Mix it Up: Exploring the Liquid Realm with Sailfish Inspired Cocktails

Welcome, fellow cocktail enthusiasts! Today, we're embarking on an exciting journey to explore the liquid realm with a twist – Sailfish inspired cocktails and mocktails. Whether you're an experienced mixologist or just looking for a fun new recipe to try, join us as we dive into the world of refreshing and innovative libations. 

As we embark on our mixology adventure, we'll be crafting a variety of Sailfish-inspired cocktails that capture the essence of boating. The recipes that follow were created by resident Sailfish Mixologist Jason Sorge, whose palate is refreshing and tropically inspired by his position as Creative Director of Beverage at the Fairmont Grand Del Mar in San Diego, CA.

From the breeze to the shore, each sip will evoke the vibrant beauty Sailfish's natural habitat. So, grab your shaker, ice, and favorite mixers as we set sail on this delicious escapade.

Clownfish

Light and frothy, the foamy texture imitates the foam of a wave, and the orange-white hue of the beautiful aquatic life below the surface. This is a low ABV cocktail, perfect to be enjoyed throughout the day on the water. (PICTURED ABOVE)

Recipe:

• .5 oz Amaro Angeleno 
• 1 oz Aperol
• 4 oz Orange Juice
• 2 oz Coconut Milk

Dry shake the Amaro Angeleno, Aperol and Orange Juice in a water bottle or other container, so as to froth the juice. Pour into a tall glass with ice and float 2 oz coconut milk over the top, allowing it to cascade into the glass. Use a Highball glass and garnish with a slice of orange. 

*Sailfish encourages Safe Boating above all else. Be responsible when consuming alcohol on board. Know your limits. You can always make this drink a virgin mocktail by holding the rum. Sailfish strongly condemns underage drinking.

French Caribbean (no alcohol)

And one more for the road...we have the French Caribbean, a refreshing concoction with a zesty kick, perfect to keep you hydrated and enjoying each sip in the sun. (PICTURED BELOW)

Recipe:

• 1 bottle Tropical Soda (24 oz). Can be found at Whole Foods or Trader Joes
• 3 bottles (36 oz) Ginger Beer - choose one with a strong ginger 'kick'
• 32 oz Coconut Water
• Blackberry Garnish

To craft the Blue French Caribbean, simply combine all ingredients in a large container and garnish at top with fresh blackberries. 

About Sailfish's Mixologist

Jason Sorge comes from a family of artists—there’s a woodturner, a baker, and a painter. He inherited his passion for flavor combinations from his mom who is a wiz at pairing ingredients.

Even during his career in leadership development, he wanted to unleash that creativity in the liquid realm. After dabbling at parties and doing an internship at Ken Wright Cellars, he sought to learn bartending from his friend Hector Bury who had 30 years of bar and restaurant experience. Sorge has never looked back. When Sorge was the lead bartender of Scott Conant’s Scarpetta at Montage Beverly Hills, he worked with the renowned mixologist Rob Floyd. Floyd said bartenders are liquid chefs; Sorge has never forgotten this.

Sorge lives in a world of ideas and possibilities. He’s collected data from his surroundings, travels, childhood and experiences. With these influences, he is constantly noodling on innovative ways to introduce flavors and concepts. He is constantly tinkering on ways to do it all better.

Sorge says it this way “I like to compare bartending and beverage creation to musicians. Musicians don’t typically just pick up an instrument and start riffing. They take time to learn their scales. They learn the classics. They play and practice and practice and play. And then one day, they take all they've learned and jump in with a jazz band and riff all night long. It’s the same for us in the beverage world. We are all standing on other people’s shoulders. We have learned our scales, so to speak. We have learned the classics. We know the starting point. That’s our launching pad to create from. From there we improvise on flavors and ingredients to establish something similar or altogether different." 

Sorge continues, "I have a keen sense of how flavor profiles work, how they fit together like instruments in a band. A cocktail riff is a lot like a cover of a song—when you hear a good cover, you think, ‘Wow. That was super interesting. I really dig how that was created.’ I hope people have a similar experience when they taste one of my cocktails.”