Created by the reigning global winner of World Class Bartender of the Year, Charles Joly, and Aqua London’s fabled house mixologist, Luca Missaglia, Aqua Nueva’s limited-edition Spirit Of Summer cocktail menu blends premium Ciroc vodka with classic summer flavours from around the world, plus some very innovative twists.
First up is the Biarritz: named after the picturesque French coastal town, this one is a modern homage to the classic martini. A clean, stirred cocktail, it sees original Ciroc blended with the intense flavours of Cocchi Americano pisco, Amontillado sherry, and homemade chamomile liqueur, finished with a spritz (from a vintage perfume bottle, no less) of an aromatic chamomile infusion. The perfect balance between masculine and feminine, served up in a chilled coupe.
Next is the Ocean Drive: Joly’s lightest cocktail, sessionable throughout the day. A perfect celebratory tipple, it offers Ciroc sweetened with Sauternes, sharpened with a twang of Champagne vinegar, and kept cool with a handful of frozen grapes. An exotic concoction, the Tiki-inspired South Pacific is a modern remix of the 1970’s favourite Jungle Bird, combining Coconut and Red Berry Ciroc with Campari, sour pineapple kombucha tea and lime juice, while the Provencal is a lightly floral blend, where aromas of rose and raspberry are dried with frothy egg-white and finished decadently with an absinthe spritz.
Finally, the Garden of England is Joly’s personal favourite pick: a complex, herbal drink combining rosemary liqueur with aromatic pisco and enlivened with a twang of citrussy yuzu. The finishing touch? A rosemary sprig, soaked in green chartreuse and set alight, filling the room with a warming fragrance – as it turns out, at Aqua Nueva the aromas are as intoxicating as the drinks themselves.
The Spirit of Summer cocktail menu is available at Aqua Nueva, London, as well as Aqua Armani, Hong Kong from now until August 31, 2015.
by Roberta Lister