If Robert Swain Jr. had to describe his girlfriend’s personality with a cocktail, it would consist of four ingredients: Grand Marnier orange liqueur, margarita mix, ginger ale and lime.
“She’s sweet and sour,” the bar manager at Myett’s Chill Zone said on Sunday afternoon. “With Grand Marnier being a strong liqueur, you get that sweet side, but yet you get that kick.”
While many residents will give flowers or chocolates to their loved ones next week, bartenders across the territory are tasked with finding another way to make an impression on Valentine’s Day.
But creating the perfect cocktail for the occasion isn’t easy, they said.
“It’s a work of art,” long-time bartender Christian McDonald said at Island Roots Backyard on Saturday night. “That’s what people want; they want something beautiful that they can look at.”
Made with love
For Roberto Selvi, a mixologist at Scaramouche Lounge Bar & Restaurant, Valentine’s Day is an opportunity to share his passion for his craft.
“At the end, love is what guides me every time I make a drink,” he said.
How does he get it right?
“Whatever I suggest to drink, the keyword for me is balance,” he explained. “Finding the right balance in the taste of the ingredients to make the drink unique and memorable.”
“It’s all about their senses,” he explained on Saturday evening at his bar. “I’m working with some charcoal: You put that in with your alcohol and you get a purpled black-shade cocktail.”
Besides experimenting with colours, he sometimes goes as far as perfuming his glasses.
“When you touch that cocktail, you get the scent on your hands from whatever you’re using. For example, rose water or orange flower water if that’s part of the drink,” he said. “You spray it on, and then you can actually put rose petals on the glass. So you dress the outside of the glass with maybe edible flowers and that kind of thing.”
With other drinks, he suggests adding sugar or spices to the glass rim.
Wowing customers
Shawndell Woodroffe employs similar techniques. On Monday, the bartender at JY Harbour View Marina was finding the finishing touches for a cocktail and a shot she had just made. She chose strawberries and whip cream.
“When I present my drinks,” she said, “I like when customers are wowed.”
Rhys Evans at The Island Last Resort noted that one cocktail often is not enough for one couple.
“It’s a lot about his and her drinks,” he said. “With her drinks, it tends to be more sort of, I think, colourful. So you have your pinks, reds, flowers and floral drinks. And then when it comes to his drinks, it’s generally a darker or stronger drink.”
“I had a couple once who couldn’t decide on what they wanted, and there’s this drink called ‘Sex on the Beach’ that’s well-known, and I made that for them,” he said. “And it just so happened that it wasn’t just the name of the drink anymore.”
For singles
Though some residents might not feel the Valentine’s spirit, the bartenders said there’s a drink for everyone during the holiday.
For singles, most recommended hard-liquor shots such as Hennessey. And even teetotallers are not left out, the bartenders said.
“My cocktail list is all about diversity,” said Mr. Evans, who makes his own syrups. “It’s more a case of making drinks colourful and layering drinks. It’s all about knowing which ingredients go with others. We know that coconut and lime goes very well together; gin and pink grapefruit goes very well together.”
Alcohol or not, a romantic drink need not be complicated, said Regis Bourdon, head chef at Brandywine Estate Restaurant.
“Pink champagne is always classy for the ladies, and it is a lady’s day,” he said. “You want to surprise someone, you go with a nice champagne. Cocktails are fun, but champagne is simple and straightforward. It’s appropriate for the occasion.”
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