From the
darkest Peru comes one of the most beloved characters in children’s literature,
Paddington the bear. With his hat, suitcase and coat he is quite distinctive. The
bear who got his name from Paddington station in London, where he was found in the
story by the Brown family. The family takes him home to live with them. One
thing I have left out so far about Paddington. If you know Paddington, you
would expect one ingredient in a cocktail named after him, that is Marmalade.
Paddington has a strong liking for marmalade. This leads to the question of how
right it feels making a cocktail inspired by children’s books. I am not really
bothered by this. What I like about this is that, for me, being familiar with Paddington,
this makes sense to me with the use of marmalade. And thinking of it, if I would
make a cocktail with marmalade it would probably be something like this and I would
likely call it the Paddington as well. Using a literary character as inspiration
when making a cocktail is quite nice, I think. Using the character would make
you understand who the character is. For me it adds a layer of sophistication, there
is a layer to the cocktail above just making a palatable cocktail that will
make you drunk. There is some story behind the cocktail, it makes for a
learning experience and if you are interested and want to increase your general
knowledge. That makes this kind of cocktail something that I truly enjoy.
This cocktail is not a simple cocktail. This cocktail needs adaption, it will be different depending on the rum and the marmalade you use. If you would use another fortified wine, it will also be different. Personally, I would not be able to create this cocktail. The use of grapefruit and rum makes it slightly similar to the Hemingway daiquiri. The use of orange marmalade as a sweetener complements the lemon and grapefruit. The marmalade makes the cocktail rather unique. The fortified wine is also something that creates an interesting dynamic. It helps with sweetness, using the Cocchi Americano that is partly flavoured with quinine also adds a bit of bitterness to the cocktail. Lastly, the absinthe rinse makes adds another layer to this cocktail with an aromatic element.
When having this cocktail, I felt like it is not perfect. However, focusing on something I felt that was wrong with the cocktail makes it worked great with the rest of the cocktail, but another imperfection appears. This dynamic of the cocktail makes it taste like it was done by a professional cocktail creator or a bartender at a high-end bar. One thing I like at the American Bar at the Savoy in London is that when I order the cocktails from the menu, they often have this quality of imperfection. This is a cocktail that I would highly recommend. If you can get your hands on some Cocchi Americano and absinthe, you should try this cocktail.
When having this cocktail, I felt like it is not perfect. However, focusing on something I felt that was wrong with the cocktail makes it worked great with the rest of the cocktail, but another imperfection appears. This dynamic of the cocktail makes it taste like it was done by a professional cocktail creator or a bartender at a high-end bar. One thing I like at the American Bar at the Savoy in London is that when I order the cocktails from the menu, they often have this quality of imperfection. This is a cocktail that I would highly recommend. If you can get your hands on some Cocchi Americano and absinthe, you should try this cocktail.
My Recipe:
- 1.5 oz (4.5 cl) Rum
- 0.5 oz (1.5 cl) Cocchi Americano
- 0.5 oz (1.5 cl) Lemon Juice
- 0.5 oz (1.5 cl) Grapefruit Juice
- 1 barspoon Orange Marmalade
- Absinthe
Add all ingredients except the absinthe to a shaker with ice, shake and double strain into an absinthe-rinsed coupe glass. Garnish with a grapefruit twist.
