London Fog

Lee Carre

On a cool, overcast day, I pop into California English. Instantly, I spot a yowza of a drink being served at a nearby table. Beverage Director Lee Carre tells me it’s called a London Fog, so named because “well, when you have a British-themed restaurant, you just want to go with something that goes with the motif. And since we did the smoke bubble on top, I thought about fog, so I just went with it.”

The bulbous libation is “a very colorful cocktail made with muddled raspberries, fresh lemon juice, elderflower liqueur and citrus-forward gin. And then we will present that with a tableside elderflower-scented smoke bubble.”

The drink was inspired by similar cocktails Carre has made in the past. “I just wanted to put my own spin on it. Going to a local gin really made all the difference: Storyhouse Coastal Gin is a bit more geared to the citrus side, and botanical, instead of the juniper side. So it goes really well with the lemon and raspberries.”

When coming up with the recipe, he started out with Bombay Sapphire, but “switched over to the Storyhouse because the Sapphire is very juniper-forward… Gin can be very herbaceous, and even a little bit pungent and sharp,” he acknowledges. “But some are very balanced. Especially when you start mixing gin with other flavors and other ingredients — it can really mellow them out.”

The glassy, iridescent bubble top is created using a specialty gun made by a brand called Flavour Blaster. “They only run about $400-500,” he says with a facetious chuckle. “Think about the little kid’s bubble wand that you used to dip into the solution and blow a bubble… It’s similar to that. There’s a solution that you put the tip of the bubble gun into ­ — it’s a type of calcium alginate solution, so it’s natural. And then the gun itself has a flavor cartridge that injects the flavor of the smoke and it heats it up, and creates the smoke,” explains Carre. “And then the solution holds the bubble in shape. As you pop it, there’s a nice smoke layer — or fog, as we call it — which enhances the elderberry liqueur and the floral notes that are in the cocktail.”

Presenting the drink can sometimes prove tricky, in Carre’s experience. “You also gotta watch out — outside, the wind can catch it. Or sometimes, a breeze will tilt it.”

California English

California English’s

London Fog

1 ¾ oz Storyhouse gin

1 ¼ oz St-Germain elderflower liqueur

1 oz lemon juice

4-5 raspberries (ripe)

½ oz simple syrup

In a mixing tin, muddle raspberries in lemon juice. Add remaining ingredients and ice to mixing tin. Shake well then double strain into martini glass. Top with smoke bubble using bubble gun by Flavour Blaster.