The Chartreuse Last Word competition is rapidly becoming the most hard fought competition in the country and the Glasgow heat was no different.
This time round Aiden Bowie from the Blythswood Square Hotel took top honours with his Titanic desert based cocktail The Unsinkable?
Once again the mystery shopper was on hand to help pick the winner from a very strong line-up. They praised all of the drinks that made it through to the finals as well as the greeting they received in all of the bars however the Blythswood stood out:
‘It came down to the presentation and attention to detail about the story of the Titanic connection with Chartreuse. Also the Blythswood went above and beyond with the promotion of the drink by doing a screening of the movie along with Spa treatments and a preview of the drink to their premium clientele.’
If you want to have a look at Adien’s winning recipe and the entries he beat then click here.
Next up is the competition winning hotbed of Reading. The entries look awesome, don’t believe me?, well check them out yourself.
The Last Belle Femme – Rick James Williams, Sahara Bar
- 22.5ml Chartreuse Green
- 22.5ml Kamm & Sons
- 22.5ml St. Germain
- 22.5ml pink grapefruit juice
Shake hard with ice and fine strain into a chilled wine/tulip glass. Garnish with 4 sprays of ‘perfume’ – equal proportions of grapefruit bitters and water.
The conventional Last Word recipe is a good example of how versatile this corking French liqueur is, and how it can be a bartender’s best pal.
My recipe replaces fresh lime juice with a more tart grapefruit juice, which pairs with botanical-ridden Kamm & Sons ginseng spirit. Elderflower liqueur gives a wonderful sweetness and floral burst. This of course is held together by a backbone of Chartreuse goodness, with spices and vegetal (‘herbal notes’) that coat the palate. The bitters spray brings aroma into the mix.
Essentially I wanted this twist to emphasise some strong femininity to this infamous green liqueur, and show another side to its range of uses. The range of flavours here is epic, and yet Chartreuse can still shone out with a brand new bag. ‘Belle Femme’ of course means beautiful woman, so indeed this drink must be as so…. sexy, contemplative, bold and enchanting. Here’s a nod to you.
Bruno’s Broadcast – Jonathan Carlton, Cerise Bar & Restaurant
- 25ml Green Chartreuse
- 25ml Plymouth Gin
- 25ml Lemon sherbet syrup
- 25ml Lemon juice
- 4/5 Mint leaves
Shake until extremely chilled and fine strain into a chilled Chartreuse cup. Garnish with a mint leaf.
While still retaining the classic Chartreuse, gin and citrus flavour, Bruno’s Broadcast has sweet sherbet flavour that compliments the herbal notes of the Chartreuse and is given a more refreshing note by the addition of a few mint leaves.
Word on Espanola Way* – Benji Ryde, Mix Bar
- 30ml Green Chartreuse
- 25ml Herradura Reposado Tequila
- 25ml Fresh lemon juice
- 20ml Agave & Jalapeno Simple Syrup
- 1 dash Angostura Bitters
Shake with cubed ice and fine strain into a martini glass. Garnish with lemon zest (discard) and serve with stir fried green and yellow bell peppers and cream cheese.
Agave & Jalapeno Simple Syrup: Add all together and stir to dissolve. Steep the jalapenos overnight and filter the next day.
Peppers and cream cheese: Stir fry the peppers in a wok with some oil and season with a few pinches of pepper and one of salt. Cream cheeses I found to work nicely are brie, mascarpone and Philly.
So, how the bloody hell did I come up with this drink!?
I was in Miami last week and was kind of taken back by the vast choice of spirits and especially the range and choice of certain spirits like vodka and tequila. One road in particular sold tequila by the gallon – Espanol Way. Located between 14th and 15th street Espanola Way is a thriving Mexican/Hispanic gold mine for exquisite home style food and drink.
I love Mexican food. I also love spice with Mexican food. Chartreuse with spice and Mexican food by the way, really awesome, so long as there is something to extinguish the flames in your gob after! In a bar out there on May 5th I ordered some fajitas with bell peppers and jalapenos and soured cream. This was a special day as a street carnival called Cinco De Mayo took place. In celebrating with the bartenders I glanced at the back bar and saw a good friend of mine – Chartreuse Green. So the bartender and I did a shot each and the rest of the night was fairly blurry as we didn’t stop there!
So baaaasically, that was one of my fondest memories I’ve ever had with alcohol and I respect that Chartreuse is fantastic with food as well. My cocktail, based around this experience, is not too dissimilar to the genetic build-up of The Last Word but has a very different vibe about it. Think celebration, happiness, heat and a food and drink experience.
Drink responsibly now!
*Espanola pronounced ‘Ess-Pan-Yola’