Meadow Island – Bottled Cocktails

In these difficult times, you have to support small businesses. In the gastronomy sector especially bars are in dire need of a source of revenue. So, if you have a favourite bar, go ahead and buy something from them. In my case, I ordered drinks from the Schwarzes Schaf in Bamberg and the Seiberts Bar in Cologne. On top of that, it is also nice to just pour a great cocktail in a glass and enjoy it, rather than mixing it yourself.

 

The first drink is the Meadow Island from the Schwarzes Schaf in Bamberg. I already featured a bottled cocktail of them I recreated at home. The Meadow Island is a combination of Bruichladdich The Classic Laddie, mirabelle liqueur, Weingut am Stein Verjus, vanilla syrup and soda water. The drink is quite powerful, but at the same time dangerously smooth. This way you really have to be careful to not sip it too quick. Taste wise you get the classic Schwarze Schaf “flavour experience” where the individual ingredients blend together so well that they form something bigger.

Very balanced Mai Tai

The drink from the famous Seiberts Bar I chose was the New Ginger Mai Tai. This almost is a classic cocktail when it comes to this gem of a bar in Cologne. The original recipe is kept a secret, but the menu states that there are three rare rums, orange liqueur, lemon and lime juices, ginger, lemon grass and almond extract in the drink. While there is just a hint of ginger in the finished cocktail, there is a clear rum and almond note. The drink is well-balanced and refreshing. I tried to recreate Volker Seibert’s dramatic style of serving the drink, but of course a simple Double Old-Fashioned glass filled with crushed ice will also work.