Presented in partnership with Roku Gin
50 Best toured the world to visit some of The World’s 50 Best Bars and Asia’s 50 Best Bars for a look at seasonality in cocktails. Partnering with Japanese gin Roku – which harvests its six seasonal botanicals in their prime from across Japan’s islands – the select group of six bartenders chose the ingredients that they love to work with when they come into their annual prime
Panda & Sons, Scotland
Seasonal ingredient: Chamomile
This excellent Edinburgh bar is No.32 in The World’s 50 Best Bars 2020 list and its owner, Iain McPherson, is one of the most technically gifted bartenders on the planet, pioneering new techniques such as ‘switching’ for its cocktail list.
For this cocktail, bartender Nicky Craig headed into the wilds of Scotland to forage chamomile (pineapple weed), which grows in abundance at the beginning of summertime in the UK. Craig has created a refreshing, effervescent serve which displays the flavour-packed lightness of touch for which Panda & Sons is known.
Jade of Honour
40ml Roku Gin
15ml Gyokuro & Sencha tea vermouth
15ml wild chamomile tea cordial
Stir over ice and serve
Jigger & Pony, Singapore
Seasonal ingredient: Mango
A one-time winner of The Best Bar in Asia crown, Jigger & Pony is known as the best party bar in Singapore, where the drinks live up to the quality of the atmosphere. Owners Indra Katona and Guoyi Gan have compiled an all-star international cast in their bar team, who are adept at making the best of fine Asian produce.
In this cocktail, principal bartender Giovanni Graziadei chooses mango to highlight summer in Singapore. Combined with sparkling sake and Roku, it’s the ultimate refreshment for a hot day in the tropical Lion City.
Summer Soyer
20ml Roku Gin
100ml sparkling sake
1 scoop mango sorbet
Place one scoop of mango sorbet into a coupette, add Roku Gin and top with sparkling sake, garnish with a round cut pandan leaf
SG Club, Japan
Seasonal ingredient: Tomato
Shingo Gokan is one of the leading lights of the bar world and the man who has the honour of having the most bars under his direction to make the 50 Best lists. He specialises in creating spaces that act as multi-levelled playgrounds, with some containing up to four separate bars within bars.
For the Tomato Tree cocktail, Gokan highlights one of his favourite fruits. The blend of savoury notes is perfectly balanced by the sweetness of elderflower, using the bitterness of lemon juice as a counterfoil.
Tomato Tree
30ml Roku Gin
40ml tomato water
5ml lemon juice
10ml mastiha liqueur
10ml elderflower liqueur
Shake over ice and serve
Little Red Door, France
Seasonal ingredient: White peach
Paris’s top bar is fast becoming a global institution on the cocktail map. It is currently ranked No.21 in The World’s 50 Best Bars list and is known for combining the French terrace-style drinking tradition with international flavours and ever-fresh ideas.
This drink designed by bar manager Alex Francis encapsulates the best of French summer, drawing from holiday experiences in the south of the country and the outdoor drinking culture in the capital. Fused with the sweet notes of white peach, it is a true taste of the season.
Terrace Season
30ml Roku Gin
20ml white peach infused sake
60ml jasmine soda
Stir over ice and garnish with a spray of citrus mist
Buck & Breck, Germany
Seasonal ingredient: Quince
Autumn in Berlin is always a surprise, according to Buck & Breck owner Gonçalo de Sousa Monterio. Some days it’s cold and grey; other days are filled with warm rays of sun. Sitting at No.37 in The World’s 50 Best Bars 2020 list and widely considered the best bar in Germany, it’s an intimate space whose style is perfectly in tune with the pared back and delicious cocktails.
For this cocktail, de Sousa Monterio selects quince as the archetypal ingredient to define autumnal Germany. Roku’s floral notes are bridged with the quince’s peculiarly floral quality, and are given added body by the egg white foam.
Quincy Delight
40ml Roku Gin
15ml quince purée
10ml dry vermouth
Dashes bitters
Egg white
Dry shake the egg white to activate, add ice into a shaker and pour over the other ingredients. Shake again and strain into a coupe glass.
Salmon Guru, Spain
Seasonal ingredient: Fig
Madrid’s Salmon Guru is a bar with a fun-time exterior, but when it comes to drinks and hospitality, it is deadly serious. Currently in position at No.22 in The World’s 50 Best Bars list, the bar is known for theatrical drinks, with nearly all served in dramatic bespoke glassware.
This tipple encapsulates autumn in Spain, where figs ripen on the trees and fig leaves reveal their heady aroma. Bartender Adrian Sehob creates sharpness by adding apple juice and ginger, with salinity and sugar from the wine cordial.
Fig’s Dew
50ml Roku Gin
30ml wine cordial with blue ginger and pepper
30ml apple juice with basil seeds
Fig leaf
The list of The World’s 50 Best Bars 2021 will be announced on Tuesday, 7th December at a live awards ceremony in London. To stay up to date with all news and announcements, follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube.
