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Meet the cocktail making a strong case for adding olive oil to our drinks.
About the cocktail
Picture it: sun-kissed and serene, you gaze out across the vivid azure-blue waters of a Grecian beach, your footprints trailing tracks on the bleached white sand. As the golden-pink sun begins to dip into the horizon of the Mediterranean sea, cocktail hour beckons. Ancient olive groves dot the vista inland and a dish of sliced feta and bread is placed in front of you, generously splashed with liquid gold. You think to yourself, “Surely this versatile oil features in an aperitivo” and you’d be right. Meet the silky, sweet and sour Oliveto cocktail. Sadly, we may not be sunning ourselves in Greece, but we can still enjoy a little meander to the Mediterranean, even if only in our minds – or cocktail glasses. And the cornerstone of the Mediterranean diet? Olive oil, of course. “Why not in a drink?” thought Pip Hanson of Marvel Bar in Minneapolis back in 2011. And so, the Oliveto was born. Essentially a Gin Sour with the addition of Licor 43 (an easy-to-find Spanish liqueur with strong notes of vanilla and citrus) and olive oil, the Oliveto cocktail is an intense yellowy-green colour that has a nice viscosity to it. Beloved for its unique velvety texture thanks to the egg whites and olive oil, the aromas and taste are not eggy or oily, instead imparting a lovely silkiness and dry salinity. It is equal parts bright and creamy, with a whisper of something savoury to keep things interesting. The Oliveto tastes like a liquid lemon tart. It’s the combo of oil and egg white that creates a drink so unbelievably smooth you’d think it was made by Barry White himself.
Watch: How to make the Oliveto
Ingredients
45mL gin
15mL Licor 43 15mL sugar syrup 20mL fresh lemon juice 15mL extra virgin olive oil ½ egg white Glass: stemless wine Garnish: olive on a skewer
Method
Add all your ingredients into a cocktail shaker
Dry shake well (without ice) to emulsify the egg white Add cubed ice and shake until the outside of the tin is frosty Carefully strain into a chilled glass Garnish with a skewered olive
Dan’s top tips
For the best Oliveto, we can’t stress enough the importance of selecting quality extra-virgin olive oil. Premium EVOO will also ensure the bright and fragrant flavours help carry the sweetness through. We know what you’re thinking – “spenny!” And we hear you. Cozzie livs and less-than-ideal growing seasons for olives have hit us hard, but trust us, you’ll thank us later for urging you to reach for the good stuff. Treat thyself. For your first round, go with our tried and tested recipe. Then, once you’ve got that down pat, feel free to mix things up to figure out what best suits you. Into tangy? Swap out the fresh lemon juice for fresh lime for a zesty almost Gimlet-like zing to balance out the sugar syrup. Want a wee bit more spice? Up the Licor 43 levels for a lovely burst of vanilla and cinnamon notes. Vegan? Substitute egg whites with aquafaba, the liquid from canned chickpeas. Oh, and last but by no means least, similar to a Gin Fizz, the Oliveto first calls for a dry shake to emulsify the drink and help create that frothy texture imparted by the egg white. Then, add two ice cubes and continue to shake until the ice is almost fully dissolved and you no longer hear it clinking in the shaker. Arms day, sorted.
image credits: Shelley Horan (photographer), Raye Scerri (videography), Bridget Wald (stylist), LSS (production)
