Secrets and the sea

Behind every good cocktail is a good story, and to create a story, you need inspiration. With this idea mapping in mind, French vodka brand Grey Goose often follows an unusual trail in search of inspiration to create new recipes.
This year, Grey Goose is getting its idea from the “Secret Journeys” project, exploring 12 destinations and creating unique cocktail recipes from each one.
    Grey Goose kick-started the project by collaborating with luxury Asian tea brand, Ticha by Harn to create a string of cocktails based around the brew. One of these is the Siam Zest, a delicious concoction that includes mulberry tea and lemon grass. The vodka then explored further with various other interesting ingredients such as rice, ginger, chocolate and even perfume.
    Inspiration-wise, one of the stops saw Grey Goose create conceptual cocktails for pairing with gastronomic delights by innovative chefs. Even drum and bass became the vodka’s muse, resulting in a powerful and fun cocktail served with biscuit stick and marshmallow.
    The latest experience, titled “Hideaway” took place in Phuket earlier this month when seven guests were invited aboard a super luxury yacht for a secret journey to the secluded isle of Mai Ton, just half an hour away from busy Phuket.
Pampered with lobster, caviar, fresh oysters and massages in a five-star cabin on board, each guest was asked to design a signature cocktail based on the experience they had enjoyed so far on the trip. Grey Goose’s guest mixologist handed out a taste map specifying degrees of sweetness, sourness, bitterness and fruitiness, along with preferred fruits and aromas to create cocktails that were truly personal and unique.
Many people avoid cocktails, writing them off as being too sweet and containing too much fruit juice. But with a proper understanding of spirits and ingredients, you can create cocktail recipes with simple ingredients mostly found in the kitchen. Contrary to popular belief, the sweetness does not have to come from syrup or crushed fruit and lime isn’t the only source of sourness. It is this fundamental yet often overlooked aspect that makes a whole lot of difference when it comes to cooking up a cocktail.
The lab aboard the yacht came up with seven cocktail recipes that defy what most people think cocktails would be like. There was the potent, bitter and well-rounded Pangrum which was inspired by the whisky-based Sazerac, the contrasting bitter and sour Ocean Spray with Martini Rosso and lychee liqueur and the Sauvignon Blast with elderflower syrup and Martini Extra Dry alluding to the slightly fruity and crisp white wine.
All seven recipes will be introduced to the public later as the “summer cocktails” of 2015.
Cheers!