Meet the Mixologist: Sarah - Blossoms
Hey Everyone, I’m Sarah the General Manager at Blossoms and this is my Meet the Mixologist Q&A - hope you enjoy it!
Tell us a bit about yourself
My name’s Sarah and I’m Egyptian-Scottish, but my accent’s Canadian just to confuse everyone. I started creating cocktails when I was 21 in the Middle East where I was one of the first Egyptian girls to actually start bartending. After that I went travelling and took my bartending experience everywhere I went before settling in the UK with my partner five years ago. I’m now 35, and love my job here in Brighton.
If you could only drink one cocktail for the rest of your life, what would it be and why?
I would say an Old Fashioned, as I love my whisky. I’m actually obsessed with Old Fashioneds. I love that it’s so simple whilst also showcasing and elevating the complexity of a whisky itself. And you can play around with so much. If I could only have one for the rest of my life though, I think I’d make it less sweet and add a bit more of a signature umami flavour.
Are there any cocktail myths or misconceptions that bother you?
I think some people don't quite understand the amount of work that we actually have to do to create a quality cocktail. From getting the perfect balance of flavours to the perfect presentation, texture and temperature. There’s a lot to it, and you can’t expect to order and then have your drink in under a minute - it’s not a pint at the pub!
What’s the most unique cocktail request you’ve ever received?
Ok so this moment still haunts me to this day. I think around 8 years ago, this woman came in and she wanted a double shot of Kahlua topped up with orange juice. Woah that was, oh that was painful. I tried it, and it was absolutely horrendous. And the problem was - she finished it and ordered it again. And I was like, “what's going on with your taste buds?”.
What’s your favourite cocktail bar in the world (other than Blossoms of course) and why?
Other than Blossoms, I would say Swift in London. I like the idea that they've got the top floor bar, and then you go into a speakeasy downstairs and it's more whisky based. The complexity of their drinks is incredible, and the people there are really nice too. It just gives you that kind of prohibition kind of vibe, which is my favourite era when it comes to booze.
What’s your favourite cocktail on the menu at Blossoms and why?
I've got a couple actually, but I think my ultimate favourite is our Autumn Orchid. We wanted to come up with different cocktails for Old Fashioned Month in November and it’s so good we’re keeping it on the menu all winter. As I said, I'm half Egyptian - so I was doing some research in this area and discovered something called barberry. It’s basically this unusual sweet and sour berry that you only find in dry areas. It goes so well with apple and a Japanese whiskey, so it still has the proper whisky finish. It’s also pink! We did wonder if people might be put off by a pink Old Fashioned, but it’s ended up being one of our top sellers and I can’t get enough of them.
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