Give this simple and chic cocktail an Aussie twist with the help of Sydney bar legend Mikey Enright
Christmas is a time for getting together with friends and family, which comes with the joy of indulging in a hearty meal or having a few drinks. For some, these celebrations can trigger heartburn or indigestion, but thanks to Gaviscon, you can enjoy this delicious time without hesitation. In celebration, we’ve partnered with Gaviscon to bring to you the 12 recipes of Christmas by some of our favourite Aussie chefs and bartenders. See all 12 recipes here.
To describe Mikey Enright, founder and co-director of the Barrelhouse Group of Sydney CBD bars, as a busy man right now would be one of the understatements of the year.
When he spoke to Time Out, Enright was in the final stretch of opening a brand new distillery and bar in Sydney’s historic CBD neighbourhood The Rocks. The Metcalf Building on George Street, opposite Campbells Stores, has been converted into Hickson House Distilling Co: a 150-person capacity bar, diner and distillery.
“It was a long time in the planning – five years – and always a vision of ours,” says Enright, who admits he has been very lucky to find the building and to have the exclusive rights to distill gin and whisky in the area. “The Rocks has so much opportunity, it’s stunning, and very accessible by transport.”
All this, in addition to managing the reopening of his other bars after Sydney’s four-month lockdown, means that Enright has had to restructure his entire organisation to deal with the end-of-year rush. Suffice to say, when he finally gets a break, he’s going to really need one of his own signature Gimlet cocktails, popular at Enright’s original CBD bar, the Barber Shop.
“The Gimlet is a simple formula which tastes delicious,” he says. “Our version is a celebration of Australian craft gin and locally sourced native botanicals.”
The bar’s recipe uses a housemade finger lime cordial and housemade coriander tincture, so the recipe seen below is a simplification of the process. What’s key, however, is the Hickson Road London Dry Gin, one of three gins being launched by Hickson House Distilling Co, which uses an Australian native ingredient, oldman saltbush. “Oldman saltbush adds a salinity to the gin and to cocktails that cuts through sweetness and citrus,” says Enright. Coriander, meanwhile, adds nut, spice and citrus notes.
Enright’s love of gin is no small thing. Originally from Liverpool and having moved to Sydney in 1999, he opened the Barber Shop in York Street in 2013. An actual barber shop up front with a gin bar behind backing onto an alley, the Barber Shop keeps more than 700 international gins on its shelves. Enright and his business partner, Julian Train, have since opened another Barber Shop in Barangaroo as well as an English pub-style bar, the Duke of Clarence.
Citrusy and summery with a gentle salt undertone, the Barber Shop Gimlet might be an ideal cocktail to serve at Christmas celebrations – but Enright is not planning on drinking any on the day. “I’ll most probably be working,” he laughs. “But we have a New Year’s Eve party on at Hickson House, so I’ll probably start to wind down then, at midnight.”
Mikey Enright | Photograph: Supplied/Barrelhouse Group
Ingredients
50ml Hickson Road London Dry Gin
20ml Rose lime cordial
2 sprigs coriander leaf, chopped
Kaffir lime leaf
Gaviscon – if you suffer from heartburn or indigestion and want to eat and drink with confidence during the holidays!
Method
Christmas is a time to eat, drink and be merry – and acid reflux has the potential to ruin all those plans. Luckily, Gaviscon has your back (or rather your oesophagus). This medicine may not be right for you. Read the label before purchase. Follow the directions for use. If symptoms persist, talk to your health professional.
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