So it’s Friday and what better thing to look forward to tonight or on the weekend than a cocktail. But it should be a perfect one no? I should subtitle this story, “What you didn’t know about ice”. I had Oliver Stuart, a Brand Ambassador for Russian Standard Vodka and Bartender of the Year in front of me and I was determined to find out how to make a great cocktail. Picture this setting: I was at Icebergs and I was sipping cocktails and eating caviar and someone made a remark “How is the ice?”. Oliver smiled and nodded “Yes ice is the most important part of a cocktail”. I put down my blini and was curious – ice? And so I asked him all about it in between sipping what I thought was one the best cocktails I’ve ever had – and yes there’s a recipe for it to follow.
Oliver, formerly of Flying Fish, Hemmesphere and the Victoria Rooms was named Bartender of the Year and now spends his time spreading the word about Russian Standard Vodka. It happens to hold the number 1 position for a premium vodka in Russia after Russia Billionaire Roustam Tariko decided that he would create a Russian Vodka as there was no premium Russian Vodka in Vodka’s homeland of Russia (and there was a bit of National pride in there too I would imagine). There are three types: The Original which takes on a brand such as Smirnoff, the Platinum which positions itself against Absolut and the Imperia against a brand like Grey Goosea-all in gorgeously stylish bottles and you know I had a fascination with the bottles right?
Mini Mary
We tried three cocktails: the Mini Mary which was a gorgeous yet well balanced and spicy mix with the Russian Standard Original, the Imperia Mist which is a chic martini made with the Russian Standard Imperia which has been filtered over quartz crystal and is finished with a spray from an atomiser of Martini Bianco and we finish with my favourite, a sparkling wine cocktail with soused cranberries. The canapes were delicious, particular the goat’s curd and beetroot tart and the smoked salmon caviar blini which melted in the mouth.
And what of the ice? As funny as it sounds, ice keeps ice cold so the more that you use and the faster you stir, the colder the cocktail will get. The best kind of ice is the ice that has the least surface area so that means the ice you make at home is better than the ice you buy from a gas station freezer as the hole in the centre creates more surface area which allows for quicker melting to occur and with a drink with 3 types of spirits and no mixer, it waters it down quicker and is much more noticeable. The ideal ice is a solid, large piece with smooth edges.
Canapes served to complement the three vodkas: caviar, squid sashimi, blini with caviar
The Japanese take their ice seriously and the Japanese brand Hoskazaki produces special ice makers with many of Sydney’s restaurants and bars such as Rockpool, Victoria Room, and Universal (who just won a Hosazaki) using these machines and the Beresford in Sydney apparently has the largest Hoskazaki in the state. Toko Sushi use a huge block of ice which they chip away at.
Other tips for making a good martini is chill the martini glass and mixing spoons in the fridge and don’t store your vodka in the freezer as the extreme temperature starts to undo the distillation process and overpowers the bread aroma seen in good vodkas. Instead chill it between 5c and 7c (41-44F).
I also took the opportunity to ask Oliver a few questions about cocktails.
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August 21, 2009
by Not Quite Nigella
With our almost Spring like weather during the day, I’ve been slowly introducing more Summery foods into the diet in the hopes that the weather should stick around. At our visit to Spice Temple several months ago, Christie recommended me a recipe for Neil Perry’s Cucumber with smashed garlic. I’d meant to make these for months and it wasn’t until I made another batch of the cucumber pickles that I was reminded of these. They’re easy and fantastically healthy and the perfect cooling side dish or precursor to a Chinese meal.
She pointed me to the Gourmet Traveller website where they featured a few of Perry’s recipes and the best pasrt? The time taken to make these is negligible and most of it is in waiting for it to drain. I loved the cleansing sensation of cucumber and the garlic lends a richer tone to it. It was gobbled up in no time by Mr NQN. I had intended to keep some in a jar to pick at for a healthy snack but he liked it so much that late one night I opened the fridge to snack on some to find the empty container in the fridge. Yes he had stuck the empty container back in the fridge. Luckily for him it was his birthday so I couldn’t get mad at him and he probably knew it.
So tell me Dear Reader, what’s your flatmate’s/husband’s/wife’s worst habit?
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August 8, 2009
by Not Quite Nigella
I don’t often have religious moments and in truth they’re almost exclusively related to the ingestion of food. When I crunched my way into my first slice of this gorgeous crostini with ricotta and salsa verde I found myself muttering “Lordy be still my heart. That Bill Granger is a genius!” Of course since I was crunching away on the crunchiest sourdough (Brasserie Bread’s Quinoa loaf) it came out more looking like a SBS movie subtitle.
Whilst I’ve eaten salsa verde before, this was my first time making it. I’m probably one of the few people on earth that doesn’t really like tomato salsa so I never really ventured into making salsa verde. However I am now a convert. The salsa verde is a gorgeous, fresh tasting accompaniment which reminds me a little of tabouli in its freshness but with salt from the capers and anchovies. You may notice that there are only two slices on the plate. That is because when I made it, some very hungry people couldn’t hold back and proceeded to crunch on them while I was trying to get the photographs together. Some people! 
If ever you’re a fan of fresh, delicious and healthy flavours (and who isn’t?), I urge you to make this simple salsa verde. I have the crumb stained smiling faces of everyone in front of me as proof although I should probably warn that you most certainly risk a parsley in the teeth situation. And thankfully, that’s the only price to pay for such deliciousness.
So tell me Dear Reader, what dish or food has given you a religious moment? A perfect macaron? A pretty cupcake? A plate of soft, juicy ribs?
Pssst! In some exciting news, I will be a guest on Radio 89.7FM’s Food in Focus show this Saturday the 20th of June at 4pm. Tune in for my very first live discussion which is both exciting and scary!
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June 18, 2009
by Not Quite Nigella
This recipe is an effort to balance what is my seemingly never ending sweet tooth with something savoury. Readers of my blog will assume that due to the number of sweets that I make, that I have an achingly sweet tooth. Not so, really. I don’t eat sweets that often unless they are exceptional (Zumbo, Laduree or Herme) but my natural instinct is to go for savoury. Cakes and sweets are awfully pretty to look at and if you’ve read my About page, you’ll see that I think that they belong in an Art Gallery (true, look at Zumbo’s creations). But savoury is what I crave.
I have a deep seeded fear of deep frying. I burnt my arm badly when I was cooking as a teenager and ever since then I’ve been afraid of it. But things such a Briouats are wonderful because they allow you to have the buttery crispness of deep frying whilst cooking them in the oven. I shall investigate a similar way to do Spring rolls in the same manner although I am not a big Spring Roll fan.
I based these on the delicious Etli Borek pastries that we tried from Ottoman Cuisine at the Taste of Sydney event. The reason why I remember the name so clearly is that the man behind the counter made us all recite the name after him, thereby drumming it into our memories. Sure he was a bit odd, firstly telling us that it was snake but the trick worked. They are earth shatteringly crisp and buttery and serving them scattered with Pomegranate seeds, minted yogurt and sweet chili sauce is ideal. “Ras El Hanout” roughly translated to “Top of the Shop” whereby a spice store would do their own blend of the best spices. No two shops’ Ras El Hanout is exactly the same and I used Herbies Ras El Hanout which was gifted to us at the Allrecipes dinner, which contains a Moroccan blend of 23 spices including saffron. I upped the quantity to what was recommended as I felt it really enhanced the flavour and was over the moon with the flavour. I made these on a rainy night when the sky was dark even at 3pm and by the time I got these on the table 45 minutes after starting, it was pitch dark outside so I hope you’ll forgive the photography.
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May 18, 2009
by Not Quite Nigella
There’s something I know for certain: it’s pie season. The cooler temperature and shorter days signal to me, the need for comfort food and even thought the temperature itself hasn’t dipped that much, it’s low enough for me to yearn for the heat of the oven. I’m a different creature in Winter. During Summer it’s all about salads and water but in Winter, it’s a pastry and soup fest. And this comparatively cool Sydney evening made me hanker for some pies.
We try and eat vegetarian a few nights a week for health reasons and to reduce our reliance on meat. That’s not a sign that I am about to go full time vegetarian – I tried that once and it wasn’t for me but it feels healthier and better for the environment to do so three to four nights a week. It also lightens our grocery bill which is a nice bonus for my husband who tears his hair out at the things I like to put in my trolley.
If you’re a hardened carnivore, you could certainly add some chicken to these but I do think that they are perfect as is although by all means substitute it with whatever vegetables you have to hand – 3.5 cups will do. One thing that I never really saw any point to was making your own pastry. That is, until I found an amazing Pâte Brisée shortcrust pastry recipe. I will say that if you are not so inclined to make your own, you can use store bought but this Pâte Brisée pastry is to die for. But don’t worry I haven’t lost the entire plot, I still bought the puff pastry. That would probably signal a descent into utter madness if I were to make my own puff pastry. Feel free to call the authorities to pick me up should that ever happen.
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May 5, 2009
by Not Quite Nigella
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