Amanda Chalmers
16 January, 2025
News

Prohibition cocktail recipe from Leamington Bar: Bearcat's Margarita

Hush is a vibrant Speakeasy-inspired underground bar in Leamington Spa which immerses guests back in time to the Prohibition era of 1920/30s America.

Bearcat's Margarita Cocktail

General Manager Matthew Nisbet and Bar Manager Bethany Gaunt pride themselves on the specially curated extensive drinks menu. 

The 25 innovative crafted cocktails include many inspired by the Prohibition theme, from Flapper In The Frolic Pad (young women who rebelled against societal norms with their fashion and free behaviour); Bootlegger’s Blush (so-called as they used to hide liquor in their boots); Peaching The Bulls (a term used for calling the police in covert language); Bearcat’s Margarita and Cherry Temptress (slang terms for feisty and fiery women); Speakeasy Sazerac; The Ward’s Whoopee (a secret knock or muttered password); Sheba On The Spice Road (a lady who was the epitome of 1920s glamour); The Stormy Jake Walk (a drunken stumble); and Old Fashioned Mrs Grundy (the nickname for prudes who denounced the ritz and glitz and Speakeasy establishments.

Visit: https://hush-bar.co.uk/

The bar team
The bar team Credit: Photo by Dave Perry Photography.

Here is one of the bar’s exclusive recipes to try at home. . .

Bearcats Margarita: (A slang term in the Prohibition era for feisty and fiery women)

INGREDIENTS:

40ml El Jimador Reposado Tequila 

10ml Cointreau 

10ml gochujang infused Ancho Reyes Verde

10ml yuzu purée 

15ml lime juice 

Smoked sea salt rim

METHOD:

Infuse the Ancho Reyes with Gochujang which is a Korean chilli paste made from dried chilli flakes, fermented soy beans and rice. 

Pour 750ml of Ancho Reyes into a sous-vide bag and add 125g of Gochujang paste. Seal the bag with the vacuum sealer. 

Place this into the water bath and set the sous vide for 3 hours at 73 degrees. Once finished, fast chill the infused Ancho Reyes in an ice bath and then filter the infusion. 

Now we have everything we need to make the Bearcat. 

Before making the cocktail, prepare the glass with Smoked Maldon sea salt for the rim as the smokiness complements the savoury taste of the Gochujang. Use a freshly cut wedge of lime to run round the edge of the glass and push into the well of salt. Use a napkin to tidy the rim and remove any salt that has fallen into the glass.

Add the 40ml El Jimador Reposado, 10ml Gochujang-infused Ancho Reyes, 10ml Cointreau, 15ml lime juice, and 10ml Yuzu Puree to a Boston shaker. 

Add ice to the shaker and give it a hard shake.

Double strain the cocktail into the prepared glass and serve with a wedge of lime on the edge of the glass.