Simplicity is where it's at these days when it comes to cocktail-making.

Forget smokers and infusions – the new era of cocktails is scaled-back with a nod to the traditional. Think crisp G&Ts, mildly spiced Old Fashioneds, and rum flavoured by freshly juiced fruit.

That's what inspired The Westbury's head mixologist Micheál O'Shea, no doubt, when he created the VAMOS, a cocktail which has made it into the final three of the BACARDÍ Legacy Cocktail Competition.

Micheál's recipe brilliantly mixes a host of gentle flavours like honey and nutmug with punchy fruits like lime, green apple and grapes – and of course there's a generous splash of rum in there too. 

The best part? It's simple enough to make at home, so you could be whipping up a batch of these tomorrow night… or of course, you could just try the real thing at The Westbury's Marble Bar.

VAMOS Ingredients

  • 60ml BACARDÍ Carta Blanca
  • 20ml lime juice (half a lime)
  • 25ml cloudy apple juice
  • 20ml nutmeg honey syrup
  • 5 to 7 green grapes (halved)

Method

To make the syrup

1. Mix 2 parts honey with 1 part hot water.

2. Add 1 tsp of nutmeg (powdered or grated) per 200ml of syrup.

3. After a few minutes of infusing, fine strain the syrup to remove the nutmeg. This will keep well in the fridge – just bring up to room temperature before using.

 

To make VAMOS

1. Chill a coupe glass with ice (the rounder champagne glass) & leave aside

2.  Press the halved green grapes in a shaking glass with a cocktail muddler

3. Add in the nutmeg honey syrup and cloudy apple juice

4. Squeeze in half a juicy lime

5. Pour in BACARDÍ Carta Blanca

6. Top off with ice cubes to fill the glass

7. Shake all the ingredients together for 10-20 seconds

8. Remove the ice from your coupe glass & double strain into the glass

9. Garnish with a lime twist on the edge of the glass

 

Micheál’s Top Tips

Strain your mix first
"Cocktails containing muddled/pressed fruit that need to remain clean and crisp, require double straining," says Micheál. 

"To do this, simply pour your drink from the cocktail strainer through a fine mesh strainer into your glass to prevent fruit debris from entering the glass."

Don't forget the hot water!
"If you put honey into the cocktail on its own, it will stick to the ice in the drink," warns Micheál. 

"​Honey syrup is basically honey and hot water. Making a syrup means that you have the infused honey and nutmeg flavours, but it blends a lot better."