Bring the beet back

After an exciting month-long competition that saw bartenders from across the country compete for South Africa’s top bartending spot in KWV Brandy’s Reimagined competition, it was Johannesburg that ultimately proved deserving of the status as

50ml walnut oil 20ml ginger cinnamos syrup 25ml fresh beetroot juice 45ml verjuice 20ml cellulose

SA’s most creative bartending capital.

Competitors from Cape Town, Durban, and Johannesburg had to compete for top spots in two regional competitions, held at Cause/Effect Cocktail and Brandy Bar in Cape Town and Mootee Bar in Johannesburg – with a final grand showcase for the top spot at the home of KWV Brandy, the House of Fire, in Paarl, Western Cape, last month.

In the end, it was Maynard Booyzen who stepped away as the man with a drink plan.

Maynard’s cocktail, named Bring the Beet Back, is made from mostly plant-based ingredients. INGREDIENTS: METHOD:

1. Create your own walnut oil by using neutral coconut oil as the base. Deep fry one part of the walnuts to one part of oil and strain out the nuts once fried. Let them sit until slightly dry and hardened, then crush the walnuts to use as garnish. Of the remaining walnut oil, mix a quarter of it into three-quarters of brandy while warm and in liquid form. Pour the mix over ice blocks and leave to cool. When the oil has set, strain the brandy into a different container or glass.

2. Juice a fresh beetroot. Use the fibres from the beetroot to blend with sugar and water creating a puree, then bake the puree into chips at 90°C for 45 minutes.

3. To create the ginger cinnamon tea, use a loose leaf of cinnamon tea and ginger fibres and cook these into a syrup adding sugar and water.

4. Put all the liquid ingredients into a cocktail shaker with ice, shake and and pour into a cocktail glass. Add the crushed walnuts and beetroot chips as garnish.