Prepare your own exotic cocktails

Connoisseurs rejoice. Bartenders from star hotels around the world spill their secrets in a new book on signature cocktails. And you though the party ended after New Year's eve?

Connoisseurs rejoice. Bartenders from star hotels around the world spill their secrets in a new book on signature cocktails. And you though the party ended after New Year's eve?

Cocktails: From the Bars of the Leading Hotels of the World published by Spenta publications is out in bookstores, and here are three reasons why you might want to pick it up.

One, the pictures are so pretty, and the drinks look so good, you can only imagine what they'd taste like. Just looking at the Strawberry margarita from Bar Baltschug of the Hotel Baltschug Kempinski in Moscow or the Ritz 100 Cocktail (made in honour of the The Ritz, London, centenary celebration, the book solemnly informs us) can leave you smacking your lips.



Two, though the 52 hotels featured in the book come under the umbrella of the Leading Hotels of the World organisation, you're still privy to some pretty awesome mixes by the chief bartenders of those hotels, all of whom have years of experience behind the bar table.

Three, the interviews of the bartenders who share their signature cocktails in the book, make for good reading. The interviews are peppered with interesting nuggets of information -- the latest rage of green bartending in South Africa, what it takes to be a good bartender (listening to clients is one of them) and how, a good mix is often driven more by instinct than any precise science.

Warning: Many ingredients used are locally produced, so getting your hands on them might be a tad problematic. But if you're an aspiring mixologist, this is an interesting book to thumb through.

Roobios Tea Whisky Sour, Bascule Whisky, Wine and Cocktail bar, Cape Grace, Cape Town
Prepared by Bar and Lounge manager Daniel Coculescu, who prides his hotel for possessing the biggest collection of whiskies in the Southern hemisphere. "The world is turning towards 'green' bartending. Organic produce is increasingly in demand when mixing cocktails. At Bascule, guests usually like original adventurous recipes such as the Roobios (redbush tea) Whisky Sours. The herbal roobios plant is indigenous to South Africa and can only be found on the slopes of Cedarberg Mountains in the west of the country."

Ingredients
Three Ships Whisky (South African whisky matured in bourbon casks) 50 ml
Roobios tea 25 ml
Fresh lime squeezed 1
Sugar

Garnish
Orange, maraschino cherry

Method
Stir all the ingredients in a shaker filled with 2/3 cubes of ice. Pour into a whisky tumbler and garnish.

Tangerine Martini from The Bar, Bristol Panama, Panama City
Prepared by Roberto Torres, according to whom, "a good cocktail must go with a good dish such that the dish transmutes and enhances the flavour of the cocktail, resulting in a feast of the senses." The martini, says Torres, is an underrated drink. Here's his version of a jazzed-up Martini that James Bond wouldn't mind sampling, we think.

Ingredients
Vodka 30 ml
Mandainetto liqueur 30 ml
Gum syrup 15 ml
Lemon juice 10 ml
Tangerine juice 150 ml

Garnish
Tangerine, starfruit

Method
Put all the ingredients in a cocktail shaker, cover and shake well to blend. Pour into a martini glass, and garnish curls and slices of starfruit

Prince of Wales cocktail, Nassauer Hof Bar,u00a0 Hotel Nassauer Hof, Weisbaden
Prepared by Bar chef Eddy Hahner, who believes the good ol' rum is a highly underrated drink, whereas the gin is an overrated one. "Right now, the hottest rage in bartending is serving cocktails in cuisine style," he says.

Ingredients
Hennessy Cognac 20 ml
Laurent-Pierrier Champagne 100 ml
Angostura bitters 3 dashes

Garnish
Orange, lemon, cocktail cherry

Method
Put the cognac, angostura bitters, orange, lemon and cocktail cherries in a silver cup. Fill the cup with champagne.

Concerto, Stables Bar, the Milestone Hotel, London
Prepared by the Head Bartender Daniel Crebesse (also the president of the UK Bartenders Guild), who likes using "British strawberries and all the local berries in the cocktails." "Bartenders," he says, "are like actors. The bar is our stage where we perform for our customers."

Ingredients
Blackberries 2
Raspberries 2
Strawberries 2
Blackberry liqueur 10 ml
Strawberry liqueur 10 ml
Champagne

Garnish
Mulberries

Method
Muddle all the berries with liqueurs until laced. Double strain the berries into the glass using a bar spoon. Pour the champagne very slowly. Garnish.

Udaipur Martini, The Amrit Sagar Bar, Taju Lake Palace, Udaipur
Prepared by Gautam Shah, who has served former US president George W Bush and Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah. Shah likes using pomegranate, saffron, rose and tamarind and feels, "A bartender should know the art of conversation.. be friendly, interactive, vibrant and approachable."

Ingredients
Bombay sapphire 25 ml
Bacardi white rum 25 ml
Cointreau 10 ml

Garnish
Orange

Method
Mix and shake all the ingredients together with ice and garnish with a flamed orange peel.