MASTER MIXOLOGIST
"It was the theater in the bar 24/7 that I really fell in love with," said Moreland, 35. "Everyone has a story. Some were there because they were sad, or mad or glad. I loved being able to create something for someone that would make them feel better."
He specifically recalls a Monday night at closing time when a man walked in and asked for a drink. Moreland decided if the man asked for a beer he would say no.
"But, he asked for a sherry," Moreland said. "So I said yes. He spent the next two hours there crying, he had just lost his wife. I had never seen him before or after, but I knew I was able to give him something."
That did it. Moreland was hooked, realizing he could make a difference in a person's life with a cocktail and conversation.
He had found his niche.
Now a full-time mixologist, Moreland earned his reputation as a Class-A bartender working for nine years complementing Geoffrey Zakarian's cuisine at New York City hot spots including Town and Country.
"Gin is a challenge. Every gin brings in it's own personality," said Moreland, currently Bombay Sapphire Gin's U.S. Master Mixologist. "It is the hardest spirit to balance. One of the main reasons people don't enjoy gin these days is many bartenders don't know how to mix gin correctly. A quarter-ounce here or there makes all the difference with gin."
Gin, he says, has legs and a higher alcohol content. "Gin has a lot of heat. Bombay Sapphire is 94 percent (alcohol), while most vodkas are 80 percent and bartenders mix them the same. It's amazing how many times I mix a drink and people say 'I can't believe it's gin.'"
Gin also adds depth to a cocktail. "It's like comparing a fine red wine to a cheap one," said Moreland. "A cheap red wine starts and ends at the start of your mouth and doesn't go anywhere else. It doesn't reach the end of your palate."
With gin, your palate gets a workout. "The predominate flavor comes from the juniper berry, that's your middle note. Licorice is your low note and the citrus is your high note. Plus there are other botanicals that help build the bridges between those notes and close those gaps," he said of Bombay Sapphire which features 10 botanicals, similar to the herbs a chef would use.
Those botanicals also give gin the one-up on opening your appetite. The palate is dulled by sweet drinks or cocktails featuring fruit (which contain a lot of fiber) and wine, he said. "The botanicals in gin are what get your appetite going. Wine is not going to do that," he said.
Another plus for gin is that it is often hard to order one or two wines for an entire table while cocktails are much easier to pair with individuals and the dishes they order.
And for those of you who want to know the answer to the age-old question: Shaken or stirred? "Never, ever, ever shake a martini. It would be like taking a fine wine and shaking it. Air gets introduced and it is never as good as it first was."
One exception is a martini with fruit. "Those you can give a good royal shake to," said the Melbourne, Australia, native. "Any drink with fruit you can regard it as a punch. You are trying to blend fruit and spirit."
Another great tip is to always pour a cocktail into an iced glass.
Here are some of Moreland's favorite recipes using Bombay Sapphire gin (including his favorite, the Negroni, and the Sapphire Suriya, the official cocktail of Cirque du Soleil):
SAPPHIRE NEGRONI
1 ounce Bombay Sapphire gin
1 ounce Averna bitters
1 ounce Martini & Rossi Rosso vermouth
Yields 1 cocktail.
Serve on the rocks with a twist of orange.
SAPPHIRE SURIYA
1 ounce Bombay Sapphire gin
3 ounces fresh pineapple juice
Drizzle of Chambord
Yields 1 cocktail.
Serve in chilled martini glass.
SAPPHIRE CANARY
3 ounces Bombay Sapphire gin
10 drops premium orange liqueur (such as Grand Marnier)
5 drops Angostura bitters
20 drops natural gum sap
Yields 1 cocktail.
Serve in rocks glass with sugared rim and a twist of lemon.
ROYAL SCARLETT MARTINI
3/4 ounce Bombay Sapphire gin
1 ounce ruby port
3/4 ounce sweet vermouth
Yields 1 cocktail.
Place gin, port and vermouth in a cocktail shaker filled with ice and shake until well-chilled. Serve in a martini glass.
THE CALYX
4 cubes honeydew melon
Juice of 1/2 tangerine
1 leaf fresh mint, plus mint sprig for garnish
1 1/2 ounces Bombay Sapphire gin
Splash of ginger beer
Yields 1 cocktail.
In cocktail shaker, muddle melon, tangerine juice and mint leaf. Add gin and fill shaker with ice. Shake until well-chilled. Pour through fine-mesh strainer into rocks glass filled with ice. Top with splash of ginger beer and garnish with mint sprig.
THE GINGER GRAPE
13 green grapes
2 small slices ginger root
1 1/2 ounces Bombay Sapphire gin
Yields 1 cocktail.
Place 12 grapes and ginger root in cocktail shaker and muddle to release juices. Add gin and fill with ice. Put top on shaker and shake until well-chilled. Pour cocktail through fine-mesh strainer into martini glass. Garnish with remaining grape on cocktail skewer.
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