Raphael Holzer is a man who knows how to drink. Having masterminded the acclaimed drinks programs at cult Hong Kong eateries Yardbird and Rōnin, he's moved on to distilling his own Fernet spirit according to an age-old family recipe, in addition to spearheading the bar at Highline.
This weekend, he's taking a break from his shaking schedule in Hong Kong for, well, a shaking schedule at right here at Highline in Shanghai. Catch him behind the bar from 6pm to midnight on Friday and Saturday, and 11am-4pm on Sunday.
We caught up with the man himself to talk perfect highballs, reviving classic 60s drinks and the importance of amazing ice.
What’s the secret to a good cocktail program?
There's no secret, good spirits on hand is one part, but produce is also important. All the juices need to be fresh; lemon, lime all add sparkle to a drink. Good ice is also really important – it should have no bubbles.
What drink would you say encapsulates your style of cocktails?
Developing the drinks programs for Yardbird and Rōnin, we spent a lot of time researching in Japan – and one thing that really stood out to us was highballs. We drank so, so many of them. In cans, on draught, at one incredible six-seater bar in Ginza serving nothing but that – they are amazing.
So we developed a highball menu, using different whiskies paired with fresh twists, a hint of lemon or yuzu, grapefruit or mint. Just very simple; good whisky, really good ice, good soda, no more than three ingredients. A simple highball will always make me happiest.
What's the difference between good ice and bad ice?
Bad ice melts quickly and ruins your whisky. Good, solid ice melts slowly and makes your drink delicious until the last sip. With a highball, there should still be ice in your glass after you've finished it.
Tell us about the inspiration behind Highline's cocktails?
For the core menu Cody and I kept in line with the 60s California concept, and wanted to bring back cocktails from that era; Mai Tais (above left), Sex on the Beach, Blue Hawaii and so on.
We discovered that these drinks are super delicious if you make them with quality spirits and fresh ingredients rather than pre-mixes, which have given them a certain reputation.
On the other hand, there was also a more 'sophisticated' style of drinking from that era, like Manhattans and Old Fashioneds. One example is our Cognac Old Fashioned (below), which we make with Cognac Park Carte Blanche and Luxardo Maraschino cherries.
What else will you be bringing to Highline?
We're super excited to launch our brunch menu on March 4. We're going to do a proper Pimms Cup to share, made with our housemade fresh lemonade using Okinawa black sugar. This is definitely going to be one for sitting on the Highline terrace with.
Cody Allen: We'll also be launching a DIY Bloody Mary Cart for spring, which will travel around the restaurant from table to table. Guests will be able to customize their drinks exactly to their taste, with different levels of horseradish, different hot sauce options and so on.
Tell us about the coffee shochu you've been developing.
Sunday's Coffee Shochu – one of my favorites! At Yardbird we experimented making umeshu (Japanese liqueur made by steeping fruits in shochu) when we received a shipment of fantastic ume (plum/apricot-like fruit) from Wakayama. We moved on to trying it with different flavors; everything from pineapples to peaches, but nothing ever really worked.
Matt [Abergel, co-owner and chef of Yardbird, Rōnin] and I still argue whose idea it was to infuse coffee beans, but together with Elliot Faber [Sommelier and Beverage Manager at Yardbird] we developed a recipe.
The final product uses Beyond Coffee Roasters coffee beans, Japanese rock sugar and Sengetsu Rice Shochu. It's basically our party starter. After three or four shots of this you'll be absolutely wired. It's best enjoyed shaken over ice, when it develops a beautiful frothy crema. Delicious.
When are you happiest, researching and creating or being behind the bar?
Definitely behind the bar when everyone's happy with their drinks. I love serving people and seeing them enjoy themselves.
Then again, Matt and I had a lot of fun starting Yardbird. We'd sit in the restaurant and get unbelievably drunk testing all the cocktails. Same at Ronin, and also for Highline with Cody [Allen, below left, one of the Highline owners] now I think of it...
Fernet Branca is enjoying cult popularity at the moment, is your own spirit, Fernet Hunter, similar?
Fernet is basically a style of Italian bitter, named after the doctor (Bernadino Branca) who invented it. My grandfather was a distiller and had his own recipe for Fernet dating back to the 1900s, which I have revived: Fernet Hunter.
You can see from the visual appearance, it's quite different from Fernet Branca, which highlights how diverse this spirit can be. The taste too is very different; Fernet Hunter uses ingredients from in and around my hometown of Brunnwald, Austria, including arnica root, lavender, orrisroot and more.
What kind of cocktails can you make with it?
You can drink it straight, in teas, cocktails and highballs (first photo, right). It's pretty diverse, and can be drunk with stronger flavors too, like peaty whisky (below, Caol Ila whisky, violet bitters, Fernet Hunter.)
Lastly, if you were trapped on a desert island with only one spirit and one cocktail for the rest of your life, what would it be?
I'm assuming I'd be a pirate in this scenario so it would have to be rum. And if I have rum, then it would have to be daiquiris. I'm sure I could find plenty of tropical fruits on the island so I wouldn't get bored!
Raphael Holzer will be behind Highline's bar from 6pm to midnight on Friday and Saturday, and 11am-4pm on Sunday. (Feb 24-26)
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