The most hipster of UK Heats for the El Dorado Rum Swizzle Competition took place at Looking Glass in Shoreditch, and there were ironic beards and wacky ingredients aplenty.
The El Dorado heats have been highly competitive, with extremely creative twists on the classic, and London was no exception.
Ingredients such as “Dry as a nun’s vagina” limes (and the more controversially dubbed “prostitute’s vagina”-like grapefruit -there was some debate as to the relative moisture of a hooker’s nether regions), as well as squid ink, suntan oil garnish, and a power drill (natch) featured in well crafted swizzle variations from some of London’s best and brightest. And Stu Hudson.
The standard of presentation, flavour, and knowledge were universally impressive. After some deliberation, the judges announced Lee Potter Cavanaugh from Hix, Pietro Rizzo from Looking Glass, and Dan Curley from Hix made it through to the UK Final, which will take place later this year.
Keratin Swizzle – Dan Curley, Hix
- 60ml El Dorado 5 year old
- 50ml carrot juice
- 10ml orange sherbert
- 10ml Orgeat
- 25ml lime juice
- 2 drops of cardomom bitters
Build ingredients in a highball glass and swizzle until glass frosts. Garnish with crushed cardomom and pineapple leaves. Serve on a fake beach with Piz Buin Factor 15.
Turbo Swizzle – Lee Potter Cavanagh, Hix
- 35ml El Dorado 5 year old
- 35ml Sauternes
- 10ml honey water (1:1 honey:boiling water)
- 2ml Adnam’s Absinthe
- 5ml lemon sherbert
- beans of 1/2 a vanilla pod
- egg yolk
Place all of the ingredients into a large vessel and swizzle using an electric swizzler.
Swizzle Club – Pietro Rizzo, Looking Glass
- 50ml El Dorado 12 year old
- 25ml vanilla and demerara salted syrup
- 12.5ml Dubonnet
- 12.5ml Grand Marnier
- 10ml freshly squeezed lemon juice
- cacao seed infused agricole rum float
Garnish with a big cinnamon stick, cacao seeds with a demorera sugar cube.