A WARWICKSHIRE aristocrat has learned the art of mixology to launch cocktail making master classes using his own brand of elderflower liqueur.
The Earl of Yarmouth, William Seymour, is creating a stir among customers with his St Maur cocktail recipes.
He has created two Halloween themed cocktails, the Vampire and the Daylight Martini.
So when he invited me to come and sample his recipes I knew I couldn’t say no.
The first cocktail he made was the Daylight Martini.
William said: “You can make this cocktail with a dry gin, but we’ve chosen a Genever from Amsterdam to go with the St Maur, as a tribute to Abraham Van Helsing, who had a stake in Bram Stoker’s story, and who was Dutch and from Amsterdam.”
To make the Daylight Martini:
- Place two measures of St Maur, with one measure of Oude Genever in a Parisien cocktail shaker.
- Cut half a clove of garlic, peel, remove the tongue, and chop finely. Muddle the garlic in the St Maur and Genever.
- Add ice and shake gently to mix and cool the ingredients.
- Fine strain into a cocktail glass.
- Garnish with a green olive stuffed with garlic, with a wooden spike driven through its heart.
When trying the cocktail I was dubious. I’d never drank a cocktail with garlic in before, however it surprisingly works.
Also the colour was interesting, St Maur adds a lovely pink colour to the drink which is a nice spin on a Martini.
The next drink he made was the Vampire.
William said: “It’s basically a gin sour sweetened with maraschino liqueur but we have replaced the maraschino with St Maur and given the presentation an update.”
To make the Vampire:
- First add one measure of St Maur, two measures of gin, and the freshly squeezed juice from half a lemon, shaken with ice.
- Then place the white of one egg in a cocktail shaker and add half a measure of crème de violette, and give the mixture a vigorous dry shake until it stiffens.
- Gently float the stiffened, perfumed egg white on the cocktail. Garnish with a vampire’s kiss – a few drops of a blood red mixture made by mixing crème de cassis and sirop de grenadine.
- Serve and enjoy while the kids are trick or treating.
This was my favourite of the cocktails. The egg whites sit perfectly, and the ‘vampire kiss’ was a great Halloween touch.
William said: “I’ve been enjoying cocktails for most of my adult life. Except, of course, until recently I’ve been on the other side of the bar ordering them! Now that position is switched, and I can’t find myself regretting the move at all.
“It’s a bit like food. If you’re a foodie, which I am, then learn to cook, explore what you like and share what you produce with those you love to be with. Same applies to cocktails. Whilst with food I have had some training, with cocktails I’m mostly self-taught.
He added: “Since we’ve been marketing St Maur, learning more about the skill and art of making cocktails has been a logical choice and it makes sense for us to bring that expertise in-house.”
To view St Maur’s cocktail recipe suggestions visit: https://drinkstmaur.com/cocktail-recipes/
Further information about St Maur or to enquire about the virtual cocktail master classes, visit: https://drinkstmaur.com/
St Maur is available to purchase locally at selected independent retailers, visit https://drinkstmaur.com/shop-online/ to purchase.
