With my son Bert back in Ibiza, a friend made a comment which is probably the mistaken view taken by many people who don't understand this culturally vibrant island. Ibiza, like many foreign destinations, has acquired a reputation based on the behaviour of binge drinking British holiday hooligans, yet beyond the nightclubs of San Antonio, ibiza is an island full of charm and history.
Ibiza town is one of the earliest towns in Europe, dating back to the year 654 B C. Nature loving pacifists fell in love with the island years ago and it has always held a strange magnetism for creative talents, boasting the greatest concentration of international talent on a tiny island.
Bert's friends who have chosen to take up residence on the island are a melange from different races and countries, mostly choosing Ibiza for its inspiration and fulfilment from the simple, spiritually enhancing, Ibicerico way of life. Bert generally stays in the old quarter of Ibiza town, named D'alt Vila, which is full of winding streets and white-washed houses, a treasure trove of history, mystery and magical first class restaurants, far away from the British drunken onslaught.
Upon his return home from his last visit, Bert had found new friends, Wouter Bosmans from Belgium and Lucie Jelinkova from Czech Republic. This couple met in Ibiza, crossing paths one evening while attending a party. Wouter was already a highly trained mixologist so it seemed only natural for the couple to buy a bar and enjoy the beauty of Ibiza, famously quoted by Nostradamus as 'Earth's final refuge.'
There is a lack of clarity on the true origins of cocktails but by the 1990s the cocktail industry was saturated with bars which focused more on style than substance. However, we are in the midst of a new cocktail renaissance, with cocktail training and molecular mixology courses becoming a serious art. Wouter and Lucie prepare authentic, high end cocktails, their drinks are the food equivalent of fine dining and Bert came home full of enthusiasm regarding some of the delicious cocktails he had tried.
My experience of cocktails thus far hasn't been a great one, the rise of fake-good-cocktails, which have had a burgeoning presence in many a lesser bar or restaurant for some years, has seen me drinking some very dubious concoctions, the current craze is WKD mixed with cheap vodka and a dash of food colouring, a very toxic combination. When Bert bought a selection of cocktail ingredients, including the Brazilian spirit Cachaca which is made from sugar cane juice and combined it with juicy limes and the aromatic bitter Angostura, I was amazed at how delicious an authentic, good quality cocktail can be, as a seasoned red wine drinker I am converted.
Caipirinha cocktail
Recipe
1 shot of Cachaca
1 large ripe lime
4 teaspoons refined brown sugar
Handful of ice, crushed
A dash of Angostura (there are other aromatic bitters but only one Angostura, the brand name under which Dr. J. G. B Siegert and his successors have sold their product since 1830. It can be used in soft drinks and also imparts an exquisite flavour to soups, salads, gravies, fish, meat and sauces for puddings, thus a versatile product to keep on your shelf.)
Cut the lime in half and place in a mortar, mash the lme with a pestle, extracting all the juice
Transfer lime and juice to a glass, add Cachaca and sugar and stir
Add crushed ice and top with a dash of Angostura
Strawberry daiquiri
Recipe
6/8 sweet, ripe strawberries
2 teaspoons refined sugar
A double shot of white rum
8 cubes of ice
Place the strawberries, sugar, ice and rum into a blender and pulse until the ice has liquidised
'I want my toes in the sand and a cocktail in hand.'
- author unknown
Love Donna xxxxxxx
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