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A robust mix of smoky mezcal, tart grapefruit and dry sherry, Matt’s Halftime Highball is a home run.
About the cocktail
And the hits keep on coming! We’re back at it again with Melbourne’s favourite bartender Matt Stirling for another delicious cocktail collaboration – yes, the same Matt Stirling who co-owns Caretaker’s Cottage, the bar that was just announced as the 23rd best bar in the entire world. This time he’s lined up quite the doozy – a mezcal highball, with grapefruit juice, grapefruit oleo-saccharum (or oil sugar syrup), soda water and a few splashes of fino sherry, which we’ve affectionately named the Halftime Highball. As mentioned, Matt is a bit of an industry legend, but if you’re not familiar with his name, his face may jog your memory. Besides manning the bar at Caretaker’s, he’s a regular around Dan’s Daily. You might remember his episode of THE Drink series we ran a little while back, where he showed us how to make the perfect Mojito and why it shaped his career. Given he’s a gifted bartender, we wanted to pick his giant brain about his key rule of thumb for cocktail creation: “Whether or not you would drink it again”, Matt says. His new invention, the Halftime Highball, is a prime example of that rule. Served up in a Collins glass, Matt’s cocktail is the perfect balance of mezcal, grapefruit and sherry. “It's the vibrant interplay between the other ingredients and the dry sherry that keeps this drink energetic from first to last sip,” Matt explains. All ingredients in this drink are super complex and long-tasting, so why put them all together? “Mezcal and dry sherry just aren’t being drunk enough by folk, so anytime I can put them in a glass, in this case, a glass together, I chalk it up as a win,” says Matt. Unlike Matt’s previous Mixing With cocktail, the Crimes of Passion, this one does require a bit of prep and technique, but he promises that patience goes a long way, specifically when making your oleo-saccharum. “Take your time, and make it way ahead of mixing your drink,” Matt says. “You get to use all parts of the fruit in this recipe, so don’t throw anything away.” The finished drink should, according to Matt, taste “savoury, dry and nutty – thoughtful and full in flavour without being too punchy.” Sounds pretty good to us. If you’re up for Matt’s Halftime Highball cocktail, have a read through his recipe and top tips below.
Watch: How to make the Halftime Highball
Ingredients: grapefruit oleo-saccharum (oil-sugar syrup)
6 grapefruits
White sugar (equal to the weight of the skins of 6 grapefruits) Pinch of salt ½ tsp chilli flakes
Ingredients: cocktail
15mL grapefruit juice
20mL grapefruit oleo-saccharum (oil-sugar syrup – see ingredients below or sub with a high-quality citrus cordial that isn’t too sweet) 40mL mezcal 20mL fino sherry Soda water to top Garnish: slice of grapefruit
Method: grapefruit oleo-saccharum
Peel the skins of 6 grapefruits, being careful to leave the pith behind (you’ll only be using the peels here, so keep the fruit aside for the cocktail recipe)
Place a large bowl or container on a set of kitchen scales and weigh the grapefruit peels Add the equivalent weight in white sugar Add a pinch of salt and half a teaspoon of chilli flakes and toss to mix Cover the bowl and allow to sit for a minimum of 6 hours or overnight Strain off liquid into an airtight container, pressing on the peels to extract as much oil as possible, then cover and store in the fridge for up to a week.
Method: cocktail
Juice one grapefruit
Pour 15mL of grapefruit juice, 20mL of oleo-saccharum (or citrus cordial if subbing in), 40mL of mezcal and 20mL of sherry into a tall glass Add soda water until the glass is about two-thirds full and briefly stir Add a handful of ice cubes and garnish with a slice of grapefruit
Matt’s top tips
This drink takes some technique and good old-fashioned patience, but believe us when we say, the payoff is massive. Aside from making your oleo-saccharum ahead of schedule, Matt suggests taking it easy. “You can’t rush the process and if you cut out any time or attention to detail, you won’t get the flavour or yield you should.” So, follow Matt’s lead, and read the recipe super carefully. That said, you can definitely experiment with your oleo-saccharum by trying out different fruits. “Just adjust to taste and away you go!” If making your own oleo-saccharum feels too-hard-basket, Matt suggests you can use a high-quality citrusy cordial in its place. Just make sure it’s one that isn’t overly sweet. Then, like most drinks, we want the right amount of dilution in the drink. So, make sure you pop in plenty of lovely cubed ice into your Collins glass to get that drink cold and balanced. If you have made your oleo-saccharum and have quite a bit left, don’t stress, there’s plenty you can do with it. “It makes for a really flavoursome cordial, so use it with soda or tonic and season with fresh citrus,” Matt explains. “You could also add some healthy dashes to a salad dressing or even fold some through some cake icing.” Matt’s last tip is to serve it up with some fresh seafood. “Salty things and fish come to mind. Definitely oysters!”
