Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/5037
Marula Double Shot 1st shot glass: 1 oz. Amarula Cream 2nd shot glass: 1 pinch ground ginger ½ tsp. strawberry preserves ¼ oz. guava juice Splash lime juice Shake ingredients and strain into a shot glass. First shoot the Amarula, and immediately following shoot the strawberry spice shot. Tobacco Vanilla 1 oz. Amarula Cream 1 oz. sandalwood syrup 1 oz. tobacco-infused liquefied honey* 1 oz. fresh lime juice 1 oz. light rum Combine all ingredients in a shaker, shake vigorously and strain over big chunk of ice in a rocks glass. Garnish with tobacco leaf studded lime cube. *Dissolve 2 parts of manuka honey/acacia honey in 1 part hot water, stir until dissolved and let cool. Store honey in a refrig- erator. To infuse with tobacco, burn organic tobacco and guide it through a punctured straw through the honey solution for about 1 minute. Green Tea Wonder 1 oz. Amarula Cream 3 oz. mango nectar 1 pinch gunpowder green tea 1 oz. fresh lemon juice 1 pinch Luster Dust Combine all ingredi- ents and shake vigorous- ly. Strain into a Martini glass and garnish with a lemon spiral. Amarula & Eve 1½ oz. Amarula Cream ½ oz. citrus vodka 2½ oz. lychee juice ¾ oz. ruby red grapefruit juice Combine all ingredi- ents in a shaker glass filled with ice. Shake vig- orously and strain into a coup glass. Garnish with lychee fruit on the rim. Pink Elephant 1½ oz. Amarula Cream 1 oz. chocolate liqueur 3 oz. raspberry purée 2 oz. Merlot 3 oz. heavy cream 2 tsp. sugar Combine all ingredients, except cream and sugar, into one shaker and shake. Strain into a Martini glass. In a separate shaker, combine cream and sugar and shake vigorously without ice. Carefully layer the cream on top of the base. Garnish with a raspberry and mint sprig on the rim. For a "campfire" effect, flavor the cream with hickory smoke. Amarula Cocktails by Mixologist Alex Ott W hen Amarula needed a brand ambassador for its quirky South African cream liqueur, it turned to master mixologist Alex Ott, known for his penchant for unconven- tional cocktails. There was an added bonus: Ott, having spent his youth in Africa, grew up with the brand, and came predisposed with ideas on how to reimagine the dreamy cream. A world traveler and self-made alche- mist, Ott was at the ready with exotic flavor creations such as tobacco-infused honey and sandalwood to help position the brand as a versatile and cutting-edge cocktail ingredient—not just another after-dinner smoothie. "Normally Amarula is mixed with hot chocolate or coffee or served on the rocks, but there's a lot of flavors going on, which is very important," says Ott. "I wanted to create a small, new trend by working with ingredients that people usually don't associate with cocktails." The result? Something Ott calls "a flavor karma between wood, citrus and cream." The liqueur is made from the marula fruit, the seeds of which yield a nutty flavor. Originating on the African savan- nah, it attracts elephants (hence the brand mascot) and has a long mythical and medicinal history. After the fruit has been pressed and sweetened, the spirit is aged in oak for two years and then blended with cream. Mike Friedrich, who handles Amarula for Codorníu-owned importer Aveníu Brands, reports that since taking over the brand from Brown-Forman last year, the company lowered the shelf price by one dollar to compete with other premium creams, and focused on ten key markets in the U.S. Amarula has historically been popular with females, so by partnering with Esquire magazine's "Ultimate Bach- elor Pad," an annual showcase of young designers that hosted the trade rollout in New York last month, Friedrich aimed to attract a male crowd that would normally shy away from a cream liqueur. "There was a low level of knowledge in the market," says Friedrich. "Most people don't have a history of Amarula and are starting fresh. We saw this as a great product in the bottle and one that had a great story. It's not about resur- recting the brand but picking up where it was left off." www.aveniubrands.com december 2009 / the tasting panel / 83