tips from high volume bars about how to prepare your cocktails.
In the same way that high volume bars are looking to get drinks out quickly, in a party situation at home you don’t want to be constantly behind your home bar and not enjoying time with your friends.
This is where partial batching can come into play and Chad Austin from the Hollywood Tiki bar Lono has the perfect drink that can be easily partially batched for any event you are holding.
The drink, The Beatles Are Overrated, is more than just his philosophy but also a light, herbal and refreshing mix with a hint of creaminess.
“I was going for something that was summery, something that was light body drinkable but still had character,” Austin said.
“That’s where my love for Chartreuse and it’s bold flavour came in; if you use it in small amounts it really works really well. Add to that, the nice acidic tartness of a fresh Strawberry which is really able to settle down the Coconut Cream.”
Rum
For a drink like this, Austin points out that a quality, light bodied Rum is perfect.
“The Real McCoy is one of my favourites,’ he says, “but Plantation 3 Stars works really well. You are looking for something that’s aged but filtered, so it still has the qualities of a really nice, light Daiquiri rum”
Muddled Strawberry
While creating new drinks, there’s often a fair amount of experimentation needed to find that one ingredient that will truly make a drink sing. As Austin points out with this cocktail, he tried a variety of flavours but most of them ended up being too flat.
“I tried a few different things,” he said, “playing around with different citruses and what not but it just seemed to be a little too basic. For our summer menu that I was working on, I already had something with Blueberry and I already had something with watermelon, so I thought Strawberry might work.
“I tried working with Strawberry syrup, I tried working with a Strawberry Liqueur but it ended up being the fresh muddled Strawberry that provided the sweetness and perfect tartness that I needed to bring the whole thing together.”
Technique
Austin uses a flash blender to pull the drink together. Again this is more a matter of speed but points out that the muddle is really the most important part.
“If you don’t have a flash blender it can easily be a whip shake with crushed ice,” he points out, “the main thing is to get the strawberry well muddled, so you can just pour it in and you don’t need to strain it out.”
The Beatles Are Overrated
Ingredients
2oz (60mls) Real McCoy 3-year-old Rum
0.5oz (15mls) Green Chartreuse
1oz (30mls) Coconut Cream
1oz (30mls) Lime Juice
1 muddled strawberry
Instructions
The first four ingredients can be pre-batched and when done so, use 5oz (150mls), to the base of a shaker tin, add a strawberry and muddle well. Add a heap of crushed ice and either flash blend or whip shake, before pouring into a glass.
