Jordan Blackman, Odd Culture’s Group Beverage Manager, introduced this drink, the signature cocktail at Odd Culture Newtown, that will be on the menu at the group’s new Melbourne location.
“Our signature drink is the ‘sour negroni’, a twist on the classic with the same name, soured with an in-house sweet vermouth, acidified and blended with ‘kriek’ (a sour Belgian cherry wild ale). The drink displays notes of bittersweet & blood orange, sour cherry, rhubarb and gentian (bittersweet and herbal),” Jordan said.
“The sweet vermouth element has been twisted into a vermouth/lambic blend, incorporating a sour beer into the mix, before it’s further acidified with a blend of citric (think the kind of acidity in citrus fruits, ie orange), malic (think the natural acidity in fresh apples) and tartaric (think grapes but also used in confectionary, sodas etc) acids.
“The lambic used is a kriek, a traditional Belgian wild ale naturally fermented with sour cherries and aged for multiple years in barrel. We blend this with Partida Creus MUZ, an organic vermouth from the cult Catalonian natural wine producer, macerated in 51 botanicals (including citrus skins, flowers, oriental spices, roots and herbs) for two lunar moons.”
See how to make the Kriek Vermut below.
Kriek Vermut
Ingredients:
- 1500ml Kriek (Odd Culture recommends Boon Kriek Mariage Parfait)
- 750ml sweet vermouth (Odd Culture uses MUZ, a vermouth from Catalan natural winemakers, Partida Creus)
- 30g citric acid
- 20g malic acid
- 10g tartaric acid
- 50g white sugar
Directions:
- Combine the beer and vermouth
- Add the acid and sugar
“Staying somewhat ‘true’ to the original, we still use gin for the juniper kick and the irreplaceable Campari, the quintessential Italian bitter, supplemented by a little Aperol to brighten it all up. This offers up bitter & blood orange, rhubarb and gentian (bittersweet and herbal).
“Some key flavours would be the spectrum of orange (bitter/sweet/zesty), cherry (specifically sour/Morello), juniper, a range of herbs & spices from the vermouth/bitters (thinking more warming/baking spices; cardamom, sage, some cola, gentian root) with a solid whack of acidity through it,” Jordan concluded.
See the recipe below.
Sour Negroni
Ingredients:
- Your premade Kriek Vermut (roughly 2.25L)
- 750ml Campari
- 750ml Aperol
- 1500ml London Dry Gin
Directions:
- Combine the ingredients in a bottles, batch and chill for use
- Serve 90ml at a time over ice
- Garnish with a big lemon or grapefruit twist
