In May, Headline Sponsor Franklin & Sons launched their Flavour in Motion competition which gave bartenders across the UK the opportunity to showcase their skills in an aim to champion bartenders, their stories and their progression throughout the industry.
They were given a brief challenging them to ‘reimagine the first cocktail you ever learned on the bar, using the skills and tools you have developed over your bartending career to reflect your evolved tastes and experiences’ which resulted in the winning drink, The Flip and Sip by Elyse Von Ruinn, formerly of Charlie Brown's.
We got the opportunity to speak to Von Ruinn about their drink and competition experience and what influenced their serve. The name Flip and Sip was a play on the fact you physically had to flip something to intensify the drink, as well as a nod to the number of times they’ve ‘flipped’ their career in hospitality.
Von Ruinn described the drink as ‘a modern, fun, interactive take on a cheeky Vimto’ which pays homage to their first ever bar job where they were handed a pint glass of Ruby port and blue alcohol.
Von Ruinn added ‘that was my first cocktail, it was a super nostalgic experience for me because it was a proper welcome to the team, and it was my first time drinking on shift
I actually got given a chance to show them my identity through this drink’.
To stay as authentic as possible to the original drink, Von Ruinn went straight for the blue VK, their chosen Franklin & Sons product was the Pineapple and Almond Soda to compliment the tropical flavours in the VK. Alongside that they used a unique White Port from Leith which heightened the drink with its complimentary flavours of vanilla, almond and tropical bursts.
Von Ruinn added that it made the drink ‘more approachable, more refreshing’ which is what they wanted from this drink.
They added ‘I took blue VK and reduced it, then I split it and I punched some of it to make a cordial. I punched it with coconut milk and added some lactic and malic acid as well, just to keep the same flavours of the blue VK’.
The purpose of the coconut milk punch was to add new depth and flavour to the drink as well as altering the texture.
‘I took the other half of the reduced blue VK and I intensified that colour, so it was extra blue rather than clear like the cordial and I incorporated a really strong olive flavour’
The addition of olive is true to their background and interest in making savoury, bold drinks. They explained ‘the salinity from the olive is a really approachable ingredient for people because it gives you a cool new flavour and makes the drink savoury, and people are used to olives being in their cocktails already
So, it was still super accessible, which is a big interest of mine, to make sure that my drinks are weird, but I'm either incorporating styles or ingredients that folk won’t find intimidating’.
The VK and olive concentration added an interactive element for the drinker, Von Ruinn explained ‘I made a little isomalt bowl that you can then tip this concentrated blue and olive VK into the drink’.
This allowed the judges to control the intensity of the new flavour as well as giving them full control on the boldness of the blue.
When asked about the competition Von Ruinn couldn’t speak highly enough of their competitors, saying ‘they’re all so good at what they do. They're so interesting. Their presentations were all thought out. Their drinks absolutely slapped’.
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Taking home the trophy was a great feat for them, especially in such a supportive environment, they added ‘everybody was really affirming and wholesome because we were not just getting to know each other by chit chat, we were literally watching them present a drink about their bartending career.
So, we got to know each other a bit more. Winning that day felt super special, more special than any other competition I've ever done’.
James Stimson, Senior Brand Manager at Franklin & Sons said ‘Elyse completely embodied the spirt of the competition.
Their drink was first of all fun and secondly creative – a twist on a cheeky Vimto. They poked fun at the current trend of clean, clear drinks with clean presentation saying that they weren’t from London and their bar was different in style, however, they then showed their clear love for that style by producing exactly that.
Considering this was their first competition, their story was effortless and natural incorporating elements of our brand story throughout.
Elyse is definitely one to watch and to be honest is just a bloody lovely person who truly deserved this win’.
A great advocate for the Flavour in Motion competition, they had some words of advice for their peers ‘for people that are nervous about entering competitions, everybody else is too, no matter how many times they've done it.
Doesn't matter what level you think you're at bartending wise, if you have understood the brief and you understood the concept, that's all you need to do.
Be authentic to whatever your process is and whatever your journey is and who you are, and you will succeed.’
The full specs of the Flip and Sip are below:
75ml Franklin & Sons Pineapple & Almond Soda
30ml Port of Leith Martha's White Port
20ml Clarified Blue VK Cordial*
7.5ml Olive Extra Blue VK reduction in an isomalt bowl
*Clarified Blue VK Cordial - Blue VK reduction, Malic & lactic acid, coconut milk
