Locality - Liquid Intelligence - The Cocktail Lovers

This article was written for The Cocktail Lovers “Liquid Intelligence” series, where the brief was to dig into the idea of “local” through a technical lens — not just local produce, but local microbiomes, regional terroir and the living ecosystems that shape flavour. The piece explores how locality influences cocktails far beyond simple sourcing, pulling in fermentation, raw honey, native botanicals, waste-stream ingredients, and the old rule that “what grows together goes together.” It looks at how bartenders can build hyper-local serves by tapping into the natural microbes, fruits and flora tied to a spirit’s origin — in this case, creating a Chablis-inspired lacto honey to pair with Renais Gin. Anyone into fermentation techniques, terroir-driven drinks, or modern cocktail science will get a lot from this one.

For over 100 years classic cocktail recipes and styles were passed from country to country, down the generational bartender ladder, defining what a cocktail should taste like, and how it is composed, taking fruits like the humble Citrus Limon and propelling them to stardom, now a staple on every cocktail list, in every bar, in every city in the world, whether it is native to the region or not.

The growing trend of locality is redefining the hospitality landscape, regional flavors are starting to shine through, you now have distinctly Australian cocktails with all sorts of myrtles, wattleseed, finger-limes and gums, South American cocktails with their rich tapestry of corns and exotic fruits the likes of which have never been seen on the global stage, locality is adding color, depth and complexity to our little black book of drinks.

How do we create the ultimate local cocktail? Do you focus on local farms and foraged flora? Or if you’re in the city, do you utilize a waste stream from a local producer like coffee chaff from your local roaster? 

These are all great starting points but it is also worth noting that a local serve doesn't necessarily have to mean local ‘to you’, but could be local to the region of your base spirit, or the style of cocktail you are trying to design. The old adage, “what grows together, goes together,” has never been truer when it comes to cocktails. And this is because of the local microbiomes that exist around the world. The unseen underworld connecting plants and animals, diligently working away, decomposing and giving life to everything that grows. This is most evident in spontaneously fermented products like sourdough, some sour beers, mead, krauts, kimchis and more.

This inevitably leads us to raw honey. Captured within honey’s sticky confines is a host of bacteria, yeast and pollen from the immediate vicinity of where it was sourced, and by diluting honey it allows us to wake up these colonies and kick start them into action fermenting the sugars into complex flavors. These colonies can be further enhanced by utilizing yeasts on freshly grown or foraged goods to infuse into your honey. All of this microbial action needs to be controlled and that's where salt comes in, arresting the development of any nasties. A great base recipe for this Lacto Scented Honey can be found in the god of all books on the matter: Noma Guide To Fermentation.

For this example we are going to make a cocktail with Renais Gin from Chablis, and so we will make a Lacto Scented Honey using ingredients native to Chablis. Indicative to the region is acacia honey with trees growing adjacent to the vines, I have a few jars of raw acacia honey from my trips there. We can scent this with fresh chardonnay grapes and white rose that grows at the end of each row of vines.

To make 700g

375g water

20g non-iodized salt

375g acacia honey [insert raw local honey of choice here]

10g white rose petals [insert local herbs, or flavorings here]

250g sliced chardonnay grapes [insert local fruit of vegetables of choice here]

Dissolve the salt and honey  in water and then add the elderflower and washed grapes. This can be added to a jar or vacuum bag and left to ferment for 5 - 7 days depending on ambient temperature. Make sure you taste everyday to see how the acidity and funk is developing.

When ready, strain the liquid and incorporate into your cocktail of choice, here I’ll make a version of the Bee’s Knees since we are playing with Renais Gin.

50ml Renais Gin

50ml Lacto Chablis Scented Honey

25ml fresh lemon juice

20ml eggwhite or alternative

Shake hard with ice and strain into a deep coupe

Locality in cocktails isn’t about shrinking your world — it’s about widening your understanding of where flavour really comes from. When you zoom in on a region’s plants, microbes, soils and traditions, you start to uncover layers that no generic syrup or imported citrus can offer. It’s the interplay between place, process and palate that gives a drink its identity. Whether you’re drawing from the land around you, the terroir of your base spirit, or the natural cultures living on the ingredients themselves, locality becomes a creative engine. It pushes cocktails into new territory while keeping them rooted in something real.

If you’re experimenting with your own local ingredients, ferments or terroir-driven serves, reach out. I’m always keen to chat through ideas or see what you’re creating behind the bar.