An English earl is celebrating his Brazilian roots as part of a new collaboration that has caused quite a stir in the world of cocktails.
William Seymour, Earl of Yarmouth, together with Matthew Hiscoe – owner of Café Cocktail in Stratford-upon-Avon – have created a perfect blend by mixing their skills to create a unique drink using William’s internationally award-winning St Maur elderflower liqueur.
Since opening Café Cocktail in Greenhill Street with his wife Ginnene and mother, Jill, last summer, Matthew has been passionate about bringing his 20 years of hospitality experience, both as a Royal Academy of Culinary Arts Specialised Chef graduate and as expert mixologist to help showcase local brands in his range of new cocktails.
Commenting on the collaboration with Lord Yarmouth, Matthew said: “I’ve always had a passion for cocktails and my chef experience helps as there is actually huge crossover between the two disciplines. Once you understand flavours, provenance and balance, you can then apply this to your creations.
“I’m so happy to be working with William. What’s great is we genuinely love each other’s businesses. There are actually very few elderflower liqueurs on the market and there are even fewer good ones, so to find something great is fabulous. It’s a bartender’s dream to be able to find a good liqueur because they’re the heart and soul of so many cocktails.”
Described as ‘a little drop of England’s heart,’ St Maur has already earned William and Kelsey a number of prestigious industry awards, including gold at the Global Spirits Awards in Las Vegas.
The earl, who counts Henry VIII’s wife Jane Seymour, as one of his ancestors, is the eldest son of the Marquess of Hertford, from Ragley Hall in Warwickshire, his family’s seat since the 18th century. Less well known is William’s Brazilian heritage, on his mother’s side.
Flor Antiga, which is now on Café Cocktail’s menu, is made using St Maur and Cachaça, a Brazilian spirit from the rum family.
The ingredients and name of the cocktail, which in Portuguese means ‘elderflower’, were chosen to reflect William’s roots from both sides of his family.
Commenting on his family background William said: “In this country people would be familiar with my family’s English heritage, and having been associated with Ragley Hall for much of my life, many people will assume I’m all very English. Actually I’m half Brazilian. It is a heritage to celebrate, especially with my own boys as they grow up in the heart of England.
“My Brazilian heritage is no less important than my English one. It’s part of who I am and I’m proud of it. It opens the door to the world of an interesting and exciting culture.”
Following the success of the new St Maur-inspired cocktail that this new collaboration will lead to long-term partnering between the two south Warwickshire businesses.
For more information about Café Cocktail visit their website
For more information about St Maur visit their website