Kismet

Faler-what? Truth be told I wasn’t sure this was something I’d see in Perth, but as fate – or kismet – would have it, I stumbled on (and purchased) a bottle of Falernum at the Re Store earlier this year, but haven’t had a chance to give it a crack.

Enter Gaz Regan’s excellent The Bartender’s Gin Compendium where I noticed a recipe for a number dubbed the Kismet1 calling for the zesty spice- and almond-powered Caribbean syrup as well as the popular Italian aperitif, Aperol2 . In this instance, the gin being used is a boutique Australian number called Stone Pine. By itself it’s a touch too resinous for my liking but should work fine as an ingredient in a cocktail.

Mixed as per the published recipe (two parts Aperol, one part each of the gin and Falernum), the drink is a little too thick and sweet for my likings. Admittedly I have a predilection for sour, citrus-based drinks so this sort of profile might be bang-on for others.

For the redux, I scaled the Falernum back to two bar spoons (10ml) and if necessary, would fine-tune the sweetness from there. No need, fortunately, as with the Falernum dialed down to a third of its original amount, it tasted Goldilocks just right to me.

But in the name of experimentation, I nudged the sugar up a little, spooning in another 10ml of Falernum. As expected, the resulting drink was a little too sugary for mine, yet not all was lost. A few dashes of the ever-reliable Fee Brothers Old Fashioned Bitters and its herbal oomph helped reel in some of that wayward sweetness on the finish. I dare say it’s a more complete drink than the 67-percent-less-sugar iteration.

And thus, I present this ever-so-slightly tweaked version of the Kismet. Sweetness in a drink is an entirely subjective issue so it’s totally your call how heavy you go with the Falernum. At any rate, Aperol and gin is a one-two totally worth learning.

Kismet
60ml Aperol
30ml Gin (London dry, 40% ABV)
20ml Falernum (two barspoons, halve to 10ml if not planning on adding bitters)
Fee Brothers Old Fashioned bitters

Stir Falernum, Aperol and gin over ice for 30 seconds and strain into chilled cocktail glass. Check for balance, adding more Falernum if necessary. Add four dashes of Old Fashioned bitters.

1  According to Mr Regan, the Kismet is the brain child of one Lance Mayhew, a well regarded cocktail writer and educator based in the States. He has a blog called My Life on the Rocks and is also on Twitter.

2  Since my bottle of Aperol hadn’t been stored in the fridge like all wine-based aperitifs should be, it wasn’t as fresh and sparkly as it could have been, but for all intents and purposes, it was Aperol-y enough for this experiment.

A man walks in to a bar


And writes about it as his new role as bar reviewer for The Sunday Times in Perth. Sometimes.

I’m not going to lie, following the footsteps of Andrew Bennett – now bar manager at North Perth’s The Classroom – would be a daunting prospect for any scribe. If you’re looking for a high water mark for West Australian booze journalism, Andrew’s set it, and over the years his eloquent prose has both educated and entertained.

In terms of a first review, it seemed only fair to set guidelines for what I reckon makes a good watering hole. Truth be told, my criteria boils down to a single yardstick: service. Having a back shelf groaning with pricey booze is all good and well, but it’s those places that make guests feel truly welcome – places that understand hospitality isn’t just an industry but an attitude – that stand the best chance of going from casual acquaintance to regular haunt. Helvetica – which is where this Polaroid of artwork from ill Perth artist Yok was taken – knows this all too well. Hence why this Howard Lane speakeasy is a no-brainer when I thirsty (or lonely) in the city.

Bar Fly reviews are published every Sunday in the STE magazine in the Sunday Times as well as mirrored online on Mondays.

Bar Fly: Helvetica

Ce Soir Improvisé

Who likes cocktail recipes? Little surprise I do. Found this in the current edition of Imbibe (this US magazine is a must for anyone that enjoys their drinking) and courtesy of a fortuitously stocked liquor cabinet, had most of the ingredients at hand, save for the Cynar. No biggie, just tag in Campari – pretty much another non-negotiable for boozers – and all’s well.

If you’re into Negronis or their Bourbon-bolstered relative, the Boulevardier, odds are you’ll enjoy this. Rich, herbal and downright delicious, it’s a base recipe I’m looking forward to messing around with more, not to mention exploring the world of cognac – territory that I’m shamefully not all that familiar with.

Ce Soir Improvisé
(Adapted – and frankly bastardised – from a recipe by Nicole Lebedevitch of The Hawthorne, as published in issue 37 of Imbibe magazine)

45ml cognac
22.5ml Campari
15ml yellow Chartreuse
1 dash orange bitters

Combine ingredients in ice-filled mixing glass and stir for 30 seconds until chilled and combined. Strain into a glass and garnish with a twist of orange.

Mex-ology 101: a Perth tequila cocktail competition

Perth bartenders mixing tequila cocktails with points for “Mexicanness” and “getting ‘bravos’ from the crowd”? The world’s most serious shaker throwdown this ain’t, but the ingredients are all there for a fun night out. At the very least, it should be pretty high energy. The last cocktail comp held at Universal Bar – Parlez vous Chartreuse? – attracted more than 200 guests. Not too shabby for a Monday night and proof positive that the city’s cocktail scene continues to develop apace.

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