“The A game is on its way to Sydney.”

So says Josh Reynolds, beverage director for Point Group, about the bartending talent set to attend this year’s World Class Cocktail Festival. The festival will blow into Sydney from September 9 to 18 and feature award winning local and global talent, who will turn the city into a celebration of the art of cocktail making via unique collaborations, fine dining takeovers and one-off pop-up bars. It’s a showcase of the very best of Australia’s unique hospitality culture, and celebrates the skills, creativity and charisma of our vibrant local scene.

“Up at Sky Bar we’ve got Lorena Vásquez, who’s the master distiller of [Guatemalan distillery] Ron Zacapa rum – she’ll be there for two nights,” Reynolds says. “We’ve got Monica Berg, the owner and operator of Tayer & Elementary in London [currently ranked second best bar in the world by The World’s 50 Best Bars], doing a Singleton [single malt Scotch whisky] pop-up in the cocktail bar. Then we’ve got The Singleton bistroteca that’s happening all week in Menzies Bar.”

Over the past 13 years, World Class Cocktail Festival has been instrumental in transforming cocktail culture around the world and inspiring drinkers to think differently about cocktails. Its backbone? Some of the world’s most iconic spirits brands, including Johnnie Walker Blue Label, Don Julio tequila, Tanqueray No. TEN, The Singleton, Seedlip and Ketel One.

For a seasoned pro like Reynolds, the festival is an opportunity to get in on the action. During the event he’ll be showcasing the Hop Scotch Highball, built atop The Singleton of Dufftown Luscious Nectar 12 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky and available exclusively at Menzies Bar in the sprawling Shell House precinct.

“This cocktail is a fruity, tropical highball,” says Reynolds. “It’s extremely accessible, crisp and freezing cold. It’s showcasing those nuances of the whisky that some disregard.

“I’ve infused the whisky with pandan, a very aromatic leaf, which draws out the toasty, coconut aromas I get from the whisky.”

Reynolds then mixes up a cordial to further heighten the spirit. “It’s made from cumquat and finger lime, and there’s a bit of hops in there for more of the citrusy aroma,” he says. “I always find Scotch lends itself to citrusy, tropical flavours.”

The citra hops are macerated with finger lime, cumquat and sugar to extract the fragrant oils.

Those first two ingredients take a full day each to make – that’s a 24-hour infusion for the whisky and the same for the hops, finger lime and cumquat maceration. The next addition – passionfruit vinegar – takes a relatively speedy three hours to throw together.

“That’s passionfruit with the husks on but the pulp removed, rested in apple cider, salt and sugar for an hour,” says Reynolds. “Heat up that liquid for about five minutes, pour it over the husks and passionfruit pulp and just leave it to cool and infuse.”

If you’re not up to the challenge of making the Hop Scotch Highball at home, Reynolds’s drink will be available at Menzies Bar on the ground floor along with three other exclusive cocktails throughout World Class Cocktail Festival. There’ll be plenty more at Shell House to explore, too.

It’s all part of this year’s festival – all events and the line-up can be found at World Class Cocktail Festival.

Josh Reynolds’s Hop Scotch Highball
Makes 1 serving. Approx. 1 standard drink

Ingredients:
30ml pandan-infused The Singleton of Dufftown Luscious Nectar 12 Year Old Scotch Whisky
17.5ml hopped finger lime and cumquat cordial
7.5ml passionfruit vinegar
10ml fresh lemon
Soda

Method:
Add infused whisky, cordial, vinegar and lemon to a cocktail shaker. Shake. Strain over ice into a Collins glass. Garnish with a square of pandan leaf.

This story is produced by Broadsheet in partnership with The Singleton.

Enjoy responsibly.