The season was opened with a Gin workshop of Ezio Canetti, the Italian bartender, ambassador of Gin Mare, who came to Jerusalem to guide the Waldorf Astoria team on the joys of G&T. Ezio explained that Gin is distilled from Juniper Berries and is seasoned with herbs and spices. Gin Mare’s gin is distilled 8 times and has Mediterranean aromas such as olives, thyme, rosemary and basil. It reflects the Mediterranean climate and lifestyle also in the way it is served – chilled with fruits and herbs.
Gin & Tonic Workshop with Ezio Canetti
Ezio guided the guests who came to the bar opening
and taught us how to prepare G&T drinks:
Gin & Tonic with Fruit
Gin and Tonic should always be served in a
chilled glass. So firstly, we fill the glass with ice and stir it until the
glass feels frozen, and then, get rid of the water that was formed. Then, pour 50 ml of
Gin (the bottle’s lid is the measurement cup) and one tonic bottle. We pour the
tonic water slowly on the long spoon to blow little bubbles and leave only the
big bubbles in the drink. Then, we added 2 drops of orange syrup and added a dried
orange. The bar serves it with a piece of Mango. G&T drinks are served in a
fat glass, this way the nose is inside the glass when we drink to inhale the
spices' aromas of the drink.
Gin & Tonic with Lemon and Mint
Here we used a shaker. We put a lot of ice in
the shaker, add 50ml of Gin, 3 fresh mint leaves, 25 ml (half lid) of lemon
juice and the same amount of sugar water and a bottle of tonic water. We shake,
and serve in a wide glass.
The G&T drinks add on to the Garden Terrace menu
that already offers alcoholic beverages and fancy cocktails, including smoked
cocktails. You can read more about them in my article about the
Garden Terrace from last year.
G&T Cocktail at the Garden Terrace bar
Here are the classic and unique “G&T”
drinks are available on the Garden Terrace beverages menu:
Gin Mare , Olive and Sea Salt
-
The Mediterranean flavors of Gin Mare paired with rinsed olives, a crumble of
sea salt flakes, and an extra zest of lemon peel
Gin Mare, Mango - Freshly sliced mango decorates this version of our gin and
tonic, bringing fruity thirst-quenching forward note that elevates the gin.
Gin Mare, Thyme and Basil
-
Garden Terrace fresh thyme and basil leaves are added to Gin Mare and tonic, to
give you a light herbaceous take on the “G&T”.
Beefeater 24 - This super-premium green tea inspired gin is paired with
lemon verbena and Fever Tree lemon tonic.
Hendricks - Here we lift
the cucumber and rose water essences in the gin by adding fresh cucumber spirals
and aromatic dried rose petals.
Tanqueray
10 -
The first gin to enter the Spirits Hall of Fame, created with chamomile flowers
and fresh limes, oranges and grapefruits; we've picked up on those
characteristics to pair this gin with fresh pink grapefruit.
Plymouth
-
Plymouth gin has a flavor profile all of its own, robust and aromatic. They've
complimented those flavors by adding sweet fresh strawberries and the spice of
black peppercorns.
Seating at the terrace is very nice. The terrace is
pleasantly decorated with a wooden floor, rattan furniture with colorful
pillows and is surrounded by flowers and herbs. The view of Jerusalem around
and the dim lights makes is very romantic! It is a little cool in May so you might want
to bring a jacket.
In addition to the drinks and cocktails, the bar offers
excellent tapas made by Chef Itzik Mizrahi Barak. Albeit their small size they
are as fine as any meal made here at the Waldorf Astoria! We tasted some of the
tapas on the menu (that was not yet published at the time of the writing) – and
loved them all!
Chef Itzik Mizrahi Barak (right) at the opening night |
Tapas
Salmon Gravlax
herbal marinade, oranges, gin. They spray this dish with gin - fancy!
Salmon Tartar
radishes, chives, fennel, olive oil, lemon, orange cream, and gin. Fresh and crunchy
with lemon and anis flavor!
Pullet Tortilla
pesto, sweet potato, crispy lettuce leaves. Excellent!
Mini Shawarma
pita, tahini cream, eggplant, hot peppers. It is served on a pita bread, with spices that are strong but not too hot.
Spicy Merguez Flavored Kebab chickpea
dish, tomatoes, tahini, pickled peppers. The kebab is relatively firm but with mild
spiciness and a gentle merguez flavor (not too dominant) – very good!
Entrecote Medallion a la Plancha sweet
potato, demi-glace. Very well prepared, pink inside and melts in the mouth,
goes well with the sweetness of the mashed sweet potato. I am always impressed
when the meat is soft and tender albeit the process of preparation to make it Kosher “Mehadrin” – and chef Itzik succeeds big time!
For dessert was had non-dairy ice cream –
pink mint ice cream and an excellent vanilla ice-cream bar.
In summary, the terrace is lovely! I enjoyed
sitting there so much! When it will be warmer and the days will be longer in
the summer it will be so great! The food is excellent although they are tapas
and the portions are very small. The Cocktails are superb! In the photograph
below – the Garden Terrace from above.
Additional reading: Waldorf Astoria Hotel Jerusalem, The summer bar (2017 review, including the smoked cocktails).
Information
The
Garden Terrace is open to hotel guests and the general public from Sunday to
Thursday between 6:30 pm – 11:30 pm. Guests will enjoy 2 hours complimentary
parking in the hotel car park. For reservations call: 972-2-5423333
E-mail:Jerusalem@waldorfastoria.com
Prices: tapas NIS45-65, wines and
alcoholic beverages starting from around NIS40, G&T drinks around NIS90.
Kosher Mehadrin
Disclosure: I was a guest of the
Garden Terrace
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