If you have a weak spot for quality spirits and creative concoctions, our definitive list of swanky aperitifs is likely to have your taste buds tingling and your credit card weeping. This list has been created with one rule in mind: each of the cocktails featured must justify its price on drinkable ingredients alone. You’ll find no diamond necklaces or bejewelled goblets here, I’m afraid.
Original Mai Tai, The Merchant Hotel
Price: US $1,270
Looking for a taste of sunny Polynesia in not-so-sunny Northern Ireland? There’s only one place to get it. The Original Mai Tai cocktail, served at the bar of Belfast’s The Merchant Hotel, originated from Trader Vic’s in 1944 and justifies its eye-watering price tag by using the same, incredibly expensive rare rum.
What’s in it?
Taken from a recipe dating back to the early 1900s, the cocktail includes a generous serving of 17-year-old J. Wray & Nephew Jamaican rum, French Garnier Orgeat, Holland DeKuyper Orange Curacao and is finished with a splash of rock candy syrup and the juice of one fresh lime. Tasty.
Ritz-Paris Sidecar, Bar Hemingway
Price: US $1,670
Ask the glitzy Hotel Ritz-Paris about the origin of the cognac-based sidecar and they will say that it was invented in their very own Bar Hemingway at the turn of the 19th century. However, the cocktail has strong links with New York, and others still argue that London is the unquestionable birthplace. But one thing’s for sure. Paris has the most expensive one.
What’s in it?
If you’re wondering why this particular sidecar is so pricey, here’s your answer: Ritz Fine Champagne 1865 Cognac. Bottled in the mid-1800s, the chosen brandy is known for being brewed from incredibly rare pre-phylloxera grapes. Additional ingredients include Cointreau and fresh lemon juice. Simple, yet effective.
27.321, Burj Al Arab
Price: US $7,439
Whenever the pre-fix ‘world’s most expensive’ is mentioned, Dubai isn’t too far behind. Until 2012, the glittering desert-state held the official Guinness World Record for its 27.321 Macallan Whisky cocktail, served in the city’s iconic sail-shaped “seven-star” Burj Al Arab. Partygoers willing to part with more than US $7,000 at the Skyview Bar were served the aperitif in an 18-karat gold glass, until the hotel ran out of its incredibly hard-to-come-by Scottish whisky.
What’s in it?
The base of the cocktail (and, quite aptly, its most expensive ingredient) is an extremely rare 55-year-old Macallan single malt whisky. Some would proclaim it a sin to mix a vintage spirit this good with homemade passion fruit sugar and dried fruit bitters, but it is quite apparent that Dubai’s affluent socialites couldn’t get enough.
Salvatore’s Legacy, Salvatore’s Bar
Price: US $8,316
Aptly nicknamed ‘The Maestro’, mixology expert Salvatore Calabrese has transformed cocktail making into an undisputed art form, creating some of the most sought-after vintage aperitifs ever seen. Two years ago, Calabrese made headlines when he mixed the world’s most expensive cocktail, humbly named Salvatore’s Legacy, at his bar in Mayfair’s Playboy Club London.
What’s in it?
The cocktail is concocted using a tasty combination of historic liquors, some of which date back to the 18th century. These include a 1778 Clos de Griffier Vieux Cognac, 1770 Kummel Liqueur and Dubb Orange Curacao circa 1860, all finished with two dashes of Angostura Bitters from the 1900s.
The Winston, Club 23
Price: US $12,970
If, like us, you did a double take when looking the price of this cocktail, we can assure you there is no mistake. At over US $12,000 a glass, The Winston is the undisputed champion of pricey aperitifs, as verified by Guinness World Records. For a taste of this tipple, you’ll have to head to Melbourne’s luxurious Club 23. But be warned, the bar’s mixology team need two days notice to prepare. So, what are they preparing?
What’s in it?
When explaining the ingredients used to create The Winston, it is best to start at the top. The cocktail uses an extremely rare 1858 Croizet cognac (a bottle once sold at auction for US $156,000) combined with a limited edition Grand Marnier Quintessence brandy and (a tongue-tying) Chartreuse Vieillissement Exceptionnellement Prolonge liquer. Finish with a dash of Angostura Bitters and a sprinkling of nutmeg, and you have the most expensive cocktail in the world.
