Foxhole Spirits crowns the winner of the Foxhole Gin Cocktail Challenge 2018
Foxhole Spirits has crowned bartender Manon Glathe, of The Plotting Parlour in Brighton, the winner of the Foxhole Gin Cocktail Challenge 2018. Manon’s creations will now become the brand’s signature cocktails and will feature on the Foxhole Spirits website.
The competition took place last Thursday 20th September at The Plotting Parlour and saw bartenders from across Brighton battle it out to create a pair of tasty cocktails – one long and one short drink – using Foxhole Spirits’ signature gin. The cocktails could contain a maximum of five ingredients that must be either res-used or sustainably produced. Seven Brighton bartenders took part and Manon was announced the winner following a closely-fought contest of an exceptionally high standard.
Foxhole Gin is made from the by-products of the English wine industry – leftover ingredients that would otherwise have been discarded are instead transformed into an award-winning spirit with a focus on craft, skill and resourcefulness. Foxhole Spirits Managing Director and Co-Founder, James Oag-Cooper, said that Manon took the top spot thanks to her clever interpretation of the brand’s ethos of sustainability:
“Manon’s cocktails really stood out for their taste and appearance, being perfectly balanced and elegant but also distinctive, no mean feat with such few ingredients. What’s more they beautifully conveyed the story of Foxhole Gin by using stuff that gets thrown away each and every day in bars – the dregs of fine wine and champagne and discarded lemon husks.”
Manon’s winning cocktail recipes:
7th Century (long drink):
40ml Foxhole
40ml Pink Peppercorn & Champagne Reduction-Syrup
20ml Citrus Sherbet
30ml Soda
topped up with Champagne
Manon says: “The champagne reduction syrup is quite simple. I use the leftovers of Champagne from the bar and let it simmer on the stove until only a third of the liquid is left. To the reduction I add pink pepper corns and let it sit in a sous-vide bath for two hours. To finish it off I add simple syrup in a 1:2 ratio to the peppercorn reduction.”
Marc’s Revival (short drink)
40ml Foxhole
35ml Pink Peppercorn & Champagne Reduction-Syrup
20ml Citrus Sherbet
topped up with Champagne
Manon says: “For my citrus sherbet I added 500g of white sugar and 500g of leftover lemon and lime husks in a ziplock bag. After approx. one week, the sugar has removed the oils from the husks and you’re left with a wonderful sherbet liquid.”