Bespoke cocktails by Jon Lister
Whilst we tend to enjoy most of our single malt ‘as it comes’, usually with a dash of spring water to unlock aromas, this is only one way to enjoy our natural whisky.
Indeed since sending bottles out into the world, we have been fascinated and delighted to discover many exceptional mixologists embrace it in artisanal cocktails. (Not least our own tame mixologist, Adrian, recently welcomed to the team at the distillery and already leading cocktail masterclasses with a Waterford Whisky twist).
But it makes sense. After all, just as we seek the very best ingredients for our single malt – in our case Single Farm Origin and Arcadian Farm Origin barley – so the best mixologists, like chefs, look for choice ingredients with which to layer their own complex creations.
A recent highlight unearthed on CEO Mark Reynier’s travels, for instance, was the Waterford Penicillin at Raffles Bar in Singapore, featuring both unpeated and peated Waterford Single Malts in its creation.
But perhaps our favourite mixological experience this year was the full suite of bespoke cocktails created by the legendary Jon Lister around our wild child Cuvée Concept, Cuvée: Argot.
Argot’s particular qualities and flavours make it a supremely versatile ingredient to the mixologist. As a Cuvée Concept, assembled from 18 distinct Single Farm Origins, it has the required complexity to be a perfect base from which to build.
Since two of those Single Farm Origins were peated, it has the merest will o’ the wisp of smoke – enough to add a nuanced twist, but not so much as to dominate.
As natural whisky, it has the robustness of texture and flavour to hold its own against a wide array of different ingredients. Whilst as the ‘younger sibling’ to our Cuvée its youthful vibrancy finds a happy marriage with yet further ingredients that might clash with something heavier or more mature.
A ‘wild child’ as a Cuvée Concept then… yet a veritable teacher’s pet when it comes to cocktail class!
Now that we’re heading into that point of the year, we felt it was high time we shared Jon’s recipes with the world.
Whilst each is utterly distinct from the others, importantly all share the same incredibly user-friendly method in their making: built over ice and stirred. In short, incredibly easy to make, no special equipment required. Simply find the best ingredients you can get your hands on, and mix your way to the best cocktails your friends and family will taste this festive season.
