This Baciami cocktail makes a polarising ingredient delicious

Sydney cocktail bar Apollonia may channel a Sicilian bandits’ drink den for inspiration, but their cocktails are far from rustic.

This beetroot banger, the Baciami — its name translates to ‘kiss me’, in Italian — offers layers of flavour, building upon a base of tequila.

“I’m not a huge fan of beetroot drinks, in the past I’ve tried a couple — I’ve never been really caught on it,” says Apollonia venue manager and bartender Alissa Gabriel.

“But this one, with the Arquitecto tequila, we do a beetroot grenadine which has a little bit of rose in it, some wattle seed tincture in it, and a splash of lemon — it’s quite bright, fresh, and you still get that earthy herbaceousness from the beetroot that comes through.”

The hero here really is the beetroot. Not only does it contribute a bright, vermillion red to the cocktail, its earthiness complements the agave and pepper notes of the Arquitecto Tequila.

So if you possess an alarming aversion to beetroot this one might not be for you. On the other hand, lie to yourself and imagine it’s not in there. It’s too delicious a drink to miss out on.

Baciami

Ingredients

• 45ml Arquitecto Tequila
• 20ml beetroot grenadine
• 20ml fresh lemon juice
• 5 drops wattle seed tincture

Instructions

1. In a stemless wine glass, build ingredients with crushed ice and churn to mix.
2. Add more crushed ice and garnish with an orange peel and beetroot powder.

Notes

Adapted from a recipe at Apollonia, Sydney

*For the beetroot grenadine

Juice enough beetroot to make 625ml. Combine the beetroot juice with 625g of cane sugar, 125ml of store bought pomegranate molasses and simmer on low heat until all sugar dissolves. Cool, then add 2ml of rose water, 2ml of orange bitters, and 2ml of vanilla essence.