Banana-Miso Sour
► by Beverage Art Consultant Tao Zrafi of Deia Beach Restaurant & Beachclub
There’s no question in Dominic Seale’s mind that Deia Beach has the best cocktails on the island. “Period,” he says with absolute certainty. It’s an audacious statement, but as the owner of Deia Beach and the popular West Coast nightclub, Red Door Lounge, Seale knows cocktails.
— Photography Kenneth Theysen
When Seale opened Red Door Lounge, he says the majority of bars and restaurants in Barbados were blending cocktails. “It’s almost unthinkable now,” says Seale. “But even five-star restaurants were blending cocktails.” One restaurant, however, was operating at a different level behind the bar. That restaurant was The Cliff—a world-renowned restaurant on the West Coast. “They were the only ones doing proper cocktails,” Seale remembers. Seale wanted to serve cocktails of the same calibre as those served at The Cliff, so he sought the expertise of the bar manager at the time. Together, they created a cocktail menu for Red Door Lounge.
“I always think about improving things incrementally by bringing in experts,” says Seale. When it came time to create a selection of craft cocktails for Deia Beach, Seale again looked to the expertise of another well-established mixologist. He reached out to Tao Zrafi, season one finalist on Netflix’s ‘Drink Masters’. The Banana-Miso Sour is one of Zrafi’s creations—and one of the best sellers—on the cocktail list at Deia Beach. His other creations on the menu include a Mushroom Piña Colada: Mount Gay Silver, colada mix and dashi syrup that lends the umami taste of traditional stocks in Japanese cuisine. And a Cacao Daiquiri: cacao fat-washed rum, cacao syrup and cacao sour. “I actually try to go find the best restaurants and bars,” says Seale. “I try to find a cocktail that compares to ours.” He hasn’t found one yet.
Banana-Miso Sour
Makes 1 cocktail
PRINT THIS RECIPE
Ingredients
1 oz aquafaba
½ oz miso-sesame syrup
½ oz banana liqueur
1 oz lime juice
1 oz Monkey Shoulder Blended Malt Scotch Whisky
1 oz Mount Gay Eclipse
Shichimi togarashi
Lime zest
Instructions
Combine aquafaba, miso-sesame syrup, banana liqueur, lime juice, scotch whisky and rum in a cocktail shaker.
Add ice and shake the cocktail.
Pour into a large coupe. Zest fresh lime and sprinkle a dash of Shichimi togarashi (a citrusy, savoury Japanese seven-spice blend) on top of the cocktail to garnish.
TIPS
Try placing a clean piece of paper a few inches above your cocktail, covering half of the coupe’s diameter, to create a precise line of garnish across the top of the cocktail. Sprinkle Shichimi togarashi with the piece of paper in place and enjoy an elevated Banana-Miso Sour.
