Flavour Alchemy.
Drink. with Jane Nickels
Meet Jane…
… if you haven’t already.
Jane is one of those amazing people who can flavour-science it up to create botanical mixes that excite and challenge the palate. She’s worked in some of the best places around Perth and Fremantle, from Il Lido back in the day, to Bread In Common, Harvest, Balthazar and so much more, including a stint in the Napa Valley, California. Her thing is exceptional produce, foraging, planting out her own and twisting and juicing and extracting oils with super-cool electronics to create drinks that taste just as good on their own as with a non-alcoholic or alcoholic spirits. Of course, she also knows her wines, beers and whatever else is behind a bar, plus foods and what to match with what. Plus, she’s incredibly well connected with the small-batch producers and those looking into biodynamics and organics. So, we are pretty chuffed she’s joined us as our Drinks Editor and Flavour Alchemist. We look forward to what she will bring to us, and know that whatever it is, the goodness won’t just be in our glass.
Drinking has changed.
And the increasing number of non-drinkers expect more. That’s more sophisticated choices (just don’t call them mocktails... ). So when it comes to mixes, they need to be mind-blowing when served nude or with a favourite spirit – be it non-alcoholic or packed with a percentage.
– Flavour Alchemist Jane Nichols
Non-Alcoholic + Alcoholic.
Play Spice.
“This is a built drink, so you don’t need shakers,
just a long spoon to stir” – Jane
SERVES 1
Ice
45ml infused syrup with thyme, black peppercorns and juniper berries*
Half a pink grapefruit, juiced (no seeds, but I leave in the pulp)
15ml rose water
45ml Australian Gin, Vodka or Non-Alcoholic Spirit
Pinch of good salt
TO SERVE
Sparkling water
3 segments Cara Cara orange*
Australian red lime
Grevillea flower
Cara Cara rind
Fill your glass with ice, add in all the ingredients and stir with a long spoon. To serve, wipe the rim of a beautiful tall glass with zest (think Grandma’s gorgeous crystal), then top up the glass with sparkling water, pop in Cara Cara orange segments, squeeze over lime and garnish with a grevillea flower and twist of rind.
* Infused syrup I made the syrup infusion by placing 5-8 sprigs of thyme, 3-4 juniper berries and 5 black peppercorns in 500ml of liquid and heating it for 1hr in a sous vide at 55 degrees celsius. Then I take it out, allow to cool and sit in fridge for 3-4 days in an airtight container. If you don’t have a sous vide (if you take your drinks seriously, I highly recommend it), place all ingredients in a saucepan and heat on the stovetop (never boil) for a few hours, then refrigerate as above.
“Why stop at one? If you’re having a party (or doing the gardening... do we need a reason?) just quadruple the recipe and pour into a jug. Just wipe the rim of the jug with some zest and prep your glasses with the grevillea and rind. We believe in responsible drinking...”
I’m pouring.
CHENIN BLANC!
“It’s the signature grape for the Perth Hills, plus the Swan Valley and Bickley Valley are producing amazing expressions of chenin blanc that are all quite varied in their own way. It’s a very versatile grape and has been under-appreciated until just recently. Now it’s enjoying a revival of sorts. A couple of the chenin stalwarts to look out for are John Kosovich Wines and Bella Ridge Estate. These guys have been passionately making chenin blanc for over a decade and are at the top of their game. A couple of newer expressions, such as Josephine Perry’s Dormilona Clayface and Vino Volta Funky and Fearless, are my go-tos right now. This wine variety has a great ageing potential as well, so you don’t have to drink it straight away… but, hey, it’s just so hard to resist!”
Perfect match.
Flavour seeking: what Jane’s picking this season for companion dining with chenin blanc.
EATING PLUMS + ORANGES.
Plums are amazing at the moment. Locally grown in the Perth Hills, then moving south as the season progresses, the beautiful little satsuma plums are in season. Prior to this I was loving the Garnet Plums for taste and their luxurious colour. I’m also excited about oranges. My favourite, the Cara Cara, is coming into season (watch for it in quality grocers). It’s a bit like a blood orange and pink grapefruit, and has a sweet taste with a hint of cranberry, cherry and rose. I look forward it to coming into season every year.
KINGFISH CRUDO.
Here’s a plum way to eat seasonly... Take a fillet of sashimi-grade (or extremely fresh) kingfish (it’s sustainably farmed in WA and SA), then thinly slice and place on a place. Squeeze over pink grapefruit juice and lime juice. It’s swimming days are over, so drain off juice after squeezing. Then scatter over slivers of satsuma or garnet plum (or any plum) and a little chopped pickled ginger. Sprinkle with sea salt, drizzle with olive oil and, if you have some in the garden, garnish with chamomile leaves to serve. So fresh.
BURRATA.
I’m loving handmade burrata from La Delizia in the Victoria Park Shopping Centre (contact them for other stockists). Behind this true-to-tradition cheese is an Italian couple and some non-homogenized milk from south-west cows. They hand-make fresh burratta, mozzarella and ricotta daily. Our eyes are firmly on the burrata, however, as the light cheese is amazing in this warm-to-cool weather … it’s lovely, oozy centre is great for salads, pizza or just top it with some orange segments, basil and olive oil. Delizia!
Watch.
Boozehound tete-a-tete.
Old Bridge Cellars North Freo provenance guru Jay Beeson and
Como nerd du vin Aly Forsyth go palate-to-palate with three wines.
Esoterico Unico Zelo 2020 Orange Wine. By Ochre Nation.
A Bridge Between Two Worlds 2020 Pinot Noir and Grenache. Collab between L.A.S. Vino in Willyabrup and Old Bridge Cellars.
Malbec 2017. Crafted by Mark Messenger of Beneath the Kite in Margaret River.
Taste Test.
Heart of glass.
Jay of Old Bridge Cellars on the wine, spirit and beer to look out for this month.
South Beach Aperitivo Step aside Aperol, there is a new kid on the block! Built off the popularity of the Aperol Spritz, this distilled spirit is infused with native botanicals sourced from along the West Australian coastline. Think salt bush, strawberry gum and lemon myrtle with the subtle bitterness we all crave. With absolutely no sugar, this product ticks all my boxes. Local kids using local ingredients and only selling to local businesses. With the same recipe as Aperol, it’s as easy to mix up as 1, 2, 3.
La Violetta Patio Nat 2021 The king of Pet Nat’s is back for 2021. Every year we purchase absolutely every bottle we can of this culty drop. This delicious blend of Riesling and Muscat is bursting with white floral aromatics, quinces and nashi pears. Pet Nat is short for Petillant Natural, an ancient way of making sparkling wine that predates the French méthode champenoise. This process involves finishing the primary fermentation in bottle, which results in a more rustic and earthy wine. It also allows for the use of less preservatives in the wine-making process, and that’s always a positive for me.
Margaret River Brewhouse Stout It’s time to pack up the sours and put away the hops because with the Noongar season of Makuru (rain and cold weather) nearly upon us it’s time to crack open the stouts. Described as the Margaret River brewery's ‘brewer’s beer’, as it's the one the team loves to drink, this locally brewed Oatmeal stout delivers smooth dark beer in which the rich creaminess of the oats and malt is balanced with Northern Brewer and East Kent Golding’s hops to create a very traditionally minded stout. At 5.8% ABV, it is a beer to be poured into a glass and sipped on while pondering life’s big questions.