Members of the J Wray & Nephew team have been on the road this week with SKYY International Mixologist Otis Steven Florence. Thursday Life caught up with Florence Monday evening at the J Wray & Nephew Dominica Drive bar over three very smooth cocktails, the aptly named Dominica Drive, Button Down and Emancipation Park Swizzle. Naturally we left with the recipes.

“Cin Cin”

Dominica Drive

Ingredients:

1/2 oz lime juice

1 bar spoonful of sugar

2 oz SKYY Vodka Moscato Grape

Soda water

Method:

Shake vigorously with ice

Pour into iced highball glass

Top with soda water and garnish with lime wheels

Button Down

Ingredients:

2 oz SKYY Vodka

1 oz fresh pineapple juice

1/2 oz lime juice

2 bar spoons full of sugar

Method:

Shake vigorously with ice

Pour into martini glasses

Emancipation Park Swizzle

– a variation of the classic cocktail called the Queens Park Swizzle

Ingredients:

2 oz SKYY Vodka

1 oz fresh lime juice

3/4 oz simple syrup

Small handful of fresh mint

Angostura Bitters

Method:

Muddle mint and other ingredients together

Lightly stir

Put crushed ice to the top of the glass

Top with 3 dashes of Angostura Bitter

Cap with crushed ice

Garnish with a sprig of mint

# 9450 Otis Florence enjoying guineps en route to the Appleton Estate.

Dominica Drive

OTIS AT BARTENDER TRAINING

Otis Florence muddles fresh mint for the Queen’s Park Swizzle

Dominica Drive

Button Up

Entertainment Report Executive Producer Anthony Miller (left) stopped by to sample SKYY Vodka cocktails with J Wray & Nephew’s Group Brand Manager for International Wines & Spirits, Debbian Spence-Minott and SKYY International mixologist Otis Florence

TRAINING ROOM

SKYY Bartender training session held in the J Wray & Nephew Training Room and Bar at 23 Dominica Drive. Skyy Vodka’s brand manager, Ibrahim Konteh invited over 20 bartenders and bar managers in the Kingston area to participate in a 2-hour SKYY Training hosted by SKYY’s international mixologist Otis Florence, who is on the island helping to enhance and elevate the bartending experience in Jamaica.

Bartenders and Bar Managers from The Pub, Usain Bolt’s Tracks & Records, Top Shelf, 689 by Brian Lumley, Cuddyz, Countryside Club, Jo Jo’s, Triple Century and J Wray & Nephew Limited participated in a 2-hour SKYY bartender training hosted by SKYY International mixologist Otis Florence at J Wray & Nephew’s Kingston office at 23 Dominica Drive.

Milton Wisdom TOP SHELF

Top Shelf bartender, Milton Wisdom samples a SKYY Cocktail courtesy of SKYY International mixologist Otis Florence

SIDE BAR

Thursday Life Takes A Few With Otis… # 9536

Otis Florence began bartending in 2008 in San Francisco at the acclaimed Cantina guided by Duggan McDonnell.

Florence’s next move was New York where he matched skills with the highly respected team at Pouring Ribbons working with cocktail greats such as Joaquin Simo and Toby Maloney. The internationally acclaimed team at Attaboy would follow where he developed his classical knowledge of cocktails with the former bartenders of Milk and Honey: Sam Ross and Michael Mcilroy.

Florence, who also has his own consulting firm, Many Thanks Inc, has developed cocktails for the US national launch of SKYY Vodka Moscato Grape, SKYY’s newest addition to the family.

The busy bartender is developing a national US programme called Cocktails On Tap with SKYY Vodka, which will bring craft cocktails to places untouched by the cocktail world.

Otis is in Jamaica for a week working alongside bartenders in Kingston and Montego Bay. He’s also checking out the Jamaican nightlife as he creates new SKYY Vodka cocktail recipes incorporating local fruits and spices.

Look out for Otis tomorrow at MegaMart in Kingston where he’ll be creating SKYY Vodka mixes that you’ll be able to sample.

What are craft cocktails?

It’s such a hot term right now that we reckon you just might want to know.

Craft cocktails are signature cocktails for which every element is handmade or tailored specifically to the drink. Look out for drinks served in custom glassware, poured over custom ice cubes, mixed with house-made syrups and finished with a dash of bitters.

Whether simple or complex, the results are cocktails that are made with a lot more care than your usual mixed drinks. The result ought to be a much more satisfying experience.