Saigon Sally for Glenmorangie Cocktail Masterclass
Saigon Sally in Windsor (cousin of Hannoi Hannah) was the bar of choice for a Glenmorangie cocktail masterclass with the one and only Mick Formosa, Glenmorangie Ambassador and bar enthusiast. The World Loves Melbourne was keen to attend this masterclass on a Sunday afternoon, with a particular interest in whisky cocktails. Put the "man" in Manhattan, I say...
This was a participative masterclass with Mick showing us the ropes then he coached us through the making of 3 fine cocktails.
Mick Formosa has a ton of international experience in Europe and has also graced the Melbourne bar scene with his cocktail and hospitality skills for some years. As Ambassador for Glenmorangie of course he is an expert on Scotland's most popular whisky.
The crowd at Saigon Sally was fashionably young and trendy drinkers. For one couple I met, this was a birthday present - possibly every boyfriend's dream to be shouted to a cocktail masterclass...
This Glenmorangie Whisky consisted of the 10 year whisky with another 2 years of maturation in port casks. So smooth.
Whisky Sour is all the rage in New York, and Melbourne tends to follow these trends. So we enjoyed Glenmorangie paired with lemon, sugar and red wine in a 4-2-1 ratio - of course with plenty of crushed ice. The key is to point the lemon the right way in the crusher or else risk getting lemon juice shooting into your face...
Check out my Whisky Sour...
Saigon Sally is a chic venue with a spacious bar area and vibrant artwork. This restaurant and bar is also known for its modern take on Vietnamese cuisine.
The Blood Sand cocktail was made famous by Rudolph Valentino in the age of cool...
Blood Sand featured Glenmorangie, Vermouth and orange juice with Cherry Heering liqueur... The cocktail involved a whole lot of shaking and mixing - there's skill in holding it around your shoulder and shaking violently and making sure you don't point the wrong way in case the glass and cannister comes apart and showers someone...
Here I am a picture of cocktail concentration...
Saigon Sally put together several snacks to enjoy with our cocktails.
Mick then served up an absolute highlight - a dessert whisky cocktail. Here we have Glenmorangie aged in sauterne casks...
With the help of Mick we were able to design our own cocktails. Here is was a matter of mixing the Glenmorangie with liqueurs and fine ingredients like apple, cinnamon, vanilla and the like... My cocktail tasted like apple pie. The key was in the heating up of the cocktail, like a mulled wine...
Here are the ingredients at our disposal for our freshly designed dessert whisky cocktail...
Heated on a portable stove...
Sauternes casks for extra maturation...
Saigon Sally was an exceptional venue and Mick Formosa and his wife Holly were exceptional hosts for a memorable cocktail event. I can see myself impressing friends with a Blood Sand or two, a NY inspired Whisky Sour, and even a heated Dessert whisky cocktail - all with super smooth and mature Glenmorangie.
