Cocktail Of The Month: The Flying Boot At Rosewood London's Scarfes Bar
Americans celebrate their independence from the British Empire this month, but we think there's a lot we inherited from the English worth toasting to—like a love of well-mixed whisky cocktails. Therefore, this month's feature hails from Scarfes Bar in the Rosewood London Hotel, named after British cartoonist Gerald Scarfe, whose work has been published on both sides of the Atlantic, in The Sunday Times and The New Yorker.
Head bartender Greg Almeida, who joined Scarfes at the beginning of the year, has built a menu of drinks each inspired by the artist's illustrations, and shares both the tale behind—and the recipe for—The Flying Boot below:
The Daily Meal: What's the back story behind this inventive cocktail—how and why did you come to choose these ingredients?
Greg Almeida: Firstly, Gerald Scarfe sees David Beckham as a butterfly in his caricature so we decided to reflect his vision by creating a lighter aperitif style cocktail. Secondly, being a footballer who has travelled around the world, we wanted to fully represent Beckham's career by choosing one ingredient from each of the locations where he played professional soccer.
Guests will taste notes of Sauvignon Blanc to represent his stint with the Los Angeles Galaxy; the wine is then infused with Spanish herbs, including bay leaf, thyme, and rosemary, to represent Real Madrid C.F. Crème de cassis is a nod to Paris Saint-Germain F.C., and a balsamic glaze denotes A.C. Milan. Of course Manchester United F.C. is present in the cocktail, with the base of the cocktail being Haig Club—Beckham's very own whisky. Sharp English cheese and a Spanish olive accompany the aperitif as garnishes.
When selecting a white wine to pair with the whisky, what characteristics were you looking for?
We were looking for a dry white wine with a flavor profile that would pair with our idea of an aperitif-style drink. The Sauvignon Blanc has minerality with its notes of peach and elderflower, and a zesty spice that really works well with the other ingredients.
If you could choose, what would be your last drink and why?
An extra-aged tequila, such as Tapatio Excellencia or Ocho Extra Anejo, would be my last drink. I would be sharing it with friends around a fire on the beach. That would be my chosen way to leave the world. I love tequila for its capacity to be true to its roots and land, as well as its ability to be an innovative and versatile category.
The Flying Boot
25ml Haig Club Whisky
40ml Spanish spiced Sauvignon Blanc
5ml crème de cassis
5ml balsamic glaze
Tonic water
Combine all ingredients in a mixing glass and add ice; stir. Top off with tonic water.