The Mixologist Manual
Adam G Manning
Everyone likes a cocktail, don’t they? We certainly do, and as summer is just around the corner we thought we’d bring you this, the MANual guide to mixology. This month, we travelled to the capital to talk to Adam G. Manning, head barman at the classy South Place Hotel in Moorgate. He knows his stuff…
Talking to Adam G. Manning is an education of sorts. Going into this interview I was naïvely under the impression that I knew quite a lot about making cocktails – I’d dabbled with the odd Tequila Sunrise and shaken (not stirred) up a few Martinis in my time. Walking out of the South Place Hotel however, I was left feeling slightly drunk, and embarrassed of what I had before considered a semi-extensive knowledge of Mixology. Adam had an issue with that word – ‘mixology’ – he said it was overused, but to be honest, ‘bar work’ doesn’t quite do him justice.
The hotel opened in September last year, and Adam has been there from the start. “It has been really exciting watching the hotel grow. It got much busier, much quicker than I had expected because the building doesn’t look much from the outside”. Adam was being modest, though the inside of the hotel was another story – beautiful, modern and effortlessly classy. Adam has been based in the hotel’s ‘Angler bar’, a small bar attached to the hotel restaurant for the most part of his time at South Place.
In terms of the drinks, Adam believed the coming turn of the seasons might bring new trends in what people are drinking. “Summer is coming, and lower alcohol cocktails that still pack loads of flavour are going to be big. People are now more health conscious, and have realised that drinking loads of alcohol on a hot day isn’t the best idea. The Italians have been doing it for years and we’re finally catching up”.
No more Long Island Iced Teas then, lads. But to be honest, aren’t we all a bit past tiny umbrellas and marascino cherries? After an hour talking to Adam, I certainly was. Inspired, I asked him to make up four cocktails that I’d never heard of before – and no surprise he came through. See the results opposite!
Adam’s Top Tips
1. Always have plenty of ice, but make sure it’s good ice. Small, wet ice cubes will not be nearly as effective as fresh, cold, sticky ice. It sounds fussy, but you’ll notice the difference.
2. Equipment helps, but it isn’t essential. A pasta sauce jar and a sieve will work almost as well as a cocktail shaker and strainer for the beginner.
3. Don’t go to your local off-licence and buy every spirit they have. Start of one drink at a time and become a master of it – then go on to the next one.
