March Outturn 2024 Interview
To celebrate International Women’s Day for 2024, we asked some absolute trailblazers in the spirits trade some questions about flavour, unusual pairings, and their love of this amazingly diverse game we call whisky!
Trish Brew, Fever Tree
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How long have you been working in the industry?
I have been in the drinks industry for 19 years this year! I’ve done it all in hospitality, from bar backing to venue management, and now on the corporate side of the drinks industry as the Ambassador for Fever-Tree!
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What about whisky do you enjoy that you think sets it apart from other spirits and drinks?
For something that sounds like a straightforward process, whisky is a finicky thing and has so many variables! Mostly I love the varieties, and there truly is a whisky for every feeling and occasion! For example, if I’ve had a bad breakup, I will be grabbing a cask-strength peaty bombshell to truly wash the bad taste out of my mouth! Just kidding — or am I!?
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What’s your favourite thing about working with Fever Tree?
Fever-Tree changed the game for mixing drinks! Using the highest quality, naturally sourced ingredients, I really could not ask for better! As most imbibers mix their spirits, it’s exciting to find someone with a perfect spirit/mixer pairing. The look in their eyes when they taste maximum deliciousness is unrivalled! For example, recently I was lucky enough to join a livestream with the SMWS, and having a barrage of whisky nerds drink an American whiskey and Fever-Tree distillers cola and being blown away was exquisite! Definitely a crowd not typically partial to a bourbon and cola, I’d wager! ~Chef’s kiss~
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What are the flavours of a dram you tend to gravitate towards?
My whisky journey is all over the place! I fell in love with large peaty numbers, then moved on to big, rich sherried styles, and now I’m enjoying salty/medicinal drams thoroughly! I’d also never turn down a Rye Whiskey! So basically all of them 😀
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March is about unusual flavour pairings — what’s the weirdest flavour combination you’ve ever created (or enjoyed)?
Whisky & Tonic! I know — WILD! But trust me, there is something about adding a refreshing zing to the warmth of a whisky that just works! I highly recommend the Fever-Tree Mediterranean Tonic for a more subtle whisky, or the Fever-Tree Indian Tonic for a more bold and robust style! Get creative with citrus; a pink grapefruit wedge, a swath of orange, or even a lemon wheel should do the trick!
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What’s a food you would infuse whisky with that you think could work? Like a left-field dream flavour combination?
Some weird ones I have tried that might not be crazy but certainly work include: coffee beans, pineapple, and bacon fat washing. *Separately not together, of course. I would love to try parmesan or some other kind of salty cheese! I think that would be super delicious!
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What’s the strangest ingredient you’ve ever used in a cocktail?
Not an ingredient that I have used personally, but I was lucky enough to travel to Bangkok last year, and I went to a fabulous bar called Find The Locker Room that served a drink with bugs in it! They had a ‘bug of the day’ which changed the cocktail to match the bug. Very gross; so obviously I ordered one!
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Do you prefer contrasting or complementing flavours?
When it comes to flavours, it’s all about finding the perfect match for the spirit. Fever-Tree’s premium mixers are tailor-made for dark spirits like whiskey. Here’s my go-to guide: Pair lighter whiskies with Fever-Tree Ginger Ale, bold ones with Fever-Tree Ginger Beer, and classic American styles with Fever-Tree Distillers Cola. To fine-tune the balance, add a touch of citrus: lime or lemon for less sweetness, orange or mandarin for those with a sweet tooth. And if things still feel off, just add more whisky — works like a charm! Well, at least for me…
This article is featured in March 2024 Outturn — bottles will be available to purchase on Friday the 1st of March at midday AEDT exclusively to members of The Scotch Malt Whisky Society. Not a member? Click here to learn more about the world’s most colourful whisky club.
