By any other name… This rose is a fresh, summery twist on the ubiquitous daiquiri By: Eva Wasney Posted: 3:00 AM CDT Friday, Jul. 9, 2021

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This article was published 09/07/2021 (1555 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Summer is daiquiri season for Scott Redfern.

When the weather warms and the sun is high in the sky, the bartender at Sous Sol naturally gravitates towards the refreshing rum-based drink.

“It’s just such a simple cocktail that you can put your own spin on with different flavours and fruits,” he says. “If I’m sitting outside or on a patio and I want a cocktail, normally it would be a daiquiri.”

Redfern isn’t talking about the blended, sickly sweet beverage found at most chain restaurants and during all-inclusive vacations.

He’s also keen to separate the drink from the image of famed writer and noted heavy drinker Ernest Hemingway, who purportedly ordered daiquiris in Cuba with double the alcohol and none of the sugar.

“You’re thinking of this old, surly man sitting in a boat, crushing daiquiris, and that’s not always what people want to be (associated with) — well, maybe a little,” he says. “Most of the time people try them and go, ‘Oh, wow, this is a nice, clean, simple cocktail.”

A classic daiquiri has rum, lime juice and simple syrup. Redfern’s recipe is decidedly non-traditional with the addition of rosé wine and a hint of sweetness from fresh watermelon.

He’s also created two versions of the cocktail to suit a variety of palates: the Summer Rose is spirit-forward and designed for slow sipping, while the Summer Garden is a taller, tropical-inspired drink.

Tropical drinks are a newer frontier for Redfern, 28, who has been bartending in Winnipeg for six years. He started working in kitchens in his early 20s and made the jump to front-of-house when he landed a job at the Grove.

He moved behind the bar and worked at The Cornerstone and Black Bird Brasserie before getting hired on at Sous Sol. The latter was something of a dream job for Redfern, who was in awe of the cocktails dreamt up by Erik Thordarson, the general manager and part-owner of the Osborne Village restaurant.

“I wanted to be able to join and learn and put my own stamp on a place that’s known for drinks,” he says, adding that his bartending style has gone from subtle, spirit focused cocktails to upscale tropical beverages over the last two years at Sous Sol. “Those are drinks with huge in-your-face flavours with a bunch of spices, so I’ve tried to take the big flavours and bring them down to a version of a martini or an old fashioned, or something like that.”

Bartending has looked different during the pandemic for obvious reasons. Even though restaurants are now allowed to sell alcohol with takeout orders, to-go cocktail kits don’t need quite as much tending.

Redfern is back behind the wood now, but he spent the majority of the last year working as a delivery driver for Sous Sol and GoodLocal, a Winnipeg delivery service for makers and businesses.

He’s excited to see the city’s burgeoning craft cocktail scene re-emerge with the return to in-house dining.

“These cool restaurants that are pushing the boundaries of what people think is normal in Winnipeg is always going to be a better thing for the city,” he says, pointing to the cocktail programs at The Roost, Patent 5 Distillery and Smith as examples. “There’s so many amazing bartenders in Winnipeg.”

Like many people in the restaurant industry, Redfern doesn’t take his work home with him. While the odd daiquiri-inspired cocktail might satisfy a summer craving, he’s not much of a home bartender — opting instead for a beer or a glass of cheap whisky after a long shift.

“I’m sure that my partner wishes I was making more cocktails,” he says with a laugh. “But sometimes it’s hard to get motivated when you’re just hanging out at home and you’re like, ‘Oh, I could probably just have a glass of wine.’”

eva.wasney@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @evawasney

 

Daiquiris with Scott Redfern

 

SUMMER ROSE 

1 1/2 oz Havana Club 3 Year
3 or 4 cubes of watermelon
1/2 a lime, juiced
2 oz rosé

Add all ingredients into cocktail shaker with ice and shake.

Double strain in coupe glass or glass of your choice.

 

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SUMMER GARDEN

1 1/2 oz Havana Club 3 Year
3 or 4 cubes of watermelon
1/2 a lime, juiced
2 oz rosé
1/2 oz pineapple juice
3/4 oz aperol

Add all ingredients into cocktail shaker with ice and shake.

Single strain into rocks or collins glass with ice.

Both are garnished with a lime wheel.

 

— Recipes by Scott Redfern, bartender at Sous Sol