Spirit Social is a monthly event near Notting Hill that's being run by new to the market rum brand, The Duppy Share. Spirit Social is a really fun night, showcasing some of the UK's newest booze brands, with great street food, live music and darts. I went along to their first event to see what it was all about, and of course, to try out the spirits.
Spirit Social takes place every 2nd Thursday of the month at the Maxilla Hall Social Club that's located between Ladbroke Grove and Latimer Road tube stations. It's an evening where "1920s cocktail glamour and toe-tapping gypsy jazz tunes meet dart boards with a dose of Duppy mischief in an old school social club under the Westway". Despite going on launch night, and arriving early, the place was heaving. One side of the room is taken over by 4 bars, each showcasing their spirit brand. Drink brands will vary from month to month, with The Duppy Share ever present. When we went, we got to sample the following:
The Duppy Share - a new rum brand made with a blend of 5 year Jamaican and 3 year Bajan rum which is bottled at the Thames Distillery in London. Launched last year, and already available to buy in Selfridges, The Whisky Exchange, Borough Wines, Spirited Wines and tons more independent booze retailers in London, The Duppy Share is already proving extremely popular. Bartenders love it too, and you can get it in cocktail form at The Wolesley, The Grain Store, The Princess Victoria, Rum Kitchen, Boom Burger and lots more. They're launching in over 20 bars in Manchester soon as well. It's a young, fun brand that brings a new energy to the rum market. Cocktails being served on the night were The Duppy Conqueror - made with rum, sugar, lime and nutmeg; and a Rum Old Fashioned - made with rum and orange. Both delicious, and both let the rum shine through. I'm going to be using The Duppy Share to create a welcome cocktail at my next pop up on 25th April, so if you're coming to that, you'll be able to sample it then.
Next to try was Black Cow Vodka. This has been on my radar for a while. It's a vodka made from 100% milk from grass grazing cows, the first of its kind in the world. A dairy farm in West Dorset which produces delicious cheddar cheese came up with the idea of using the leftover whey to create a vodka. It's smooth and creamy, and the first vodka I've been able to drink straight and enjoy, though it was also really good in the Black Cow Blood infusion cocktail - a mix of Black Cow vodka, infused with freshly squeezed blood orange and Kamm and Sons sweet vermouth.
Black Cow vodka is the top selling vodka brand in Fortnum and Mason, where you can also pick up some of their deluxe cheese. Chiltern Firehouse use Black Cow to make cocktails, and you can also get it in The Oak W12, Chelsea Arts Club, Bubbledogs, The Groucho and Hix. If you want to buy some to taste at home, here's the list of the online and in store retailers who sell it.
We moved from vodka back to rum, with Pedrino alcoholic tonic, served as a cocktail with more of The Duppy Share. Pedrino is a natural blend of Pedro Ximinez sherry, citrus botanicals, quinine (which makes it a tonic) and spring water. It's a sweet drink on its own, but mixed with rum creates a delicate and very drinkable cocktail. It's available to buy via The Whisky Exchange.
The final brand on show for us was Regal Rogue vermouth which comes in 3 varieties - dry, bianco or rosso. Regal Rogue is Australia's first native vermouth, and is a red or white wine flavoured with aromatic herbs. In the case of Regal Rogue's bianco the aromatics used are bush lemons, finger limes, sage, oregano, basil, thyme, lemongrass and vanilla. However it was the Regal Rogue rosso cocktail, The Rogue Cooler, that the boy went for - a blend of RR rosso, ginger beer, fresh orange and mint.
Food was provided by street food vans BBQ Lab and The Grilling Greek who'd parked up outside. And all in the name of a fair review, we sampled both. The halloumi wrap from The Grilling Greek, which was fresh and tasty, and the steak box from the BBQ Lab - rich and indulgent, with truffley potatoes and perfectly pink meat.
The next Spirit Social is on Thursday 9th April and takes place at the same social club we went to. Tickets are £10 which covers entry and one drink, and all other food and drinks (all £5) are purchasable on the night. The line up for the 9th April includes The Duppy Share, Vestal Vodka - made from potatoes; Half Hitch Gin and BOLD Spirits - a cherry flavoured British aperitif. Spirit Social is a great night out, with loads to see, do, drink and eat. Just make sure you drink lots of water before bed if you've got work the following morning!!
Spirit Social takes place every 2nd Thursday of the month at the Maxilla Hall Social Club that's located between Ladbroke Grove and Latimer Road tube stations. It's an evening where "1920s cocktail glamour and toe-tapping gypsy jazz tunes meet dart boards with a dose of Duppy mischief in an old school social club under the Westway". Despite going on launch night, and arriving early, the place was heaving. One side of the room is taken over by 4 bars, each showcasing their spirit brand. Drink brands will vary from month to month, with The Duppy Share ever present. When we went, we got to sample the following:
The Duppy Share - a new rum brand made with a blend of 5 year Jamaican and 3 year Bajan rum which is bottled at the Thames Distillery in London. Launched last year, and already available to buy in Selfridges, The Whisky Exchange, Borough Wines, Spirited Wines and tons more independent booze retailers in London, The Duppy Share is already proving extremely popular. Bartenders love it too, and you can get it in cocktail form at The Wolesley, The Grain Store, The Princess Victoria, Rum Kitchen, Boom Burger and lots more. They're launching in over 20 bars in Manchester soon as well. It's a young, fun brand that brings a new energy to the rum market. Cocktails being served on the night were The Duppy Conqueror - made with rum, sugar, lime and nutmeg; and a Rum Old Fashioned - made with rum and orange. Both delicious, and both let the rum shine through. I'm going to be using The Duppy Share to create a welcome cocktail at my next pop up on 25th April, so if you're coming to that, you'll be able to sample it then.
Next to try was Black Cow Vodka. This has been on my radar for a while. It's a vodka made from 100% milk from grass grazing cows, the first of its kind in the world. A dairy farm in West Dorset which produces delicious cheddar cheese came up with the idea of using the leftover whey to create a vodka. It's smooth and creamy, and the first vodka I've been able to drink straight and enjoy, though it was also really good in the Black Cow Blood infusion cocktail - a mix of Black Cow vodka, infused with freshly squeezed blood orange and Kamm and Sons sweet vermouth.
Black Cow vodka is the top selling vodka brand in Fortnum and Mason, where you can also pick up some of their deluxe cheese. Chiltern Firehouse use Black Cow to make cocktails, and you can also get it in The Oak W12, Chelsea Arts Club, Bubbledogs, The Groucho and Hix. If you want to buy some to taste at home, here's the list of the online and in store retailers who sell it.
We moved from vodka back to rum, with Pedrino alcoholic tonic, served as a cocktail with more of The Duppy Share. Pedrino is a natural blend of Pedro Ximinez sherry, citrus botanicals, quinine (which makes it a tonic) and spring water. It's a sweet drink on its own, but mixed with rum creates a delicate and very drinkable cocktail. It's available to buy via The Whisky Exchange.
The final brand on show for us was Regal Rogue vermouth which comes in 3 varieties - dry, bianco or rosso. Regal Rogue is Australia's first native vermouth, and is a red or white wine flavoured with aromatic herbs. In the case of Regal Rogue's bianco the aromatics used are bush lemons, finger limes, sage, oregano, basil, thyme, lemongrass and vanilla. However it was the Regal Rogue rosso cocktail, The Rogue Cooler, that the boy went for - a blend of RR rosso, ginger beer, fresh orange and mint.
Food was provided by street food vans BBQ Lab and The Grilling Greek who'd parked up outside. And all in the name of a fair review, we sampled both. The halloumi wrap from The Grilling Greek, which was fresh and tasty, and the steak box from the BBQ Lab - rich and indulgent, with truffley potatoes and perfectly pink meat.
The next Spirit Social is on Thursday 9th April and takes place at the same social club we went to. Tickets are £10 which covers entry and one drink, and all other food and drinks (all £5) are purchasable on the night. The line up for the 9th April includes The Duppy Share, Vestal Vodka - made from potatoes; Half Hitch Gin and BOLD Spirits - a cherry flavoured British aperitif. Spirit Social is a great night out, with loads to see, do, drink and eat. Just make sure you drink lots of water before bed if you've got work the following morning!!
The Black Cow vodka sounds amazing - definitely need to check that out. It was really lovely to meet you at Pure Taste earlier this week!
ReplyDeleteErin islandbell.co.uk x
Lovely to meet you too! The Black Cow vodka was fab, have got a bottle of it on its way to me right now :)
DeleteRosie xx
You're so good at remembering what's you've had to drink...after two of these I'd definitely be hazy!
ReplyDeleteLots of love,
Angie
SilverSpoon London
It's only cos I take a photo of the drinks menu Angie - helps the memory a LOT!!!
DeleteRosie xx
What a great idea to try different brands, vanilla vodka sounds interesting and the fact that you get food that looks perfect after a drink wins my vote Lucy x
ReplyDeleteSuch a fun night out Lucy :)
DeleteRosie xx
I feel tipsy just reading this. Such a great idea though!
ReplyDeleteC x | Lux Life
Haha!! It was a pretty boozy one.... Such a great event though.
DeleteRosie xx