by Shaun Layton | From the country famous for tapas, G & T, and Michelin stars comes a new book embracing all of the above under one cover. Cooktail is a collaborative effort of Madrid compatriots chef Mario Sandoval and barman Miguel Perez. The two met at a competition where Miguel was competing and Mario was judging. Together, they’ve made a stunner of a book that boasts dozens of cocktail and tapas-style plates.

Throughout its 265 pages, with text in Spanish and English, Cooktail responds to a number of challenges. On the one hand, Mario Sandoval shows off the depth of his talent by creating a miniature version of haute cuisine. The 40 tapas recipes in this book are much more than simple accompaniments for a drink. On the other, Miguel Pérez delves into the origin of flavours and offers cocktails that are the result of his investigation into the roots of each product and of his painstaking study of perfect execution and service. Both chef and bartender go to great lengths to show that there’s more to drinks than wine.

The recipes for the savoury side of things are a bit intimidating, unless you have emersion circulators and vacuum packers in your condo. On the other side, the beverage options are – for the most part – more approachable. In any event, the artistic flair and flavour marriages are breathtaking to behold. Try this one yourself.

The Sailor

22.5 ml Laphroig 10 yr
15 ml Pedro Ximenez sherry
15 ml Cocchi Maericano
5 ml Dry Curacao

Stir ingredients over ice, strain into an appropriate vessel.

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