BLACK PINEAPPLE
Want to know the secret to the perfect cocktail? Meet your spirit guides...
Meet the movers and shakers in the drinks catering biz.
They say the best way to learn about a business is from the bottom up, and Frankie Walker would no doubt say cheers to that. Twenty-five years ago he was collecting glasses in bars; today he’s a mover and shaker in the biz, heading up thriving beverages company Black Pineapple. Frankie and his team offer everything from bespoke bars – like the popular Tiki-themed ‘party in a box’ – to drinks catering, whisky tastings, masterclasses, cocktail competitions for corporate teams and brand consultancy.
It was during Uk-born Frankie’s time at Lion New Zealand – where he had gone from brand ambassador to heading up training and education for their key customers nationwide – that the idea was born. He would often be asked if he could provide drinks and staff for a product launch, store opening or wedding and for the most part, he couldn’t – he was too busy with his full-time job. But Frankie had identified a gap in the market. After two and a half years of slowly building up Black Pineapple “as a side hustle”, he launched in 2018.
Why the name? “The pineapple is the universal symbol of hospitality, and historically an icon of great luxury (due to its rarity). Back in the day you could hire a pineapple to show off as the centrepiece of your dinner party,” says Frankie. “The black pineapple, from Antigua, is the world’s sweetest, so we think of what we’re providing as the sweetest type of hospitality.”
CRUSHING IT
To achieve this, they select only the best – both ingredients and staff. “We only use the finest, freshest produce, with a focus on local and seasonal,” says Frankie.
“If a drink has citrus juice in it, it’s been hand-pressed by us. We make the majority of our syrups and infusions by hand, and have seasonal variations available for a huge range of our mixed drinks.
“We have a big global corporate event coming up where we’re running a Bellini station featuring different varieties of the ripest, freshest Otago stone fruit, paired with Amisfield Méthode Champenoise.”
Then there are the alchemists themselves. “It doesn’t matter if the drinks are amazing if the guy or girl serving you isn’t engaged, welcoming, or super-fast. We have around 45 professional hospitality staff on our books. We hand-pick our team, and look for people who love what they do and are brilliant at it.”
HIGH SOCIETY
Black Pineapple promises an unforgettable experience, but it’s a two-way transaction; Frankie and the team have been part of “some pretty amazing events”.
“Last week we served cocktails for two superyacht parties simultaneously. We’ve created cocktails to launch luxury cars, lingerie, albums and to celebrate divorces. We’ve run VIP bars at festivals, turned out 3500 amazing bespoke Chivas whisky cocktails and set up Tiki bars on beaches for weddings.”
With low and no alcohol “here to stay”, there are always virgin versions of drinks on offer. “Seventy per cent of our events are for corporate clients, and there’s a huge focus on host responsibility for guests at events. We work with clients to create drinks that help keep their guests in the game. Espresso martini on arrival? How about a spritz
Italiano instead – half the alcohol content of a glass of wine but totally delicious.”
When it comes to food and drink pairing, while Black Pineapple does beer and wine matches, Frankie says “the limitless variety of flavours available through spirits, liqueurs, syrups, infusions and fresh produce mean cocktails can be brilliantly matched to food.”
PERFECT PAIR
When creating a cocktail for a dish, you can look to complement, contrast, cut or even just straight up surprise. We asked Black Pineapple to create matches (see next page) for our Taste of Home feature (see page 31) and the most “out-there” one was for the Brioche Pakora – the Reyka Vodka with Almonds, Spiced Chai, Lemon, Prunes and Popcorn. “We wanted to honour Sid’s legendary creativity by pushing the boat out too.
“Both the home-made almond croissant syrup and cinnamon-spiced buttered popcorn are there to work with the buttery brioche.
The chai has a rooibos base so has some drier tannins that cut through the richness of the dish. The idea of a great match is to create something that collectively is greater than the sum of its parts, and to give an amazing experience to the guest!”
Fish curry with rum? Pakora with vodka? Absolutely... Wine’s just fine but why not shake things up a bit with these delicious cocktail matches from Black Pineapple
1. LEMON LA VIDA LOCA
GUISO DE POROTOS, URUGUAY, PAGE 38 30ml Angostura Reserva White Rum 20ml Lemon Verbena Syrup (see
recipe below)
20ml freshly squeezed lime juice
8 lemon verbena leaves, plus extra bushy
sprig, to garnish
30ml chilled soda water
GLASS – tall / highball ICE – crushed
Add all the ingredients, except the soda water, to the glass and stir. Fill the glass with crushed ice, then stir to distribute the liquid and herbs evenly. Top with more crushed ice and add the soda water.
Garnish with the lemon verbena sprig and serve with a compostable straw (put the straw right next to the herbs for maximum aroma impact). MAKES 1
LEMON VERBENA SYRUP: Add 250ml warm water to 250 grams caster sugar and 20 grams chopped lemon verbena leaves. Infuse for 6 hours then fine strain using a tea strainer or muslin cloth. Bottle and chill. MAKES ABOUT 1 CUP
2. WHAT THE DOTTORE ORDERED
BALANZONI ALLA
CREMA DI TARTUFO, ITALY, PAGE 42 30ml Pasqua Pinot Grigio
30ml Carpano Bianco Vermouth 30ml Fiorente Elderflower Liqueur 20ml freshly squeezed lemon juice 20ml chilled soda water lemon wheel thyme sprigs
GLASS – burgundy wine ICE – cubed
Add all the liquid ingredients, except the soda water, to your glass and stir to combine. Fill two-thirds full with ice, add soda water and garnish with lemon and thyme (rub them both round the rim first for maximum aroma). MAKES 1
3. (SUGAR AND) SPICE ODYSSEY
STEAMED FISH CURRY IN
YOUNG COCONUT, THAILAND, PAGE 46 25ml Angostura Three-year-old Rum 25ml Angostura Five-year-old Rum 50ml freshly pressed pineapple juice 5ml Coconut and Cardamom Sugar
Syrup (see recipe below)
30ml coconut water
10ml freshly squeezed lime juice banana leaf ‘ears’ and pineapple
wedge for garnish
GLASS – something tall and tropical; we’ve used our pineapple glass here ICE – cubed
Shake all the liquid ingredients over cubed ice. Strain into a vessel filled with cubed ice.
Garnish with the banana leaves and pineapple wedge. MAKES 1
COCONUT AND CARDAMOM SYRUP: Place 15 whole cardamom pods in a dry pan and toast over a medium heat for about 1 minute until they become fragrant and slightly toasted.
Add 800ml warm water to 800 grams soft brown sugar; stir to dissolve. Infuse the cardamom pods in the syrup for 1 hour, add 100 grams of desiccated coconut and leave for another 30 minutes. Fine strain. Bottle and chill. MAKES ABOUT 1 LITRE
4. THE CHAI JUMPED OVER THE MOON
30ml Reyka Vodka
15ml Almond Croissant Liqueur (see
recipe below)
60ml spiced rooibos chai
10ml freshly squeezed lemon juice
10ml Ratafia Prune Liqueur
Nutmeg and Cinnamon Spiced Popcorn,
to accompany (see recipe below)
Add all liquid ingredients to a shaker and shake over cubed ice. Strain into stemless wine glass two-thirds filled with cubed ice. Serve with a small cone or bowl of spiced popcorn on the side. MAKES 1
ALMOND CROISSANT LIQUEUR:
Place 100ml light rum (we used Angostura Reserva White Rum), 1 litre boiling water, 1kg caster sugar and 2 almond croissants (it doesn't matter if they’re stale) in an electric blender. Blend vigorously then allow to sit for 1 hour. Fine strain. Bottle and chill. MAKES ABOUT 1 LITRE
SPICED POPCORN: Mix freshly grated nutmeg, ground cinnamon, salt and sugar together in a bowl. Make fresh popcorn with a little oil and butter. Coat the popcorn to taste with the nutmeg mixture.