A Christmas ‘Milagro’
19 December 2019
It’s that time of year when work starts winding down, thoughts stray to holiday plans with family and friends, and we look forward to sipping our favourite tipple at the next festive gathering. So in the spirit of the season, we thought we would bring you today a tale of true Christmas cheer(s): the story of Milagro, the Orgalim cocktail.
We open on a late afternoon back in September, during another legendary teambuilding for the Orgalim secretariat.
The activity: a cocktail-making workshop, designed to test our colleagues’ creativity, teamwork and knowledge of the metric system (which one is ‘cl’ again…?). The challenge: create two cocktails – one with, one without alcohol – that embody the true spirit of Orgalim.
The competition was fierce, and the final line-up of contenders was a sight to behold: running the gamut from classic martini vibes to colourful concoctions that were oh-so-on-brand. Yet while others packed a visual punch (honourable mention goes to ‘Tech on the Beach’), there was one that really left the judges’ taste-buds tingling: the ‘Milagro’, brainchild of dream-team Jackie André, Luca Conti, Christoph Luykx, Galina Misheva and Anne Claire Rasselet.
A look under the umbrella reveals a palette of flavours that bring the drinker on a European odyssey, from the heel of Italy’s boot to the outer reaches of the Arctic circle: take some Mediterranean grapefruit and Aperol, add a dash of gin - with its origins in the Low Countries, and top it off with a hint of the Nordics: some refreshing ice cubes (*disclaimer: ‘Nordic’ ice not locally sourced). “Alone, each component is great,” reflects Anne Claire Rasselet of the winning team, “but brought together and mixed with a splash of ingenuity, they create something special that is even greater than the sum of its parts – that’s the spirit of our industries.”
And the name? Well not only is it the Spanish word for ‘miracle’, but the eagle-eyed among you might have spotted what happens when you reverse the letters!
Little did the Milagro’s creators know the fame and glory that awaited once they had been crowned the winners. With leading lights from industry and policy set to travel from all over Europe to celebrate Orgalim’s 65th anniversary at a gala dinner in November, the organisers agreed there was clearly only one aperitif worthy of the occasion: the Milagro of course!
Served on custom-made coasters, it became an instant classic. “Delicious!” reported one source, who asked not to be named. “Can I get a refill?”
Team work making the dream work to shake a cocktail that’s good – truly a Christmas ‘Milagro’!
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