Five Dollar Shake is the cocktail I made for the 2024 Amaro Montenegro Vero Bartender Competition and represented Canada with in the Global 2024 Finals hosted in Bologna, Italy. The theme was “90’s Calling”. Five Dollar Shake is inspired by the iconic Quentin Tarantino film Pulp Fiction released in 1994.
Five Dollar Shake pulls inspiration from the iconic diner scene in Pulp Fiction where Mia Wallace and Vincent Vega go out to a diner and Mia orders a 5 dollar shake. Vincent’s in disbelief by the price for something that is just a milkshake, no alcohol added. He’s then pleasantly surprised at how good it tastes once Mia shares it with him.
This vanilla milkshake compliments the sweet vanilla notes of Montenegro, and the added ingredients pair with the other complexities of Montenegro such as its citrus flavours and bitter and herbaceous profile.
45 ml Amaro Montenegro
15 ml Gonzalez Byass Nectar Pedro Ximenez Dulce Sherry
15 ml Giffard Banane Du Bresil Liqueur
2.5 ml “Fox Force Five” Premio **
125 g Häagen-Dazs Vanilla Bean Ice Cream
Garnishes:
– Whipped Cream
– Grated Ceylon Cinnamon and Nutmeg
– Amaro Montenegro Infused Maraschino Cherry
Method: Combine all ingredients to a milkshake maker. I used my mother’s vintage milkshake maker from the 90’s for the sake of the theme of this cocktail, but as this is not an easily accessible item – a blender can work as well, just a reminder to not blend for too long as you want a thick consistency.
Pour blended ingredients into a chilled milkshake glass and finish it off with whipped cream, a light grating of cinnamon and nutmeg as well as an Amaro Montenegro infused maraschino.
** To integrate the Montenegro notes throughout the entire cocktail, I made an infusion using 5 spices (cinnamon, cardamom, allspice, cloves, and nutmeg) with Dillon’s Absinthe. In turn, my Fox Force Five Premio is a spiced-infused absinthe.
Fox Force Five is the name of the show that Mia Wallace starred in. Fox Force Five is a group of five secret agents, and as Mia puts it, “A force to be reckoned with.”
Montenegro’s own Premio recipe – which means “prize” in Italian – is added into every bottle. It is the seventh and final tasting note that is a result of a micro-distillation of 5 unique botanicals. The concoction is so intense, only a single drop in a bottle is needed to complete the celebrated recipe. Hence, the desire to create a 5 ingredient infusion and secret recipe for this cocktail, and only use a small amount of its potency much like Montenegro.