The story behind Maha Bar's new 'Caketail' dessert and cocktail pairing
This year, more than ever, we've learned to appreciate life's small pleasures.
You know the ones. Those absolutely cracking days when there’s not a cloud in sight. Being able to stream your favourite nostalgic TV show from your bed (or the bus). Saying hello your neighbour’s fluffball of a puppy. Two more on the list: the first bite of cake and the first sip of a cocktail.
The folks at Scottish whisky brand Glenmorangie aims to capture the joy of those last two in its newest release, A Tale of Cake. To launch the spirit in Australia, Glenmorangie has teamed up with Maha Bar to release a limited-edition cocktail and cake pairing, dubbed a Caketail. Read on to learn how this new whisky was created, how Maha’s talented team put their own spin on the flavours and how to enjoy them at home.
The Cake Tale
This tipple came about after Glenmorangie’s Director of Whisky Creation Dr Bill Lumsden was reminiscing about his own joyful dessert-related memories — baking with his granny and eating a birthday cake his daughter had made for him. Lumsden began experimenting with dessert wine casks sourced from popular Hungarian producer Royal Tokaji.
He began with the usual process of making Glenmorangie’s single malt: distilling it in the towering copper stills and ageing in bourbon casks to give its signature citrus notes. The product was then transferred to the Royal Tokaji casks for further ageing. The end result was A Tale of Cake, a complex drop that releases tropical fruit aromas (passionfruit, peach and mango) and sweet candy-like flavours — think honey, white chocolate and apricot — followed by a smooth aftertaste of honeycomb, chocolate and nuts.
The Pairing
To celebrate the launch of A Tale of Cake in Australia, Glenmorangie had Maha Bar’s bar manager George Leung design a very summery cocktail.
“Whisky is associated with cold weather, but this whisky is sweet, fruity, aromatic and smooth, so the creation of the cocktail was to work around those flavours and textures, and to be consumed in more summery warm weather,” Leung tells Concrete Playground.
The cocktail costs $26 but, if you’d like to truly treat yourself (which we think you should), then we suggest adding on the Caketail dessert for $14. In keeping with Maha’s reputation to put twists on traditional Middle Eastern dishes, Chef Shane Delia has put a spin on a classic basbousa. Coconut cream is integrated into the traditional orange blossom crème and it’s topped with charred pineapple that has been soaked in a Tale of Cake syrup.
The Caketail pairing is available to order for delivery via Providoor from Monday, November 23 to Wednesday, December 23.
RECREATE THE DRINK AT HOME
An at-home date night, a dinner party digestif, a hump day treat — here’s how to make George Leung’s creation, whatever the occasion.
INGREDIENTS
55ml Glenmorangie A Tale of Cake
5ml coconut rum
40ml caramelised pineapple shrub
5ml lemon juice
Egg white from one egg
Saffron, coconut, almond and macadamia praline
Coconut caramelised pineapple
Pineapple leaves
METHOD
Add bottled liquid and eggs whites into a cocktail shaker. Shake until egg white emulsifies. Shake with ice. Strain with strainer over ice. Serve with line of praline, pineapple and pineapple leaves.
RECREATE THE CAKE AT HOME
Bookmark this roasted pineapple basbousa recipe for your next dinner party or at-home date night.
BASBOUSA
INGREDIENTS
850 grams coarse semolina
180 grams desiccated coconut
440 grams caster sugar
150 grams self-raising flour
400 grams yoghurt
400 grams butter, melted
METHOD
Mix all ingredients until combined well. Pipe 250 grams of mixture into a greased 10 centimetre round mould. Bake at 180 degrees celsius for 20–25 minutes until golden and skewer comes out clean. As soon as they come out of the oven, unmould and dip in warm whisky syrup.
SYRUP
INGREDIENTS
100ml Glenmorangie Tale of Cake
1 kilogram sugar
500ml water
10 cinnamon quills
10 star anise
METHOD
Place a pot on medium heat and add cinnamon quills and star anise. Toast for two minutes and add whisky (warning: it might flame up). Add water and sugar, and bring to the boil. Remove from the head and place in a container until required.
ROASTED PINEAPPLE
INGREDIENTS
1 pineapple – quartered and core removed
200ml Tale of Cake syrup
METHOD
Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Place a heavy-based pan on high heat and allow to get smoking hot. Carefully place pineapple quarters into the pan flattest side down. Do not move, allow to get really dark (it should look like it’s burning). Turn around and do on all sides. Once all sides are blackened, pour syrup over the pineapples. Place in oven for ten minutes. Remove from the oven, place pineapples on a tray and place in the fridge to cool down.
WHIPPED COCONUT AND ORANGE BLOSSOM CRÈME
INGREDIENTS
500ml cream
500 grams white chocolate
750 grams coconut cream
10ml orange blossom
METHOD
Place 250ml of cream in a pot and bring to the boil. Place white chocolate in a mixing bowl. Once boiled, pour the cream over the white chocolate and stir until chocolate is fully melted. Once melted, add the remaining cream, coconut cream and orange blossom and mix. Place in the fridge to set (minimum three hours). Once set, whip to stiff peaks and place in a container and keep until required.
FOR PLATING
Place the basbousa onto a serving plate. Carefully top with roasted pineapple pieces using a small spoon. Quenelle some of the coconut and orange blossom crème over the top. Drizzle some of the syrup over the pineapple and cake, place small mint leaves and sprinkle toasted coconut over the top.
All images: Parker Blain.