Insurrection Cocktail at Eve Bar

Feb 12, 2019

When you think of beetroot, you probably think of those jars of balls of vinegary unpleasantness that turn everything in their path the same shade of deep red. Definitely not the sort of thing you want to see floating in your £13 cocktail. Insurrection, however, wants to completely change your opinion of beetroot. The road to Insurrection began six years ago not with a drink but with a plate of food.

Cocktail Name: Insurrection

Served at: Eve Bar, London

What is in it? Havana tequila infused with beetroot, egg white, lemon, honey, dried beetroot

In three words: Beetroot-based margarita

Eve bar london

This dish, ‘Beetroot, Beetroot and More Beetroot’, is one of chef Adam Handler’s signature dishes, and is still being served in Frog, his restaurant above Eve in London’s West End. It combines beetroot and yuzu gel in a sugar casing with a beetroot panna cotta, all served with a dusting of beetroot powder.

One day, Handling set his bar manager a challenge: could he turn this dish into a beetroot cocktail? It had to have everything the dish had; the same texture as the creamy panna cotta with the powdery beetroot dusting and, of course, with a strong beetroot bite.

The bar manager accepted this challenge, replacing the panna cotta with egg white and the yuzu with blackcurrant. However, he maintained the beetroot powder which he combined with Havana tequila and created the margarita vibe, but with an earthy hit that brings the whole beetroot-based cocktail together.

Brought together, these ingredients create a drink with a sour base, topped with a creamy foam and a spattering of beetroot. A combo which doesn’t necessarily sound like they would work, but when made with the chef’s talent and flair for flavour, they make a drink that even the staunchest beetroot hater could be won over by.