Adam Handling appoints renowned mixologist Sam Orrock (previously of award-winning Scout) as Bar Manager of his Covent Garden subterranean bar, Eve.
Orrock’s arrival has heralded a brand-new set of drinks menus at Eve, showcasing his talent for fresh, interesting flavour pairings and for creating exciting drinks that push the boundaries of cocktails as we may traditionally know them.
“I see Eve as a bar that bridges the gap between the classics and a more experimental future”, said Orrock, “the menu is divided between the drinks we know and love with an occasional twist, to the more avant-garde such as disarmed chilli distillate and the recycling of ‘waste’ produce from the kitchen.
'Atmosphere is everything to me, so I strive to create a bar where you’ll see a regular cocktail enthusiast sat next to a seasoned industry professional.'
The revamped menu contains a selection of unexpected takes on cocktail favourites, like the ‘Debbie Does Dallas’ – Eve’s take on the Pornstar Martini – using vodka, distilled thyme, passion fruit butter syrup, vanilla and lime, or the ‘Peat’D Colada’ – a carbonated, entirely translucent drink with classic Pina Colada flavours from rum, coconut, pineapple, elderflower and Islay whisky.
There's also Adam's Apple created with Apple infused Patron Anjeo, Bombay Sapphire, cherry bark, apple skin, elderflower and fino sherry, and Rhubarb & Butter, butter’d up Glenfiddich 15yr, apéritif wine, rhubarb, raspberry and CBD oil.
Orrock has also overseen the installation of a brand-new state-of-the-art drinks lab at Eve, giving him and the bar team the unique opportunity to distil, carbonate and clarify their own signature creations.
The drinks lab also allows the bar to function with as little-waste as possible, with Orrock working closely with the chefs at Frog by Adam Handling (Adam’s fine-dining restaurant situated on the floor above Eve) to convert surplus or waste food into cocktail ingredients.
This unique chef/bar collaboration is responsible for drinks such as the ‘Adam’s Apple’, a zero-waste cocktail that utilises apple offcuts, resulting in a delicious concoction of apple infused tequila, cherry bark, aperitif wine and apple oil distilled in the bar’s drinks lab.
Adam Handling said of Eve’s revamp, ‘It’s a dream to have Sam on board. When it comes to drinks, he’s an incredible visionary. His talent and creativity are exactly what Eve is all about, he’s as committed to sustainability and reducing waste as I am, and he’s the best person to be working with on Eve’s new chapter.’