Warren Bobrow, Mezcal: At Suite Silenceo & House of Elyx

• We talk with our friend Warren Bobrow.  We caught up with Warren at a pool party on the rooftop of Hotel Montelegone during Tales of the Cocktail 2017.
  
• Also, we travel to Suite Silenceo and House of Elyx for two amazing Tales of the Cocktail events, and learn more about El Silenceo Mezcal and Absolute Elyx.
  

Take a listen to the Bartender Journey Podcast No. 224 with the audio player on this page, or on Apple Podcasts/ Google Play Music/ Stitcher Radio for a slice of the Tales experience!

• A yearly Tales event that is just awesome every year and gets better all the time is the House of Elyx.  Elyx is Absolut’s high end expression.  We’ll talk with Jonas Tåhlin.
  
• House of Elyx was also at a new location this year:  Latrobe’s on Royal, (Royal Street that is).
• The event is by invitation only.  Later, I was given a seat at the Main Bar, (which was even tougher to get, so it was a special treat).  Behind the bar was Alex Kratena and and Simone Caporale who are just the best Bartenders in the world.  Formally of the Artesian in London, which At Tales of the Cocktail this year claimed World’s Best Hotel Bar as well as the Alex Kratena World’s Best International Bartender.   You will never see anybody more graceful, fun, entertaining and talented behind any bar, anywhere. 
  
  

At House of Elyx they serve drinks in unbelievable copper vessels.  The first drink I was handed was the Silly Rabbit, and it was served in a life sized copper rabbit!

Cocktail of the Week:
Silly Rabbit 
1 ½ oz Absolut Elyx
½ oz Manzanilla sherry
½ oz Fresh pineapple cordial*
½ oz Freshly squeezed pineapple juice
¼ Freshly squeezed lime juice
2 oz Perrier Jouet champagne 
Vessel: Copper Rabbit
Garnish: None
Method: Shake all ingredients except Champagne in a cocktail shaker.  Add Champagne.  Strain into copper rabbit over cubed ice, cap with crushed ice.

The team was generous enough to share all the recipes of the cocktails served at House of Elyx this year and we have them for you below.  The recipes and lots of professional photos from the event can also be found at on this page dedicated to the event.

Book of the Week:

The Craft Cocktail Compendium: Contemporary Interpretations and Inspired Twists on Time-Honored Classics  by Warren Bobrow.  His original drinks are so, unique, original and fun.   In this book he also explores the classics.

Toast:
A glass in the hand is worth two on the shelf.

    If you'd like some great education and you can’t make it to Tales of the Cocktail or other events, you can get some amazing online learning by doing the Mixology Certification Program  from our friends at A Bar Above   With the discount code “BartenderJourney” you can save 20%!  You’ll learn a lot from this course and at the end, take a test .  Assuming you pass, you’ll get a certificate.   You can do it from anywhere and in your own time.  Well worth doing!

Elyx House at TOTC 2017 cocktail specs
 
The Elyx Martini 
2 ½ oz Absolut Elyx
½ oz Lillet Blanc
Vessel: Cocktail coupe
Garnish: Lemon zest 
Method: Stir all ingredients over cubed ice in a mixing glass, strain into a chilled cocktail coupe and garish
 
Elyx Spritz
1 oz Absolut Elyx
1 oz Lillet Rose
Top Fevertree Elderflower tonic
Vessel: Highball glass
Garnish: Lemon wheel
Method: Build in highball glass over cubed ice, top with Elderflower Tonic, stir gently and garnish
 
Pimp My Mule
1 ½ oz Absolut Elyx
½ oz Fresh Raspberry Cordial*
½ oz freshly squeezed lime juice
Top Ginger Beer
Vessel: Copper mule cup
Garnish: Fresh raspberry and candied ginger
Method: Build over cubed ice in a copper mule cup and top with ginger beer. Cap with crushed ice and garnish
 
Cold Fashioned 
1 ½ oz Absolut Elyx
½ oz Oloroso Sherry
½ oz Cynar
½ oz Demerera syrup
1 oz Cold brew coffee
Vessel: Rocks glass
Garnish: Orange zest 
Method: Stir all ingredients over ice in a mixing glass. Strain over ice in a rocks glass and garnish  
 
Bloc Party 
(Compliments of Leo Robitschek)
1 oz Absolut Elyx
1 oz Cream sherry
1 oz Fino sherry
½ oz Yellow chartreuse
½ oz Red bell pepper juice
½ oz Freshly squeezed lime juice
¼ oz Fresh Vanilla Cordial*
¼ oz Fresh Passionfruit Puree
Vessel: Copper Squirrel
Garnish: None
Method: Shake all ingredients and strain into copper squirrel over cubed ice, cap with crushed ice and garnish
 
Fennel Countdown 
2 oz Absolut Elyx
¼ oz Suze
¾ oz Fresh Fennel Cordial*
2 oz Freshly squeezed pink grapefruit juice
½ oz Freshly squeezed lime juice
Vessel: copper coupe
Garnish: grapefruit zest
Method: Shake all ingredients in a cocktail shaker, strain into a chilled cocktail coupe and garnish
 
Tangerine & Olive 
1 oz Absolut Elyx
1 oz Italian bitters 
1 oz Sweet vermouth
½ oz Freshly squeezed tangerine juice
1 oz Tonic water
1 dash Rhubarb bitters
Vessel: Rocks glass
Garnish: Dehydrated orange & green olive
Method: Stir all ingredients in a mixing glass, strain into a rocks glass over ice, top with tonic water and garnish
 
Silly Rabbit 
1 ½ oz Absolut Elyx
½ oz Manzanilla sherry
½ oz Fresh pineapple cordial*
½ oz Freshly squeezed pineapple juice
¼ Freshly squeezed lime juice
2 oz Perrier Jouet champagne 
Vessel: Copper Rabbit
Garnish: None
Method: Shake all ingredients in a cocktail shaker, strain into copper rabbit over cubed ice, cap with crushed ice.
 
Butterfly
2 oz Absolut Elyx
1 oz Lillet blanc
4 oz Jasmine needle tea
1 oz Freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 oz Orange blossom & jasmine honey
½ oz Butterfly pea flower extract
Vessel: Rocks glass 
Garnish: No garnish
Method: Freeze in a slushy machine and ser