Mix It Up
Gourmet Traveller|September 2019

Shaken, stirred or salted? The tide is turning on the marine-flavoured cocktail

John Irving
Mix It Up

As the late Kingsley Amis – Martin’s dad – once declared, “Drink is a contentious subject.” Take the world of cocktails, ever torn by unresolved controversies that may appear minor to the outsider but are of paramount importance to serious drinkers.

“I have seen grown men close to blows over whether you should or should not bruise the mint in a Mint Julep.” Amis speaking again.

There are the classicists, such as British food and wine writer and broadcaster Matthew Fort, who says, “Am I alone in finding that the modern habit of tinkering around with classic cocktails is pernicious? Heaven knows, it’s hard enough to find the original made properly before you start messing about. Classics are classics for a very good reason. Leave well alone.”

And then there are the avant-gardists, keen to push cocktail creativity to the limit. Like the mostly Milanese mixologists who have got Italian booze buffs smacking their lips recently with their cocktail salati: salty cocktails flavoured with pickles, molluscs, crustaceans, plain salt, salts aromatised with dehydrated, crushed herbs, even seawater.

The phenomenon exploded earlier this year with a barrage of publicity in the media, and at traditional springtime food and wine and beverage events such as Vinitaly in Verona and Identità Golose in Milan. The latter’s cocktail connoisseur Luigi Barberis went so far as to say that, “After decades of darkness, a veritable mixology revolution is underway.”

هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة September 2019 من Gourmet Traveller.

ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.

هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة September 2019 من Gourmet Traveller.

ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.

المزيد من القصص من GOURMET TRAVELLER مشاهدة الكل
From personal experience
Gourmet Traveller

From personal experience

Former Hope St Radio chef ELLIE BOUHADANA invites you to gather your loved ones and enjoy an evening of good food and laughter with recipes from her new cookbook, Ellie's Table.

time-read
8 mins  |
September 2024
Kimberley Moulton
Gourmet Traveller

Kimberley Moulton

Kylie Kwong celebrates the individuals helping to grow a stronger community. This month, we applaud the international curator and Yorta Yorta woman who is shining a light on First Peoples.

time-read
3 mins  |
September 2024
Tom Wallace
Gourmet Traveller

Tom Wallace

We share a drop with the head winemaker for Devil's Corner, Tamar Ridge and Pirie Sparkling, a master of cool-climate grapes.

time-read
1 min  |
September 2024
Best in class
Gourmet Traveller

Best in class

The top drops to keep an eye out for on wine lists (and why they're worth the splurge)

time-read
3 mins  |
September 2024
A taste of refuge
Gourmet Traveller

A taste of refuge

Fleeing war and persecution, Australia's new arrivals push our food culture forward. DANI VALENT explores the contributions of the country's refugee communities.

time-read
4 mins  |
September 2024
BE OUR GUEST
Gourmet Traveller

BE OUR GUEST

Inspired by the sense of place conjured by Europe's Michelin-star restaurants, local restaurateurs are expanding their hospitality remit to include accommodation

time-read
6 mins  |
September 2024
Barcelona BUZZ
Gourmet Traveller

Barcelona BUZZ

A popular drawcard for digital nomads and expats alike, the Catalonian capital offers equal parts sophistication and fun. Here, DANI VALENT discovers the latest dining hotspots.

time-read
4 mins  |
September 2024
HEATHCOTE BOUND
Gourmet Traveller

HEATHCOTE BOUND

MICHAEL HARDEN hits the road to explore regional Victoria's Heathcote, home to this year's Best Destination Dining and a host of other delights.

time-read
4 mins  |
September 2024
The art of...relishing restaurants
Gourmet Traveller

The art of...relishing restaurants

Does working in hospitality make someone a better or worse diner

time-read
3 mins  |
September 2024
HEART AND SOUL
Gourmet Traveller

HEART AND SOUL

Not a vegetable but rather a flower bud that rises on a thistle, the artichoke is a complex delight. Its rewards are hard won; first you must get past the armour of petals and remove the hairy choke. Those who step up are rewarded with sweet and savoury creaminess and the elusive flavour of spring. Many of the recipes here begin with the same Provençal braise. Others call on the nuttiness of artichokes in their raw form. The results make pasta lighter and chicken brighter or can be fried to become a vessel for bold flavours all of which capture the levity of the season.

time-read
7 mins  |
September 2024