TEQUILA + MEZCAL FEST 7-8 OCT

There aren't many dates that get put in my diary months in advance and stay there, no questions asked. But Tequila and Mezcal Fest 2017 was one such marker penned date. And there's not long to wait for it now. Next weekend - Saturday 7th and Sunday 8th October - sees the festival of my dreams return to London, for two days of Mexico's finest showcased at The Boiler House in the Truman Brewery on Brick Lane. Not only will over 50 of Mexico's top tequila and mezcal producers (including Patron tequila's master distiller - Francisco Alcarez - on his first ever trip to the UK) be on hand to talk you through the production, tasting and pairings of Mexico's very best drink brands, there'll also be food from temper (goat tacos), Barrio (al pastor tacos) and Cafe Pacifico (a selection of pork, beef chorizo and/or veggie tacos), mariachi bands, Mexican art, folklore dancers and even an Aztec ceremony! 

Whilst sipping on your classic tequila cocktails (Margaritas and Palomas) you can grab yourself a Mexican brunch, or get stuck into a Bloody Maria or Michelada (beer with lime and spices). Adriana Cavita from Peyotito London and Ibiza will be doing demos on how to make the perfect guacamole, and the secret behind Mexican ceviche - 12:45 on Saturday, and there will be talks and seminars on topics like "What the f*ck is mezcal" - 15:15 on Sunday, "How to make the perfect Margarita", and "The tequila masterclass" - 18:00 on Saturday. 

Saturdays sessions run from 12-4.30pm and 5.30-9.30pm and Sunday's session is 1-7pm. Tickets are £20 and include samples of tequila and mezcal and free entry to seminars and masterclasses. But I reckon the bright idea is to go VIP - for £40 a ticket you get fast track entry (which you'll want if the event's as popular as it was last year), two cocktails, two dishes, samples of tequila and mezcal, and free entry to all the seminars and masterclasses.

The currency for the festival is pesos, so get ready to change your money at the door - and a percentage of the proceeds from the festival's ticket sales will be sent to The Cruz Roja Mexicana and TOPOSMX to support the current relief efforts in Mexico following the recent devastating earthquakes. 

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SISU ROOFTOP, MARBLE ARCH

The so called start of summer sees rooftop venues spring up across London. And typically, the same week they all open, British weather decides it's not playing ball and what feels like winter returns. But anyone who's lived here for longer than about a week knows that's how it goes, and is/should be prepared for all eventualities! And luckily, the people behind the best rooftops are prepared too, especially at Sisu on Oxford Street, where I headed on a wild and windy night last week. Perched on top of the rooftops near Marble Arch, Sisu is a gorgeous space, complete with its own hut, and a marquee tent to keep the bad weather out. 

Another reason Sisu are winning at the rooftop game is their cocktail offering. There are fruity, punchy, jam jar cocktail options galore, including my favourite, the Super Size Ohio - made with Bulldog gin, maraschino, grapefruit juice and bitter lemon. Oh, and they have a coin operated Negroni and Old Fashioned machine....!

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THE HOLY BIRDS, SPITALFIELDS

I feel like a lot of my eating out in London recently has revolved around specific types of meat. A few weeks ago I was at The Holy Birds, who specialise in poultry and game birds, and last week I went to SMITHS of Smithfield, in Cannon Street for a night of steak options. Both of which were actually pretty good, despite my initial doubts about eating out in The City.

The Holy Birds is a super retro restaurant in between Liverpool Street Station and Brick Lane, just south of Spitalfields market. We headed there from TT Liquor (blog on that to follow) and settled down with some delicious cocktails - a rum punch for him and an excellent whisky sour for me. The cocktail list at The Holy Birds is long, all encompassing and really good value - £9.50 for the very punchy punch, and the same for my whisky fizz.

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COCKTAILS with CHRISTABEL'S

If you want to perfect your cocktail making skills over an evening full of fun and glitter I've got just the place for you to go. Christabel started off running pop up restaurants and soon realised that drinks were where the real fun was so now runs, among other things, bespoke cocktail making evenings at her beautiful flat.

Before Christmas I spent at Christabel's trying my hand at a few cocktails. It was a brilliant evening - we laughed, ate canapes, shook our shakers and drank delicious drinks. 

There are a few cocktail workshops coming up soon - one on Valentine's Day evening (what a GREAT idea for a Valentine's date!) where you can make the Flirt and Zinger cocktails, which you'll then pimp up with glitter, sequins, rose petals, super special ice cubes and stirrers, while nibbling on canapes. Then Christabel is teaming up with one of my favourite vodka brands, Black Cow - who make their vodka from milk, to do some Mad Hatter Mar-tea-ni masterclasses. 

Christabel's workshops sell out really fast so book now to avoid missing out - you really don't want to miss these. 

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HOT GIN ROOF, SOHO

Ham Yard Hotel in Soho are hosting a brilliant Hot Gin Roof this January and February in collaboration with gin legends Sipsmith. I headed up to the hotel's rooftop last night to have a sneaky preview on what'll be on offer and if you're a fan of gin, hot cocktails and/or exclusive secret Soho rooftops then you definitely don't want to miss this!

From 20th January to 16th February you can head up to the private roof terrace at Ham Yard Hotel to try the cocktails yourself. There's a welcome hot gin and tonic on arrival and then a hot gin cocktail of your choice to follow included in the ticket price, plus an intro by one of the Sipsmith distillery team. Which is pretty good for £18 a ticket - though book fast as I know quite a few dates have already sold out. There are two sessions each evening - 6pm and 8pm (or just 6.30pm on Sundays). There's a huge range of original and re-imagined cocktails on offer. I tried a couple - the hot Negroni was perfect, made with Sipsmith London Dry Gin, Campari, Cocchi Vermouth di Torino and Red Berry tea, and served in a teacup.

Equally as good was my Reverse Martini - a mix of Sipsmith London Dry Gin, vermouth mix, vermouth bitter and topped with a deep fried olive. Warm, punchy and delicious. 

I went to Hot Gin Roof twice last year and had a great evening both times, so if it sounds like your thing then get booking now, and maybe see you there!

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THE LIVING ROOM, RESTAURANT OURS

Cocktails and canapes on an autumn evening in a beautiful setting sounds like the dream, right?! Restaurant Ours is Tom Sellers (of Restaurant Story) not-so-new-but-I-still-hadn't-been-there spot in South Kensington. We visited one evening last week to check out The Living Room at Restaurant Ours, which is the mezzanine level bar and lounge area. It's a gorgeous spot, full of velvet furniture, a bar serving excellent cocktails and live plants in every corner, nook and cranny. 

There were three of The Living Room's signature cocktails to try, so I started with Straight Outta Brompton - a delicious concoction of gin, campari, lemon and triple sec, and I'm guessing some egg white too from the frothy top of the drink. It was a lovely cocktail, with the perfect balance for me of sharp, sweet and fruity. 

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VERMOUTH ON THE ROOF, HAM YARD

Ham Yard Hotel is nestled away in the middle of Soho and is one of my favourite places to pop in to and escape the hustle and bustle of the busy tourist filled streets surrounding it. Up until the end of last year their beautiful roof terrace was only open to hotel guests, but that all changed with their winter Sipsmith rooftop pop up, and their current Vermouth on the Roof pop up that's taking place til Sunday 4th September. 

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SIPSMITH GIN

I'm a big gin fan and particularly love brands with a good story behind them, so I've always been intrigued by London distilled Sipsmith gin, especially as their gin is made not far from the part of West London I've lived around for the past five years, and they've also provided gin for previous pop ups I've done, including one I did based solely around their gins and vodkas. If you're a fan of Sipsmith gin, or want to learn more about it there's a couple of events I've checked out recently that you can go to to learn more. 

The first is Sipsmith's Gin Palace Extravaganza, which I did with Georgie in June. We spent the evening with Sipsmith, first at their Chiswick distillery learning all things gin and brand, and then at the Princess Victoria (one of my favourite West London pubs) for a three course, Sipsmith inspired meal. At the distillery we were talked through the history of Sipsmith, who had a long battle to even begin making their sought after gin thanks to an ancient law brought in in 1751 that stipulated the legal minimum production of gin was 1800 litres in order to control the out of hand home brew production of the spirit that was then taking place in one out of four residential properties. This law never got changed until Sipsmith took on the government so they could start a 300 litre per year production. After two and a half years they finally got the law changed and were able to start their business making London dry gin (dry meaning that all botanicals have to be infused during the distillation process and not after). We sampled various gins at the distillery, including the original London Dry Gin, the VJOP (Very Junipery Overproof Gin - made with 75% more juniper and macerated for four times longer than the original gin, making it 57.4% abv and the perfect base for a Negroni), and the London Cup (a sippable punch infused with Earl Grey tea, borage, lemon verbena, Seville orange and other botanicals, and based on the cups/punches of old days). 

We learnt about the actual production of Sipsmith gin. A base of British wheat spirit from East Anglia arrives at the distillery, weighing in at a whopping 96% abv. Water is added to reduce this down to 60% abv to enable the distillation process, then botanicals including Macedonian juniper berries, Bulgarian coriander seed, French angelica root, Spanish liquorice root, Italian orris root, Spanish ground almond, Chinese cassia bark, Madagascan cinnamon, Sevillian orange peel and Spanish lemon peel are all added. This mixture is heated, steeped and then macerated for 12 hours, leaving oily streaks from the botanicals across the liquid's surface. After maceration the liquid is heated to the boiling point of alcohol, which is 78.3 degrees celsius. The spirit turns to vapour which rises up the still. Sipsmith's stills have swan like necks, creating as much copper surface area as possible for the vapour to hit. The copper absorbs the impurities and sulphites, and the cleansed droplets then falls back down into the still. The vapour finally ends up in liquid form in the condenser which is surrounded by cold water pipes, and gin is formed. Very good gin! 

With heads full of information and bellies only full of gin it was definitely time to head to the PV for food. As part of the Gin Palace Extravaganza (which costs £75 per person, and includes the tour, several drinks and a three course meal) Sipsmith arrange taxis from the distillery to the pub - which was a very welcome surprise on the very rainy night we were there!

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GIN MARE

It's a well known fact that I'm a gin fan. And also a fan of a good party on a beautiful rooftop setting in West London. So put the two together on a Friday evening and I'm one happy little food blogger. A couple of Fridays ago we headed to Gin Mare's rooftop soireé at Searcey's in Knightsbridge. We were greeted with a gin cocktail on arrival and headed up to the rooftop which was teaming with gin drinkers. We settled into a corner, snacked on nibbles by Mark Hix as they were whisked past by the waitresses desperately trying to get to the other side of the roof before all their canapés got eaten - we sampled delicious oysters, octopus and cannellini bean shots, various croquettes and mini scallops in their shells. And lots of wonderful cocktails made with Gin Mare.

 

I hadn't come across Gin Mare before, though it's not new to the market, having been created in 2007. It is however a gin that really pushed the boundaries of what we think of as being gin. Normally gin is made with botanicals including juniper, citrus peels, spices and roots. Gin Mare is made with botanicals including rosemary, thyme, olive and basil which together are very unusual in gin making. This creates a savoury essence to the drink, which pairs perfectly with a good tonic, slither of lemon peel and sprig of rosemary. It also works really well in Aperol based cocktails due to the herbal qualities in the gin.

 

If you're a gin fan and haven't come across Gin Mare I really recommend getting hold of some. It's such an interesting addition to the gin brands I know and like, and is wonderful in summer cocktails.

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MY FAVOURITE MARTINI RECIPE

When the lovely people from Diageo got in touch asking if I'd write a blog post about cocktails it wasn’t too much of a hard decision to make, especially when they mentioned martinis – one of my favourite cocktails due to the many different flavours and guises it comes in. I love an espresso martini after a big dinner, and never say no to a fruity or spicy variety when I'm out for drinks with the girls. As it’s National Martini Day (yes, that’s a thing – a very good thing) coming up on the 19th June, I wanted to share a recipe for my absolute favourite martini. It’s the perfect cocktail for hot summer evenings, and has a bit of spice, a little sweetness and is utterly refreshing.

Makes 2 chilli, passion fruit and cucumber martinis

For the syrup:

6 passion fruits

2 red chillies

100g caster sugar

100ml water
 

For the cocktail:

100ml Smirnoff vodka

25ml fresh lemon juice

50ml cucumber juice (blend a cucumber then strain the juice through muslin)

To serve:

1 passion fruit, halved

2 slices of red chilli

 

Make a passion fruit and chilli syrup by chopping the chillies and taking the seeds and juice from the passion fruits. Add to 100g sugar and 100g water in a saucepan and bring to a simmer over a medium heat. Simmer for 10 minutes then leave to steep overnight. Pour the liquid through a sieve into a cocktail shaker and add the vodka, lemon juice and vodka. Top up with ice and shake til cold. Pour the cocktail mix into martini glasses, top with half a passion fruit and a slice of chilli to serve.

If this doesn’t tickle your fancy then there’s loads more martini ideas, recipes and inspiration here.

Image credit

 

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DIPLOMATICO RUM TASTING

The Thursday before Easter I headed to Merchant House in the City to join Lucy, a few lovely bloggers and rum expert Jon Lister to learn all about my favourite rum - Diplomatico. Having already spent a wonderful evening with the Diplomatico family, I knew I was in for a rum fuelled treat.

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BLACK DICE, MAYFAIR

When somewhere in London has been open for nearly 20 years, and is still going strong, that's a pretty good sign. Places come and go so quickly in London and just when you've found your favourite new restaurant/bar/hang out it seems to close or move. However I've got a new favourite bar and it's not going anywhere! Black Dice is the newest addition to the Momo collection on Heddon Street, having opened a year ago and been flourishing ever since under the management of Michael Lucombe (who used to look after the bar when it was the famous Kemia bar). Upstairs is Momo - the main restaurant, and a gorgeous North African inspired tea room with low seats, little tables and beautiful lighting. Downstairs is Black Dice - a late night bar open Wednesday to Saturday from 7pm til late that also serves food and has live music on Wednesday nights. I went along to try out the food with some friends recently and discovered great eats, excellent cocktails and the kind of bar I can see myself hanging out in a lot. It really is my perfect spot for cocktails, yummy eats and dates with friends.

The menu at Black Dice is similar to that at Momo, with a few tweaks and extra dishes (merguez tacos and stuffed baby squid both sound amazing), and is available til 11pm each night. We tried a selection of the cold and hot mezze, which range from £5-12, and were really impressed. Everything was packed with flavour, super fresh and made with great quality ingredients. We shared plates of crab tacos, stuffed with crab meat, avocado, bergamot, coriander, tomatoes, onions and mayo:

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COCKTAILS and DRINKS

Whether you fancy a glass of wine at home or heading into central London for a cocktail or three, I've got some great recommendations for you.

First let's talk cocktails. This week is the annual cocktail event Cocktails in the City, taking place from Thursday 10th - Saturday 12th March at One Mayfair. The three nights will see 20 world-renowned bars serving cocktails in this stunning four floor building, where there's also a rooftop BBQ. You can experience so many different drinks and bars without having to leave the building! There's live music, masterclasses and a liquid nitrogen bar. Tickets are £15 and include one cocktail. If you want to drink more cocktails (of course you do), then they're all £7.50 on the night.

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COINTREAU CREATIVE CREW £20K GRANT

“All great women of our time achieved great things because they dreamt, dared, and created.

I am Laetitia Casta, and with Cointreau we created the Cointreau Creative Crew to reveal your creativity, in order for you to achieve your dreams.”

 

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A WEEKEND IN PARIS

Nothing cures the January blues like a long weekend in Paris with a girlfriend, eating all the food and drinking all the drinks. So knowing we'd be feeling that post new year slump, Lucy and I booked the Eurostar and a beautiful Airbnb studio in Le Marais so we could get away last weekend. We started our weekend on Friday afternoon with a review I was doing of Roux at the Landau at The Langham Hotel (blog post on that to follow) then headed to Kings Cross where we caught a bit of Lumiere London and had a glass of bubbles at new D&D venue German Gymnasium, before jumping on the train to Paris.

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BONES DADDIES, BERMONDSEY

Ramen and Japanese restaurant Bone Daddies (who have two Central London restaurants - Soho and High Street Kensington, with a third branch in Old Street coming soon) have opened a Saturday-only restaurant in Bermondsey at their test kitchen site. From 12pm to 10pm every Saturday you can get tequila cocktails, homemade cider, mind blowing starters and delicious ramen with a side serving of pumping music in a tunnel on an industrial estate.

I headed along to the slightly difficult to find venue last Saturday to check it out, drink all the cocktails and eat all the food with Polly. Starting with (several) frozen yuzu margaritas - tequila, yuzu and lime, agave, orange liqueur. I never read the full ingredient list of the cocktails when we were at the pop up, and reading it now explains a lot! I blame my slightly debauched afternoon state on those delicious, citric, icy numbers!

 

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RECIPES WITH BAILEYS

Baileys is one of those drinks that I occasionally have a real craving for. On ice, straight up after a long, leisurely dinner. But it's also a great ingredient to use in cocktail making, as well as making puddings. Here are a couple of ideas of what to do with the creamy, luxurious drink.

FLAT WHITE COCKTAIL

Makes 1 drink
50ml Baileys
25ml vodka
25ml espresso coffee

Add all the ingredients to a cocktail shaker along with lots of ice and shake until the drink is really cold. Strain in to a martini glass, garnish with a couple of coffee beans and enjoy! You can watch a little 15 second video here of exactly how the cocktail's made.

CHOCOLATE & BAILEYS MOUSSE WITH RASPBERRIES

Serves 8
200g dark chocolate
3 free range eggs, separated
2 pieces stem ginger
2 tbsp. Baileys
250ml double cream
Raspberries or blueberries

Break the chocolate up and put it in a bowl over a pan of simmering water, making sure the bowl doesn't touch the water. Leave it until the chocolate is 70% melted then turn the heat off and gently stir the chocolate until it's all melted. By removing it from the heat before it's all melted you'll make sure it doesn't overheat and split.

In a magimix or nutribullet blitz the stem ginger and Baileys. Add this to the melted chocolate, followed by the egg yolks. Leave to one side.

Whip 150ml of the cream gently until it starts to become thick. Whip the egg whites until they start to form soft peaks. Fold the cream, then the egg whites into the chocolate mixture.

Pour the mixture into a large dish, then top with a layer of cream and then some fresh fruit (raspberries, blueberries etc). Leave to cool for a couple of hours in the fridge. Serve with a flat white martini for extra creaminess and decadence!

And if that all sounds a bit chocolatey for you, I've just found a recipe for sticky toffee pudding with Baileys salted caramel sauce that sounds like heaven!

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SIPSMITH AT HAM YARD HOTEL, SOHO

I'm not a fan of dry January. Firstly, January's a pretty miserable month anyway without having to knock booze on the head for 31 days, and secondly, I personally believe it's just as good for you to not drink for a few days in a row every week (the liver is a fast healer), rather than quitting completely for a month, then having a glass of wine most nights for the rest of the year. So a new pop up I'm really looking forward to this month (that's also on in February if you are doing dry January) is Swan on a Hot Gin Roof with London's finest gin distillers, Sipsmith, at Ham Yard Hotel. Every night (except Mondays) from Tuesday 26^th January til Sunday 14^th February you can book a session (starting at 6pm or 8pm on weekdays, and 4pm or 6pm on weekends) for some gin-laced winter warmers on the hotel’s hidden roof terrace. I had a sneaky peak of what's on offer and you're in for a treat. The rooftop is stunning. One of the best I've seen in London in fact - it's all fairy lights, fire pits and leafy plants, with tons of cosy sofas and woollen blankets for snuggling up, and stunning views of London. It's like a secret little hideaway in the middle of the hustle and bustle of Soho. Then there's the cocktails, which have been created by Sipsmith's master distiller Jared Brown and Ham Yard Hotel bar manager Eoin Kenny, who've taken inspiration from London's rich cocktail history and created one off hot drinks such as The Smoking Bishop, The Original (made with gin and gingerbread) and the Soho Gin Broth, which uses Barthelmas beef taken from a 1664 recipe. They'll also be serving more recognisable concoctions such as hot G&Ts and Steaming Juleps.

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RON DIPLOMATICO at VILLAGE EAST, BERMONDSEY

I go to a lot of events where I get to eat delicious food and drink amazing drinks, but what I particularly love doing is meeting the people behind these brands. A couple of weeks ago I headed to Village East on Bermondsey Street for a private dinner with the family who own and run Venezuelan rum brand, Ron Diplomatico.

The evening started with one of the best cocktails I've had in a while. I don't know if it was that I wasn't expecting to actually like it as I'm not a fan of sweet cocktails (which I thought it would be), or that it was so unlike anything I've tried, but the almond daiquiri, made with Diplomatico Blanco rum, Orgeat (almond) syrup, fresh lime and Bob's Abbott's bitters was top notch. A little bit sweet from the almond but with a sour tang from the lime and bitters.

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COCKTAIL MASTERCLASS AT THE CONNAUGHT

If you're a fan of top class cocktails, or know someone who is, there's a masterclass this Autumn where you can learn how to make the best cocktails at the bar that's just recently been voted Best Bar in the UK by GQ Magazine, and has also been named as World's Best Hotel Bar - the Connaught Bar, in the stunning Connaught Hotel in Mayfair. Award winning Director of Mixology Agostino Perrone (who's won the prestigious World’s Best Bartender Award at Tales of the Cocktails) is hosting a series of mixology masterclasses at the Connaught Bar, taking place throughout Autumn where you can learn to make the perfect Connaught cocktails. Each date focuses on a different drink, with masterclasses in Champagne, cognac, vodka and gin, and whisky. Full details of all the classes are below.

I went along to a little preview of what lies in store, and if you book this you're in a for an absolute treat. You'll be welcomed with delicious canapés - ours were rabbit and ham, salmon and caviar and beetroot on a cheese crisp - which were all as delicious as they were pretty. You'll also have a welcome drink - ours was a Champagne, Aperol, bergamot, orange and ginseng creation and was the perfect balance of bitter, herbal and fruity.

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