Margarita di Maracuja (In Memoriam Henry Besant)

Non-trade readers may be wondering about the "In Memoriam Henry Besant" part of the title. Henry Besant, who tragically passed away a week ago, was one of the absolute stalwarts of the cocktail and drinks industry. Whilst he lacked some of the recognition amongst the general public he unquestionably deserved (hence why you may not know the name), within the bar industry he was widely regarded as both one of the leading lights, and one of the most delightful people in it to boot.

Although I never had the undoubted pleasure of knowing him personally, I knew him by reputation, and know a number of his friends, family and colleagues. The regard and love he was held in by them is difficult to articulate, and the public outpouring of sympathy and grief over the last week is testament to how well liked he really was.

This blog entry is a (probably paltry) tribute to one of the great legends of the London bar scene who was taken from us well before his time. Even the best recipe I could conceive would probably be a mere bagatelle compared to what Henry could devise, but I hope that were he here now he would at least appreciate the spirit in which this recipe is offered.

Conscious that this blog has been rum-centric, I had made a conscious decision to steer towards the glories of all the other spirits in the world. What better spirit to broach then, than tequila - the spirit which Henry was  best known for in recent years given his work with Olmeca Altos?

Tequila is probably the most undeservedly maligned of all spirits. Far too many of us, in our youth, endured the horrific abomination that is Jose Cuervo Gold - which despite the promising sounding "gold" epithet is not in the slightest bit luxurious, but is instead something called "tequila mixto" - a blend of already poor quality tequila with neutral cane spirit. It's not even really that colour - they have to add colouring; imagine such a travesty!

Quite rightly, if that has been the extent of your encounter with "tequila" (it certainly was mine), you will understandably hate it. Many of you who hate it probably had violent vomiting and the worst hangover you've ever had - no surprises there given how many congeners exist in dirt cheap booze like JCG. I still know people who cannot even sniff tequila for fear of throwing up.

For those of us who are adventurous enough, or with a strong sense of masochism (or its close almost-anagram friend machismo), we have managed to discover that Cuervo isn't what it's all about; in actuality there are amazing tequilas out there, and they can be some of the most elegant and delicious things you could put in your mouth. Indeed, it was at Green & Red when it was under Henry's aegis where I first truly became inspired by tequila.

I'm on something of a passion fruit kick, so I've put a little spin on a Passion Fruit Margarita to create the Margarita di Maracuja. For those slow off the mark, maracuja is the native South American (and, later, Brazilian) for passion fruit.

Alas, in my haste to make it, I neglected to take a picture of the ingredients. I'll try to plug it in next time I have the chance.

50ml Tequila (Olmeca Altos Reposado, if you want to commemorate the main man)
15ml Orange Curacao (Pierre Ferrand Dry Curacao)
10ml Aperol
20ml Lemon Juice
5ml Passion Fruit Syrup (Monin)
1 Passion Fruit
3 dashes Orange Bitters

1. Chill down a margarita or martini glass (crushed ice if you have it, cubed ice in water if not).
2. Shake all ingredients, except bitters, with ice
3. Empty glass and put in a few dashes of bitters
4. Double-strain in to glass and serve/garnish however you see fit
5. Drink contemplatively

Here's to you, Henry - Rest in Peace