Beyoncé unveils SirDavis
Music icon Beyoncé Knowles-Carter has launched a whiskey. A partnership with Moët Hennessy, a subsidiary of spirits giant LVMH, SirDavis (Alc 44%) was created by Dr Bill Lumsden, known for Glenmorangie and Ardbeg single malts. His brief was to produce a spirit with a similar flavour profile to Japanese whisky, of which Beyoncé is a fan. Lumsden developed a mixed mash-bill American whiskey, with 51% rye and 49% malted barley (the absence of corn means it’s technically not a bourbon). It’s aged in American white oak casks, with a secondary maturation in ex-Pedro Ximenez Sherry casks for six to nine months. ‘We looked to challenge the category norms and offer something new in the space, where the distinctive grain selection and unusual secondary maturation in Sherry casks helped us achieve a signature profile completely unique to SirDavis – one of bold sophistication,’ said Lumsden. The name of the whiskey celebrates the legacy of Beyoncé’s paternal great-grandfather Davis Hogue, a farmer and moonshiner during Prohibition times. ‘When I discovered that my great grandfather had been a moonshine man, it felt like my love for whiskey was fated,’ she explained. In keeping with her Texan roots, SirDavis is finished, blended and bottled in Texas. On the nose, spices – including cinnamon, cloves and ginger – arrive first, followed by sweet candied orange peel, warming toffee notes and a touch of oak. There’s a rich blend of dried fruit, vanilla-led custard and toffee on the palate, with a touch of white pepper and soft red fruit. £79/70cl Master of Malt, Selfridges, The Whisky Exchange, The Whisky Shop.
What is… a hard shake?
Not simply shaking a cocktail very vigorously as you mix it, the hard shake is a specific style of shaking that causes the ice to move in a triangular shape in the shaker. Developed by Japanese bartender Kazuo Uyeda, the technique involves fluctuating the vertical level of the shaker, followed by a twist, with quick snaps of the wrists. Advocates believe that this gives better aeration and more frothiness to drinks, as well as causing fewer shattered ice cubes, which helps to avoid over-dilution.
What to drink now… Bronx
Named for New York’s Bronx district – and possibly the Bronx Zoo in particular – this drink was first referenced in print in 1901 in The Virginia Enterprise newspaper. Several people have been credited with inventing the Bronx, which is essentially a Perfect Martini with orange juice, but it seems to have originated at New York’s Waldorf Astoria hotel. Keep it stateside with Dorothy Parker American Gin from the New York Distilling Company (Alc 44%, £34-£37/70cl Amazon, Distillers Direct, The Good Spirits Co, The Whisky Exchange, Threshers).
Ingredients: 45ml gin, 22.5ml rosso vermouth, 15ml dry vermouth, 30ml fresh orange juice, 2 dashes orange bitters
Glass: Coupe
Garnish: Orange zest twist
Method: Put all of the ingredients in a shaker with ice and shake until your hands are cold. Strain into a chilled glass.