My story, the story I shared with you in my submission, and the story I aspire to share with others was about the struggles and difficulties that I went through. While they were hard, difficult, and sometimes challenging, I didn’t let them define me. I learned from them how to be better, do better, and help others moving forward. I may have been knocked down or started in a race further behind than others, but I let that become some of the best parts of me. I became the type of person I could have used, or who was there to help me along the way. So I wear those parts of myself, my bruises, scars, and sadness proudly. Because without them I wouldn’t hold space the way I do, I wouldn’t have the perspective that I do, and overall, I think I’m a fairly decent individual. So I named my story and my cocktail after that and called it “Black & Blue, but Pretty Good Too”.

The Bruised Fruit Syrup as implied in the name acknowledges the difficulties I went through. Using fruit that might be considered ugly or scarred to create a beautiful honey syrup that highlights the signature honey aroma and honey malt finish of the Deanston Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky.

The Bitter Sadness is the sour and bitter component of the cocktail with sadness referencing my story and how I would feel through those experiences. While the Blue Curacao is a reference to “feeling blue” which is an associated saying with feeling sad. Acidifying the Blue Curacao created the sour component to forgo the addition of fresh citrus (expensive and cumbersome in large scale events) and using dehydrated bitter orange peels with fresh orange peels intensified the orange flavour already present in the blue curacao. Matching the citrus zest in the aroma and on the palate and the citrus notes on the finish of the Deanston Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky.

The Silver Lining is simply sparkling water, but the effervescent nature holds a lot of metaphor. The way the carbonated bubbles float from the bottom to the top reflects how I always got back up again. How I strove to take the higher road. How I was looking to the tomorrow or the future. How I carry others with me, helping them rise to their potential. How, no matter how low you may feel, you can always go up. It is big and small at the same time, not being the smallest amount added, but not enough to be visibly seen bubbling often in the side profile of the cocktail. Instead, it is felt on the palate. It lengthens the added ingredients, allowing their notes to emphasize the orange citrus and honey flavours of Deanston all the while opening up the whisky. Creating balance and encouraging the sipper to come back to it time and time again. Much like the inner ability to keep pushing, to keep going, it can’t necessarily be seen by others. But the effects of its presence can surely be felt.

The combined ingredients also create a colour story in homage to the name of this cocktail. The Black Plum in the bruised fruit syrup works as a literal reference to the black in the name. The Blue Curacao in the bitter sadness works as a literal reference to blue. While the coloration of the mixed ingredients has the same colors as a healing bruise, which is what “black & blue” often refers to, bruises. It is healing, because it acknowledges that it takes time, is an ongoing process and in that realization, taking a moment to acknowledge, through the taste, that it is pretty good too.

The cocktail color choice was also an intentional decision in another way, as at large scale events, you’re generally not serving full size cocktails. So, if you were to serve these at a smaller sample size, the message would still get across in the color story.

I have included photos of the desired outcome, with the tartan ice, to help convey my complete concept. As I know recreating it, attaining the fabric, glassware, etc. might be more than what the recreation of this cocktail would like to be. But I believe they help communicate my story, how I am cut from a different cloth. At a large-scale event, I would love to incorporate it by making tartan badges that say “Black & Blue, but Pretty Good Too” so others can connect with the message and be able to proudly share their stories of support others’ stories.

• 60ml Deanston
• 60ml Bruised Fruit Syrup*
• 15ml Acidified Blue Curaçao (Bitter Sadness)**
• 45ml Soda Water (Silver Lining)

Garnish: Trimmed parallelogram cut Black Plum Skin, Cut slit in the center and twisted to put on the rim

Method:Pour ingredients, except Soda Water, into a mixing tin and stir down to 20% dilution until chilled. Strain into a large cocktail coupe. Top with Soda Water and Garnish with black plum skin twist.

*Bruised Fruit Syrup (makes 500-600ml):

• 1 Black Plum (minimum ripe, leaning to over ripe)
• 1 Anjou Pear (minimum ripe, leaning to over ripe)
• Honey
• Boiling water

Peel black plum for garnish and store in a container with a moist paper towel until ready for use. Cut plum and pear in small pieces, discarding kernel, seeds and stems. Place in a measured sous vide bag and weigh fruit. Add the same weight of honey to the bag. Add half the weight of the honey of boiling water to the bag. This creates a 2:1 syrup. Seal bag and place into Sous Vide at 60 degrees Celsius for 2 hours.  Carefully open the bag, and strain off the fruit. Compost fruit. Chill syrup in an airtight container in the fridge when not in use.

**Acidified Blue Curaçao (Bitter Sadness) [makes 100ml]

• 5g Bitter Orange Peel (dehydrated product)
• 10g Fresh Orange Peel
• 100ml Blue Curacao (Bols preferred)
• Citric Acid

Peel 1 orange – pith is okay – and set orange to juice, consume or compost the orange. Take all above ingredients, except the citric acid, and add them to a sous vide bag. Seal the bag and place in the Sous Vide at 60 degrees celsius for 1 hour. Open the sous vide bag and strain off the liquid through a coffee filter to ensure there are no residual particulates from the peels. Then using a pre-measured vessel, weigh the strained-off liquid. Determine 3% of that weight and add that many grams of citric acid. Blend (preferably with a hand immersion blender) until completely dissolved. Store in an airtight container and keep in the fridge.