West Bar Remix
► by Senior Mixologist Ivana Garcia of Chef Michael Hinds X West Bar & Restaurant
As the senior mixologist behind the bar at Chef Michael Hinds X West Bar & Restaurant, Ivana Garcia is tasked with keeping the signature cocktail menu fresh—a responsibility she takes quite literally by regularly drawing inspiration for new recipes from bright citrus, crisp vegetables, and fragrant herbs.
— Photography Kenneth Theysen
Ivana Garcia
Mixologist
Chef Michael Hinds X West
Bar & Restaurant
“You can never stop learning when it comes to mixology”, Garcia says as she pulls up her Instagram account to remind herself of a few of her latest cocktail creations and their innovative ingredients. Fresh passion fruit and peach purée, freshly squeezed lemon and lime are a few of the standouts on the cocktail list that immediately draw the eye. “You're like an alchemist.”
The first cocktail on the signature cocktail list—the West Bar Remix—is a refreshing (and maybe even hydrating) mix of tart, sweet, and savoury elements. Similar in execution to a mojito, this cocktail requires a good amount of muddling to release the aromatic oils from mint leaves and cucumber rinds.
West Bar Remix
Makes 1 cocktail
PRINT THIS RECIPE
Ingredients
Half a cucumber
6 mint leaves
¾ oz simple syrup
1 oz fresh lime juice
1 oz triple sec
1 oz Gordon’s London Dry Gin
Instructions
Cut two one-inch chunks of cucumber and dice them into half-inch cubes. With a peeler, cut three ribbons from the remaining cucumber.
In a cocktail shaker, muddle the cubes of cucumber and mint leaves together.
Add simple syrup, lime juice, triple sec, Gordon’s London Dry Gin, ice and shake the cocktail.
Line the inside of an old-fashioned glass with two cucumber ribbons. Strain the cocktail into a glass with fresh ice.
Garnish with a rolled cucumber ribbon on a skewer and loose mint leaves.
ADD A SWEET TWIST
Garcia says that when she’s creating cocktails she likes to include less sugar than the average cocktail, and more fresh ingredients and herbs. However, if you’re in the mood for a sweeter take on the West Bar Remix, Garcia recommends adding up to an ounce of Passoã liqueur—a passion fruit liqueur—to the recipe.
