Cocktails inspired by chef’s signature dishes

As the lines between food and drink become increasingly blurred, mixologist Matt Whiley has launched a cocktail list inspired by top chefs’ signature dishes.

The Jam Tart cocktail, inspired by The Fat Duck goodie bag

Dubbed the Chef’s Notebook, the 15-strong cocktail list has gone on the menu at Peg + Patriot – the experimental bar within the Town Hall Hotel in Bethnal Green.

Among the culinary cocktails on offer is the Peanut, a sour drink based on a duck brine devised by Grant Achatz of the three Michelin star Alinea in Chicago.

Another, Carrot, is a sparkling cocktail featuring parsley vodka, carrot vodka, carrot syrup and egg white based on a dish created by Christian Puglisi of Relae in Copenhagen.

Foraged Berries meanwhile, is inspired by innovative young chef Magnus Nilsson of Faviken in Sweden and his passion for using hyper local ingredients.

The drink is a wine-style cocktail made with a foraged berry ferment, rose berry vinegar and an alexanders plant distillate.

Paying homage to Jamie Oliver’s love of comfort food, the Sweet Potato twists on an Old Fashioned with its blend of sweet potato rye, coco lopez, a citric acid solution and a couple of saline drops.

Legendary Japanese chef Jiro Ono of three star sushi restaurant Sukiyabashi Jiro – a 10-seater site in a subway station – is honoured in the Melon cocktail, based on one of Ono’s sushi recipes combining floral and citrus flavours.

The cocktail blends Nikka whisky with yuzu juice, ginger pickle, pickled ginger syrup and burnt oak spray from an aerosol.

The Chef’s Notebook cocktails are approached in the same way a chef would a dish, with Whiley creating recipes that require numerous ingredients and intricate cooking process, from vacuum packing to picking.

The list shows how seriously top mixologists are taking cocktail creation now, with menus paying closer attention to ingredients that are in season.

Click through for photos and recipes of some of the cocktails on the new menu. All are priced at £10, save for the Sweet Potato, which costs £11.

Peanut

Based on a duck brine devised by Grant Achatz of the three Michelin star Alinea in Chicago, the Peanut features an aromatic peanut distillate, Aylesbury Duck vodka, clarified banana syrup, lime juice and a banana leaf tincture.

Foie Gras

Whiley takes inspiration here from pioneering Portuguese chef José Avillez of Belcanto in this savoury, nutty, fruity drink that blends a foie gras and dark chocolate distillate with blanco Tequila, raspberry, hazelnut and Peychaud’s bitters.

Jam Tart

Based on the Queen of Hearts playing cart given to guests in the Fat Duck sweet shop goodie bag, this sweet twist on an Old Fashioned marries white chocolate Bourbon with waxed raspberry and a shortbread distillate.

Grapes

Grapes pays homage to late French chef Paul Haeberlin of Auberge de I’lll in Alsace – the oldest three Michelin star restaurant in France. Inspired by Alsatian white wines, the lightly sparkling cocktail fuses nettle and woodruff vermouth with honey wine and sugar.

Milk & Honey

Tipping his hat to Daniel Humm of 11 Madison Park in New York and his signature Milk & Honey dish, this twist on a flip blends clotted cream vodka with buckwheat honey syrup, brown butter syrup, a whole egg and coconut water.

Buckwheat

Inspired by Brittany born, California based chef Dominique Crenn, the Buckwheat pays homage to Brittany ingredients, blending a mushroom, buckwheat and calvados distillate with pumpernickel vermouth.

Pineapple 

Created in honour of daring British raised, New York based chef Paul Liebrandt of the now defunct Corton, this clean, refreshing drink combines cachaça, a pineapple rum distillate, clarified plum juice, clarified tomato syrup and kaffir lime oil.

Cauliflower 

Inspired by Bristol based eco chef Tom Hunt and his aim to waste as little food as possible, the Cauliflower twists on a Negroni with gin, amaro, a cauliflower Cocchi American distillate, critic acid and a few drops of saline solution.

Black Pudding 

The Black Pudding was created by Whiley in honour of a snack he enjoyed during lunch at Tom Sellers’ Michelin-starred Restaurant Story. Made by blending a black pudding distillate with Aylesbury Duck vodka, quince vermouth and vanilla syrup, it offers a savoury twist on a Martini.

Beetroot

And finally… the Beetroot tips its hat to homegrown chef Merlin Labron-Johnson of Will Lander’s Michelin-starred casual dining restaurant Portland in Marylebone and is based on traditional preservation techniques used by the chef, like pickling and curing. A twist on a Manhattan, it marries Mezcal with Averna amaro, Rittenhouse rye, clarified pear juice, beetroot and pomegranate shrub and bresaola bitters.