Bar manager Jordan Taylor is a man of many words and even more talent. He’s smart, creative and a wee bit scientific — an ideal combination for the person heading up beverages at Harbord Hotel.
This season, Jordy put his skills to good use from the comfort of his rave cave — the name we’ve affectionately given his office, no points for guessing why — to deliver an exceptionally delicious winter cocktail list at Harbord Hotel. We caught up with Jordy to chat through our new cocktail menu, here’s what he had to say...
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“If there’s two phrases I’d use to describe this menu, it’d be ‘Whole Fruit’ and ‘Texture’. I’m big on seasonality, and this one celebrates a lot of those bold winter citrus flavours, but we love to keep a good splash of summer because we’re by the sea.”
Jordy prides himself on crafting syrups, infusions and other products from whole fresh fruits in house, for a two-pronged result.
“Skins, piths, flesh and even seeds have different properties that I like to utilise in different ways, for example the skin of the mandarins is used to make my mandarin Aperol, and the flesh is used to make a great edible cookie garnish.”
It’s not just fruit that gets the special Jordy treatment, he’s also fond of using unexpected ingredients to give depth and interest to well-loved drinks.
“I’ve always loved dabbling in food science when it comes to drink creation, part of that is utilising alternative food acids to give ingredients unique properties. A big star of the show this time around is lactic acid. It adds a wonderful, round mouthfeel to drinks in a way that is frankly kind of unexpected. You’ll find it doing its thing in our Strawberries and Cream Rose Spritz and the Creaming Campari and Soda. Don’t worry, it’s 100% plant-derived and lactose free!”
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“Oleo saccharum also forms a component of this list. Basically it’s a fancy word for a syrup derived from natural essential oils that are in the skin of fruits. It’s by no means a new thing — recipes for oleo saccharum have been around since the 1800s. You’d be surprised as to how much flavour is contained in fruit skins, a component that is often discarded.
“Because it’s getting chillier out, I’ve made a Horchata a core component in my menu. It’s basically a Spanish beverage that’s made with rice, almonds and cinnamon (and normally dairy — not our one though! Ours is vegan). It’s got this wonderful creamy texture from the ground rice and it’s such a cozy, yet refreshing beverage.”
You can view our new cocktail menu here.
FIVE QUICK-FIRE Qs WITH JORDY:
- Day party or all-nighter? I’m a man of the night. All nighter
- Would you rather: Tastebuds that make everything taste like puppies or ears that make every song sound like a lullaby? Lullabies for sure, need to sleep sometimes
- If you could have any superpower, what would it be? Seeing into the future
- Go-to drink on a night out? Mr. Black Espresso Martini
- Fave travel destination? Dublin