Cocktails With… Yugnes Susela

The head bartender of Smoke & Mirrors talks culinary techniques, Cast Away, peking duck jus and wasabi cherries in Barcelona.

What’s the concept behind the new menu?

Coming from a restaurant background, I’ve always wanted to weave culinary techniques into the art of cocktail craft using a chef-driven approach. We spent hours behind the scenes experimenting with different ingredients to elevate flavour profiles. Our aim was to use simple ingredients to achieve an explosion of flavours using culinary techniques that may not always be used behind the bar. 

What are some of these culinary-inspired cocktails?

Most of the cocktails in the new menu use home-made infusions, bitters and syrups. Smoked Up, a drink inspired by the plight of Chuck Noland in the Tom Hanks movie Cast Away, incorporates Lapsang Souchong in tequila; a type of black tea from the Fujian province of China, famous for its distinctive are more than what meets the eye, which fits the Smoke & Mirrors moniker. Adopting a “deconstruct to reconstruct” approach, the edible pumpkin leaf garnish for the sweet and nutty-flavoured 12am Misery is created from scratch. Truly a labour of love, the edible garnish is created from a blend of pumpkin and Mexican Tarragon, which is then placed in a custom-made leaf mould and dried overnight. Indian Borage, also commonly known as Mexican Mint, is dyed in vibrant colours to mimic leaves of the four seasons in the refined and light Temporada. 

Tell us more about the exciting flavour combinations you discovered during the process.

There’s a hint of umami in Duck’s Fat Hope—our twist of the daiquiri made with jackfruit-infused rum, five-spiced honey and finished with droplets of peking duck jus. I think everyone, including me, was surprised at how well the peking duck jus complemented the jackfruit and five-spiced flavours, and how it added depth to the drink. Wasabi cherry was an ingredient that I discovered during a work trip to Barcelona, which had a sweet intensity to it that lingered in my mind. I decided to use the wasabi cherries as an edible accompaniment in Usagi’s Tipple, which is a Smoke & Mirrors version of the classic Martini with pink peppercorn-and baby carrot-infused gin and dry vermouth. 

If you had to choose one, what would you say is your favourite drink at the moment?

Third Fire Cannon. We spent a lot of time and effort creating the hybrid two-toned pineapple garnish for the drink. I like the quirky presentation in a tiki Singapore mug. 

And if you had to drink just one drink for the rest of your life, what would it be and why?

Water, for survival, but also Gin & Tonic—it’s a drink with endless variations.