The Ocho Watchman is an original Bacardi Legacy 2017 Cocktail created by Matt Boyle, which will be showcased at the Global Finals in Berlin, Germany at the end of May. This cocktail took home top honours at the Canadian Final on February 13, 2017. It is a well-balance, spirit-forward cocktail which uses two modifiers to highlight Bacardi Ocho. Cynar artichoke amaro & Martini bianco expand the beautiful aged flavours and aromas acquired through American Oak aging of the Ocho and are tied together with a bitters blend of Scrappy’s Grapefruit, Angostura and Peychaud’s.
This award winning cocktail is an homage to the late Leonard Cohen’s, who’s famous song “First We Take Manhattan” is the central theme in the cocktail. The Ocho Watchman is a variation of The Manhattan; more specifically the El Presidente. Cohen’s second stanza states “And Then We Take Berlin.” The Global Finals are in Berlin and Boyle believes that it is time for a Canadian to take a Global Cocktail Championship, “I believe that we have been knocking at the door for a long time and that our bartenders are second-to-none. I believe it is time we take Berlin.”
You can follow Matt’s Bacardi Legacy Journey by checking back in on this page as we will have all of the information surrounding the Global Finals. If you wish to help in his cause, please share a picture of the cocktail, or a video of you making it and use the hashtags: #TheWatchmanNS and #TakeBerlin.
50ml Bacardi Ocho
20ml Martini Bianco
15ml Cynar Artichoke Amaro
2 dashes Scrappy’s Grapefruit Bitters
1 dash Angostura Aromatic Bitters
Garnish: Grapefruit Oils & Star Anise
Glassware: Nick & Nora
Method: Put all ingredients into a chilled mixing glass and fill with ice. Stir cocktail ingredients until ice cold and well diluted. Use a julep strainer and pour all ingredients into a chilled Nick & Nora glass. Garnish with grapefruit oils and a star anise pod.
