Drink in Focus: Clarified Bloody Mary at Ella
Ella now looks to double down on its
classic jazz roots as Singular Concepts' new beverage manager Maikal Gurung launched Louisiana Gold, the venue's first menu at the end of May. The new line-up comprises elaborate signatures evoking New Orleans, complemented by twists on classics – but one drink stands out with its own category.
Ella, part of The Trilogy music hub in Pottinger Street's H Code in Hong Kong, pays homage to jazz great Ella Fitzgerald. Photo: Eugene Chan
The Clarified Bloody Mary is a polished take on the brunch classic, available both as a traditional cocktail and as a shot. 'The Clarified Bloody Mary,' Gurung explains, 'is inspired by
the pickleback, which is a pickle brine given in a shot glass as a chaser to neutralise the taste and smooth the burn of whiskey.'
The concept of the pickleback began in 2006 with Bob McClure, who founded McClure's Pickles in his kitchen just above Bushwick Country Club in Brooklyn, New York. The story goes that he handed off excess stock to the bar, which began serving the brine as a shot or paired with whiskey. The combo gained traction and media exposure through to the 2010s and, according to Punch, presented an easy, accessible way to enjoy a shot of whiskey contrasting with the rise of craft cocktails around the same time. In that same Punch piece, a first reaction to the drink was that it 'erased the shot [of whiskey]'.
It reads as a story of a bar staying open to what's at hand, what could be interesting, and doing their utmost to give their guests a good time – not unlike early cocktail culture, which added elements to spirits to make them palatable, or even unnoticeable during Prohibition.
Singular Concepts' beverage manager Maikal Gurung offers unique takes on classic cocktails. Photo: Handout
The spec of the Clarified Bloody Mary reads similarly. The drink comprises vodka, tomato and lemon juices, green salsa, Worcestershire sauce, tabasco, salt, black pepper, Gurung's own secret blend of hot sauce, and pickle brine. Gurung and his team use a centrifuge to clarify the drink, then carbonate it using a soda maker. As is the tradition with a classic Bloody Mary, 'The reason to carbonate the drink is to intensify aromas and taste, making the drink more appealing and refreshing.'
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