The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Liquid assets to rise to the top in Courier Country’s foodie awards
As entries for The Courier’s Menu Food and Drink Awards continue to pour in, Caroline Lindsay finds out more about the mixologist/ sommelier category and serves up some tasty gin cocktails
With the closing date for The Courier’s first ever Menu Food and Drink Awards rapidly approaching, there’s still time to get your nominations and entries in for the 10 award categories.
These are: Coffee Shop of the Year; Street Vendor of the Year; Fine Dining Restaurant of the Year; Chef of the Year; Farm to Fork – Food and Drink; Local to Global Brand of the Year, sponsored by Fife Trade Partnership: Accessing New Markets; New Talent (Rising Star), sponsored by Brakes Scotland; Craft Drinks Producer of the Year; Consumers’ Choice – Pub of the Year; and Mixologist/Sommelier of the Year, sponsored by Eden Mill St Andrews.
The winners will be announced at a five-star gala dinner at the Old Course Hotel in St Andrews on March 15.
Eden Mill St Andrews is a craft gin and whisky distillery and brewery. Steve Lowrie McKay, brand ambassador, says: “We at Eden Mill are delighted to sponsor the award for Mixologist/ Sommelier of the Year. It is a fantastic acknowledgement and recognition for the art and skills of those in the industry.
“Being a craft distiller and brewer, our ethos and passion is to challenge convention and ourselves, striving for betterment while breaking down barriers in our collaborations with so many of the wonderfully creative minds throughout Courier Country.
“As a craft distiller and brewer, what is closest to our hearts in Eden Mill, is our collaborative work with the abundance of talent in our home area of Fife, Perthshire, Dundee and Angus,” he continues.
“Mixology is a craft in its own right and the mixologists we work with bring an extra special experience with their interpretation and construction of marvellous gins for their menus.”
Steve works with mixologists and chefs to pair Eden Mill gins in a diverse manner with events ranging from tastings with canapes to fine dining.
“The talent these wonderfully creative individuals display never ceases to amaze me,” he says.
“Ultimately it secures and drives the passion for what Eden Mill is all about, bringing quality and superior experiences to Eden Mill’s home: Courier Country.”
MIXOLOGIST/SOMMELIER OF THE YEAR AWARD:
This award is for the top bar person of Courier Country. The winner will have an in-depth knowledge of the wine and cocktails they serve and be able to pour the perfect drink.
Mixologists should be able to demonstrate flair and imagination in designing and making new cocktails to please customers.
Entries will be judged on the following criteria:
• Depth of knowledge of wine/ cocktails being served • Commitment to customer service • Signature cocktail Eden Mill have come up with some cracking cocktails to showcase some of their products. They’re all simple to make and they taste divine… SLEIGH BELL CUP (EDEN MILL OAK GIN) Serves 1 Ingredients • 40ml Eden Mill Oak Gin • 15ml apricot brandy • 20ml orange juice • 15ml lemon juice • 20ml cranberry and rosemary syrup • To top: rhubarb soda, icing sugar, seasonal berries, rosemary sprig Directions Shake and pour into an ice-filled Collins glass, top with rhubarb soda, icing sugar, seasonal berries and a rosemary sprig to garnish. ALL THE LOVE IN THE WORLD (EDEN MILL LOVE GIN) Serves 1 Ingredients • 50ml Eden Mill Love Gin • 50ml cream • 3 pieces of melted white chocolate • 25ml raspberry syrup • To garnish: a raspberry, mint leaf Directions Mix ingredients together, shake and pour over into an iced flute glass, garnish with a raspberry and mint leaf. ORIGINS OF THYME (EDEN MILL ORIGINAL GIN) Serves 1 Ingredients • 37.5ml Eden Mill Original Gin • Pinch of pomegranate seeds • 50ml pink grapefruit • 10ml maraschino • 25ml lime • 10ml gomme syrup Directions Mix ingredients together, shake and pour as a French Martini garnish with an edible flower if desired.
HOP ST CLEMENTS (EDEN MILL LEMON AND RAISIN LIQUEUR AND HOP GIN)
Serves 1 Ingredients • 50ml Eden Mill Lemon and Raisin Liqueur • 12.5ml Eden Mill Hop Gin • 10ml orange juice Directions Mix ingredients together. shake and pour into a highball glass and fill with soda, garnish with a juicy chunk of orange.
STRAWBERRY LOVE (EDEN MILL STRAWBERRY AND PEPPER LIQUEUR AND LOVE GIN)
Serves 1
Ingredients
• 50ml Eden Mill Strawberry and Black Pepper Liqueur
• 25ml Love gin
• 10ml strawberry puree
• To top: 10ml soda/Prosecco
• For the glass rim: pop glass in the freezer for 10 mins and remove – the condensation as it warms up will act as the adhesive. Mix four parts sugar with one part salt and one part cracked pepper, and dip
• To garnish: sliced strawberry
Directions Combine ingredients, shake and pour into a highball glass, top with soda (or Prosecco for the naughty), dip the rim of the glass into sugared cracked pepper and garnish with strawberry slices.