KEY POINTS:
Jason Crawley has worked in some pretty fancy places - Zeta Bar, Sydney Hilton, Ian Schrager Hotel Bars London and has even been personal bartender to the Danish Royal Family. These days the Australian-based, British-born mixologist "won't get out of bed for anything less than a star-studded bash". We're in luck then. As the Maxxium brands' mixology manager (Australia), he will be at this year's BarShow, held at the former Alinghi base on July 17-18.
Why are cocktails so popular?
In a nutshell, they taste great and help you talk to strangers more confidently. Moreover, movies and multimedia cannot be ignored. We now have Bond ordering drinks by brand, and who has not heard of a cosmopolitan thanks to the Sex and the City crew?
Do you remember your first cocktail?
The first cocktail I tried to make was a Harvey Wallbanger. I made a real mess of it, and the boss asked me if I could sing for a living instead.
What's your favourite cocktail and can we have the recipe?
My favourite cocktail would be a martinez, the arguable founder of the martini. If made well, it's akin to being told you're looking younger and you have lost weight.
Over cubed ice stir and strain the following into a chilled cocktail glass:
1 dash Bitters
2 dashes of Maraschino
60ml Plymouth Gin
30ml Italian sweet vermouth
Plop a cherry into it, too.
The best cocktail you've ever had, and where?
It's always about the company you're in - mine? One I shared with a famous old-timer from New York, it was a Manhattan, made with Makers Mark Bourbon.
What's the cocktail of the moment?
That's a tricky one, as Australian drinking trends are so fast and fickle they never get to trend status, as a trend by definition is something a lot of people are doing. More generically speaking, people are falling in love with the Cinderella spirit again, gin.
Right way to drink cocktails?
Each drink has its own ceremony. A martini for instance should be consumed in roughly 18 sips. However, cocktails should always be chilled, served in a glass fit for surgery, and garnished correctly with fresh ingredients. If the cocktail is an aromatic style or arrives in a martini-style glass, it should not be consumed through a straw as you miss your palate.
What makes a great mixologist? A person who is more than awesome at making everyone feel like the most important person in the room, all night, and, oh yeah, tidy.
If I was not doing this? I would love to have a B&B in Switzerland, full of weird dogs.
