Made with Four Pillars’ Gilded Chaos Gin, the newest addition to the Rooftop at QT offering, The Gilded Elixir, is one of Bar Manager, Arish Khadka’s personal favourites.
Khadka took inspiration from The Martinez to create the Gilded Elixir, putting his own twist on the classic cocktail using Maraschino Liqueur and Verjus to complement the botanicals of the Gilded Chaos Gin.
Verjus is a tart, acidic juice made from unripe green grapes, that was often used as a souring agent during the gilded age. It adds a tangy citrus note to the Gilded Elixir, which is complemented by the drinks garnish, a caramelised lemon wheel chip that can be dissolved in the drink at the discretion of the drinker, slowly adding natural notes of citrus and sweetness.
The caramelised lemon wheel chip offers drinkers a unique experience in which they can balance the flavours of the cocktail to suit their own taste. Khadka recommends trying half the cocktail with its original taste before letting the lemon wheel chip dissolve and finishing the drink on a sweeter note.
The garnish is prepared by sprinkling white sugar evenly over a lemon wheel and lightly torching it before making the cocktail. By the time the drink has been prepared, the caramelised sugar has absorbed the citrus and is able to be pulled from the lemon wheel using tongs and used as a garnish.
Khadka recommends enjoying the Gilded Elixir with either seafood, dark chocolate desserts or charcuterie and cheese.
