Every drink on our cocktail menu is named after something that fed into the creation of Bar Kinky and Kinkally, our Georgian restaurant upstairs. When the designers imagined the interiors, they proposed hanging branches from the ceiling, representing the raw materials found in the mountain regions where khinkali, or Georgian dumplings, are traditionally made. We loved the idea, so scouted out and collected many branches, which were then cleaned, dried and polished. They are now in situ and link to this drink, which is deep and complex, and has that lovely story behind it.
Nature
Serves 1
For the mushroom-infused bourbon (for 5 serves)
300ml bourbon – I use Four Roses
10g dried porcini
For the honey syrup (for 12 serves)
50g blossom honey
For the drink
60ml porcini-infused bourbon – see above and method
10ml pedro ximénez
5ml honey syrup – see above and method
3 dashes chocolate bitters
1 shard honeycomb, to garnish
First make the infusion. Mix the bourbon and porcini in a clean jar, seal and leave to infuse for four hours. Strain through a fine sieve into a clean jar, seal and store – it will now keep happily for a month or more.
Next, the syrup: mix the honey with 10ml boiling water and stir to dissolve. Decant into a clean jar and put in the fridge, where it will keep for three or four days.
To build the drink, pour all the liquids into an old fashioned glass filled with a large ice cube, stir, garnish with a shard of honeycomb floating on top and serve.
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Andrew Pruts, bar manager, Bar Kinky, London W1
