There’s a new cocktail collaboration in town thanks to two Warwickshire businesses, and it sounds pretty good.
Alcester-based St Maur and Cafe Cocktail in Stratford-upon-Avon have teamed up to create a unique drink using the award-winning elderflower liqueur.
St Maur, established by William Seymour, Earl of Yarmouth, from Alcester, and his wife Kelsey, is the main focus for Café Cocktail’s Cocktail of the Week, from this Wednesday (March 22nd), in the form of the newly created Flor Antiga cocktail.
The cocktail uses St Maur as well as Brazilian spirit Cachaça and gives a nod to Lord Yarmouth’s Brazilian heritage. The Earl counts Henry VIII’s wife Jane Seymour among his ancestors, and is the eldest son of the Marquess of Hertford, from Ragley Hall in Warwickshire, his family’s seat since the 18th century.
But less well known is his Brazilian heritage, on his mother’s side, and his fond memories of living in Rio de Janeiro as a child.
He said: “In this country people would be familiar with my family’s English heritage, and having been associated with Ragley Hall for much of my life, many people will assume I’m all very English. Actually I’m half Brazilian. It is a heritage to celebrate, especially with my own boys as they grow up in the heart of England.
“My Brazilian heritage is no less important than my English one. It’s part of who I am and I’m proud of it. It opens the door to the world of an interesting and exciting culture.
“I vividly remember visiting Brazil as a youngster with the expectation of staying for an extended holiday of a couple of months, and then being told we were going to stay and live there!
“It was a huge culture shock at the age of seven seeing the stark contrast between being brought up in the English countryside and finding ourselves living in one of the most high-density population cities in the world with poverty literally right on your doorstep. That impression of poverty has stayed with me.”
The Flor Antiga cocktail, whose name means elderflower in Portuguese has been specially created by Cafe Cocktail to reflect William’s roots from both sides of his family.
Owner Matthew, who opened the venue in Greenhill Street with wife Ginnene and mother Jill last summer, has been passionate about bringing his 20 years of hospitality experience as chef and mixologist to showcase local brands.
He said: “We love St Maur. Elderflower liqueur is a really versatile ingredient for cocktails. Colloquially among cocktail bartenders elderflower liqueur has earned the moniker of bartender’s ketchup, as you can add a little bit to almost anything and it will taste great. That’s one reason why it’s so wonderful to have found something that’s of such high quality and local.
“I’m so happy to be working with William. What’s great is we genuinely love each other’s businesses. There are actually very few elderflower liqueurs on the market and there are even fewer good ones, so to find something great is fabulous. It’s a bartender’s dream to be able to find a good liqueur because they’re the heart and soul of so many cocktails.”
Flor Antiga is Café Cocktail’s Cocktail of The Week from Wednesday March 22nd but it is hoped the collaboration will lead to long-term partnering between the two south Warwickshire businesses.
William added: “It was fun playing around with variations of the cocktail until we landed on something we both liked. The Flor Antigas is something I’m really excited about. It’s fresh, it’s interesting and it offers a personal touch for me. It’s something I have a personal connection with and I’m proud of that connection.”
For further information about St Maur or to enquire about the virtual cocktail master classes, visit: https://drinkstmaur.com/
