Dishoom & Permit Room, King’s Cross St. Pancras

Nov16

Type of Bar: Bar/Restaurant, Indian
Damage: £-££
Ideal for: Food, Small Groups, Large Groups, After Work, Spiced Cocktails

Boy, is this place massive. 9000 square feet makes this the largest Dishoom in town! But trust that it gets packed fast. Décor is incredibly detailed, and somehow intense, considering how it’s not jam packed with decoration. Bollywood tunes from the 80s and 90s make this a fun, upbeat venue.

Serving up Indian, and subcontinental twists on classic cocktails, the cocktail menu in the Dishoom restaurant above differs from the Permit Room bar below. This review might be a bit longer than usual for the uniqueness of the cocktails on offer.

Above at Dishoom, the cocktail list is short, simple and not particularly eye-catching.

The Naughty Chocolate Chai is a fun little indulgence, dark chocolate, chai and a splash of bourbon – and with friends living round the corner, our new coffee date spot.

The Chaijito – a mojito with added coriander, ginger, and sweet-spice chai – essentially comes down to being a mellow mojito. Bit of a blank, this one. Not a fan.

Downstairs at the Permit Room, the whole list of cocktails is available, and it this time, it certainly stands out. 7 of the cocktails down here are served by the Indian measure of pegs – ‘chota’ (small) pegs for 8 pounds, and ‘burra’ (large) pegs for 15.

The IPA Paanch, hop-infused gin (inspired by the IPA), lime, jaggery unseparated cane or palm sugar, English Breakfast tea and assorted spices – now this packs a punch! Okay, that pun wasn’t intended. The name for the drink punch comes from the Hindi word ‘paanch’ for ‘five’, as in 5 ingredients: An alcohol, lime, sugar, water, tea or spices. In favour of keeping both tea and spices, water was tossed out for a short, intense drink.

It took the Hoodooist a while to separate the flavours when this drink hits you so hard – the orange-red colour probably comes straight from the tea and jaggery, and served with large, sharp shard of slow melting ice. Smoky, tobacco, peat come through on the tongue. The intense sweetness of the jaggery help balance it a bit, with a date-sugariness. The gin goes straight for the back of the jaw where hops make their presence known – loudly. We suspect the spices include cumin, probably smoked paprika? Loved this drink, complex, with a wonderful smoky-sweetness.

The Chai Paanch though, throws those rules out the window with 2 spirits, 2 liqueurs and house chai. With the spices of the chai mixing in with the Gosling’s dark rum, Johnnie Walker Black Label, ginger and 80% Cocoa liqueurs. The most prominent flavours are first the sweet rum, then the chai, a splash of ginger, followed by simmering of cocoa in the background and the dryness of the Black Label. Half a glass of this I can enjoy, but then it can become a bit tiresome. Not a bad drink though, it’s one of the few drier drinks here.

Background: 1948 Sour, Foreground: Sonia’s Negroni

The Tanchoi Fix is one of the few aged drinks here, in oak: mandarin shrub, ginger, Hayman’s 1850 Reserve gin, quinine, to end with Szechuan pepper. I like how the pepper works in this drink, it’s not the predictable throaty burn after the flavour – it hits you on the first sip. The mandarin shrub isn’t too sweet, and expectedly works incredibly well with the ginger, leaving a subtle quinine aftertaste. Not too sweet, not too citrusy, very well balanced. A great intro for anyone who wants to try stronger drinks that they aren’t used to. The 1948 Sour is another of the great introductory drinks here, on the sweeter side, dry Indian Amrut whisky, peach, hibiscus, honey and lemon, layer of egg white. The peach and the honey are potent with the hibiscus rather subtle. A sour that’s not too sour, ‘mellow’ or ‘pleasant’ would be the right word to describe this drink.

No worries, there are longer drinks here too on this varied menu: The Toddy Tapper, a copper cup drink in the Julep family, instead of bourbon uses Sri Lanka’s answer to rum: Arrack. The ingredients are blazed and mixed into the ice, first the explosion of chilli to warm you up, through the savoury fennel and finally the sweet berries. A rollercoaster, this drink. There is the Bollybellini, Prosecco, raspberries, lychees, rose and cardamom. Rose and lychee taking centre stage with raspberry on the side.

Foreground: Viceroy’s Old Fashioned, Background L-R: Bollybellini, Toddy Tapper

Two aged Old Fashioneds are on the cards too: The Viceroy’s Old Fashioned, bottle aged, Woodford Reserve Bourbon, bayleaf reduction, green tea and orange bitters, needs to be served far shorter than it is. Not my favourite, the aging of a sugared drink really emphasises the almost cola sweetness of it all. Green tea eventually gets overpowered half way through the drink, and the bayleaf only comes in too late. The Horniman’s Old Fashioned is a good choice for a pineapple fan, a very well-constructed drink (unfortunately I’m not that pineapple fan, but I recognise a decently made drink when I taste one). Oak aged, rum, pineapple syrup and bitters yield a very intensely pineapple drink with loud rum sweetness.

But as you can imagine, there are also drinks that don’t work. The Sonia’s Negroni makes a great Negroni, but I don’t see the Sonia bit. Made with Dishoom vermouth and macerated vanilla, cinnamon and ginger, the Campari heavy Negroni yields none of the added flavour till the ginger in the last two sips. Finally, for us Martini fans, neither on the table took to the Bombay Martini which, predictably, had far too much going on (you can guess this was our last ‘hey, what the hell, let’s see what happens’ drink). Stirred Tanqueray Rangpour gin, Noilly Prat, Antica Formula sweet vermouth (unexpected), and bitters made with *deep breath* vanilla, cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg, ginger, sandalwood, cassia bark, and wormwood *exhale*. What you get goes way past fragrant into drinking-perfume territory. No.

The IPA Paanch

Service has to account for incredible busy-ness. Was annoyed upstairs that there seemed to be no communication among the staff, no one had any idea if the queue was for the upstairs dining, or the bar downstairs, who was going where, your table is ready –but we didn’t ask for a table, yes you did, no we didn’t, where’s your pager, etc etc etc. The increasingly terribly presented (oh yes, arts university next door, let’s dress *interestingly*) waiting list fellows seemed to have no idea what they were actually doing. Those outfits are enough to second guess going in, you start wondering if it is a cocktail bar or a half-arsed uni drinking den with sake, red bull and sparkling wine as an ironic special. But once we settled at our table, things started running more smoothly. Downstairs, service was polite, attentive.

Dishoom upstairs may not provide a great list of drinks, but downstairs, the Permit Room opens up a huge pathway into bringing in subcontinental flavours to cocktails – not an easy task – many have tried and failed. And true, some cocktails here can be hit or miss, but the ones that hit, do it very well. Ambitious, well-constructed, well done!

Take advantage of the soft launch running till 19^th Nov 2014, all the cocktails except large burra pegs are half price.

Drinks: Upstairs: **, Downstairs: ****
Atmosphere: ****
Service: ***

Dishoom King’s Cross

5 Stable Street, Granary Square,
London N1C 4AB

http://www.dishoom.com/2014/09/in-which-an-irani-cafe-finds-a-home-in-a-godown-behind-victoria-terminus-c-1928/

Three Eight Four, Brixton

Nov12

Type of Bar: Tiny, Industrial
Damage: £
Ideal for: Small Groups, Classics

For the past couple of years, Brixton has taken off for some of London’s most exciting food and bars, from pop ups to permanent residences – one such resident is the Three Eight Four on 2 minutes away from the station.

A non-descript shuttered venue, 384 is crowded on a Saturday night with its industrial-chic décor. The music is oddly slow and chilled out for a venue that seems to demand something a bit more upbeat and was repeatedly distracting people on our table – the Hoodooist was pleased it wasn’t just him being weird. Nonetheless, 384 is comfortable and buzzing.

Two menus are provided, the house cocktails and the classics, coming in a large leathered, weathered tome. House cocktails are a short list, but a healthy mix of long and short drinks.

The star of the night: The Smoked Manhattan was an obvious first choice: Pikesville Rye, Punt e Mes, Luxardo Maraschino, stirred and smoked with cherry. The Maraschino and Punt e Mes work well to present a Perfect Manhattan, the smoke initially adding a rich mouthfeel further back on the palate before dissipating. An excellent Manhattan any fan would enjoy.

Then, the Negroni Sbagliato; Campari, Punt e Mes and sparkling red wine – was certainly Campari heavy. Though the Manhattan appealed to me more, the Sbagliato has been well executed with its bite. The classic Bramble, though still sweet, was far less thick in texture, with more of the gin coming through – a Bramble for those of us with less of a palate for sweet drinks.

The Smoked Manhattan

The Cherry Bakewell Caipiroska; Luksusowa & Davna Cherry vodkas, orgeat syrup over muddled lime and sugar was an odd one – you have to keep the ingredients in mind compared to the misleading name. It starts off with the intense cherry before suddenly warping to the strongly citrus lime and orange of the orgeat, the almond of the orgeat doesn’t come through – strangely enough.

Finally, the drink of the night that didn’t quite work: The Mr. Flambastic; Blackwell’s dark & Red Leg spiced rums with Cointreau, shaked with flambéed peaches in Gran Capataz brandy. I think I was expecting a dark drink served short (think of the Detroit Bar’s Stingwray: overproof rums, fruit liqueur, flambéed red fruits, served warm), but was served a tall, ice-filled bright orange drink that was both too sickly sweet and too tart for myself, and for most present.

The characteristic Classics menu

Food, generally excellent. You can’t go wrong with sweet potato fries/chipotle mayo. Pinchos Maruno Moroccan spiced pork skewers work a charm, as do the ‘Nduja, Ricotta and Quail’s Egg on toasted bread. Ceviche could definitely come with more fish than cucumber.

Service was excellent. No complaints here. Crowds can make delays, but not obscenely so.

Summary? Three Eight Four is a great addition to the growing Brixton environment. Food and service is great, small venue means I’d recommend a booking. Cocktail wise, they’re excellently priced, with great handling of the Classic drinks, or twisted classics. In regards to experimental drinks, they can be a hit or miss, and also really up to the taste of the drinkers. Personally, the Classics really do win out here, and are a bargain – which is what makes us want to return. A star in Brixton.

NOTE: The ‘Drinks’ score get 4 stars for the Classics and value for money. The experimental drinks would get 2 stars otherwise.

Drinks: ****
Atmosphere: ***
Service: ****

Three Eight Four

384 Coldharbour Lane, Brixton
London, SW9 8LF

http://www.threeeightfour.com/

Gaucho Winter Terrace, Broadgate

Nov9

Type of Bar: Pop Up, Winter, Terrace, Bar/Restaurant, Tiny
Damage: ££
Ideal for: Date, Small Groups, Food, Rainy Days

What timing. The Hoodooist runs through the rain with an umbrella that is dying on him to Gaucho Broadgate’s launch of their Winter Terrace. Curious to see how the outdoor terrace stands the downpour, he shakes some of the rain off and fell in love.

Mind you, it’s tiny. If you can book a space, do it. But on a cold rainy day, I can’t say I’d be anywhere else than under that canopy with the scorching heaters, snuggled in the couches with friends and the blankets and hot-water bottles Gaucho provides. Yes. Blankets and hot-water bottles. Entirely enclosed by plush ferns and twinkling lights, this city centre oasis offers a wintery haven complete with a stunning hand-carved ice sculpture.

Wanna make that deal sweeter? How does a Hennessey Hot Chocolate sound? Hennessey fine de cognac, chocolate liqueur, hot chocolate. It ain’t inspired, but it’s what you need. Served in a tall tumbler with chocolate shavings, it defines the venue for being a warm snuggle-haven as the rain pours down just inches away from you behind the thicket of bushes.

Two more hot cocktails on the menu: the first is the traditional Hot Toddy; Glenmorangie 10yr whiskey, fresh lemon, honey, orange marinade and cloves, though still a good hot drink, remind me too much of having the flu to really get into. What really did the job for me was the incredible Hot Smoked Apple; Belvedere Vodka, fresh pressed apple juice, a touch of Ardbeg 10 yr, and a cinnamon rim. Hot apple and cinnamon is always a good winter warmer, the vodka giving it the right alcohol content and that warmth of the whiskey is just right to not overpower. A favourite of the night.

Assorted melange of cocktails

Two cold spritzes were presented as well. The Spritz Rose mixes Argentine sparkling Rose with Torrontes white wine, elderflower and blackberry liqueurs. This was very well balanced, sweeter yes, but the blackberry helps mellow down the elderflower rather well – the preferred of the two spritzes. The second is the Spritz Blanco, Sauvignon Blanc/Torrontes, Aperol and fresh grapefruit juice, topped up Domaine Chandon; bit heavy on the grapefruit, this drink wasn’t a winner across the table, but one you can work with.

Drinks here are approachable and nothing too complex, but very well executed, and all at about 10 pounds.

A carefully chosen selection of Argentine wines is also available.

Domaine Chandon Brut NV

Besides that, the food served – spectacular. Canapés of rare steak, ceviche, sliders, and dulce the leche cheesecake made the night.

Service was polite and swift, and I must applaud Red Kite PR for a wonderful launch. I have to say, if there is anything to try this winter, it is this.

Drinks: ***
Atmosphere: *****
Service: ****

Gaucho Broadgate Winter Terrace

5 Finsbury Avenue,
London EC2M 2PG

http://www.gauchorestaurants.co.uk/restaurants/restaurant.php?id=broadgate

Bistrot Bruno Loubet, Clerkenwell

Nov5

Type of Bar: Bar/Restaurant
Damage: £££
Ideal for: Food, Date, Small Groups

The BBL, part of the Zetter Hotel, offered the Hoodooist and friends a round after the London Cocktail Week debacle couple of weeks ago (Click HERE for recap) – except this time, service was blameless. Our *new* server was polite and had none of the attitude we dealt with the previous time. So props to that!
Remember, it is rare for service to be a constant problem if the bar is willing to remind their staff – but at the end of the day, service wins out on both atmosphere and drinks as the most important quality a bar offers.

The BBL, a medium sized bistro with rustic design that falls somewhere between traditional and modern provides a short cocktail list with a classical style.

Beginning with the Chamomile Bourbon Sour, it’s exactly what it says on the tin. Luckily not overpowered by the lemon juice as many hurried bartenders tend to go, the chamomile bourbon comes out smoothly, with the subtle floral sweetness of the chamomile, and the red berry sweetness of the bourbon.

The Clerk; Armagnac, Pineau des Charantes Vieux, apricot brandy, egg yolk – I was less thrilled about. Dividing egg yolk can be a task, but would probably be advised here, but that’s just up to taste. Strangely, it was the Pineau des Charantes that stood out to me the most, with the Armagnac slithering in soon after. The apricot brandy aftertaste was mild, and pleasant. An interesting aperitif with a digestif texture.

Finally, the classic York Club; 12yr Havana Club Selection de Maestros Rum, Lillet Rouge, apricot brandy, bitters – similar to a sweet Manhattan with the choice of Lillet Rouge and apricot brandy, with the vanilla of the rum coming soon after.

If there is really anything negative I’d have to say about this experience with the BBL, is that I feel that the prices are a bit ambitious. I can see these drinks charging 9-10.50 pounds, not 10-12. It’s only a pound or so’s difference, so nothing to really complain about, but something I considered. All in all, a relaxed experience – I’m glad they offered to do away with my first impression of their previous employee.

Accidentally half-drunk Chamomile Bourbon Sour and York Club

On that note. The Zetter Town House (click HERE for review) next door is part of the Zetter family like BBL, and we moved there after our round here, for bit of a shock. We stopped by for their Halloween offer, the Nosferatini, wet Gin Martini with Iron and sugar. An enjoyable and unsettling drink with the strong iron aftertaste assaulting the back of the palate.

But in an attempt to take a twist on the Lord Hinchenbroke’s Fizz, we were faced either with a seriously confused communication snafu, or service issue, depending on how you see it.

Said Fizz: Birch liqueur, Antica Formula, Champagne. The transcript of the conversation, with our first, polite server who was wonderful through the night.

“I’d like to try this as a Manhattan, so perhaps an oaky whisky or a Rye, instead of the champagne?”
“I don’t think we can do that, it’s pre-mixed. The boss’ rules.”
“….So you just pour the pre-mix into the champagne? Could you just pour it into the whisky?”
“We will have to charge you extra for the whisky, sorry about that.”
“Never mind then.”

5 minutes later, as usual, curiosity won out. So the Hoodooist decided to stop said boss to have the pre-mix thrown into the whisky regardless of the extra charge.

“I’m sorry, we can’t do that.”
“Wait a minute, don’t you pour the pre-mix into the champagne?”
“Yes.”
“So can’t you pour it into the whisky?”
“No.”
“Why not?”
“It’s only for that specific drink.”
“Which you can pour into another like the previous guy said?”
“Not really.”
“Why?”
“Because it’s only for that drink.”
*blank stare*

A failed attempt to force the Hoodooist into an Antica Formula Manhattan later – a completely different drink from the above idea, one considers the service/drinks balance again. So congratulations to a bar I normally enjoy tarnishing a perfectly good evening. Is it possible this was communication issue instead of stubbornness for the sake of art over customer? Perhaps, but that would say a lot about an individual in the service industry having difficulty in communicating. A logical explanation for your choices suffices much better over attempting to switch drinks around. This was a shame I hardly expected to deal with at a normally enjoyable bar.

A bar provides a suitable explanation if they choose to defy the customer, or they’re hardly a bar. “That gin has not been in a freezer, so we can’t use it in our Martinis” is a logical explanation. But if the customer asks for ketchup in their Martini, you put the ketchup in the Martini.

Back to the Bistrot Bruno Loubet review, I look forward to stopping by here for a meal, and a great example of redemption – or maybe the BBL and Zetter Townhouse just dressed as each other for Halloween.

Drinks: ***
Atmosphere: **
Service: ***

Bistrot Bruno Loubet @ the Zetter Hotel

St John’s Square,
86-88 Clerkenwell Rd,
London EC1M 5RJ

http://www.bistrotbrunoloubet.com/

Day of the Dead with Jose Cuervo, Southwark

Oct30

A convoluted walk through Southwark to the OXO Tower Creative Spaces brings us to the enormous art gallery that is the Bargehouse. Serving up some Day of the Dead realness, Jose Cuervo is another in the line (like last week’s El Nivel, click HERE for review!) of tequila events leading up to the Tequila Fest 2014, sponsored by the Mexican Embassy in London. From the 30^th Oct to 2^nd Nov, artwork is geared to depicting the Day of the Dead and with themes of the passed and loss, accompanied by drinks provided by Jose Cuervo tequila. Also included in the festival are Jose Cuervo masterclasses, a variety of children’s art and crafts workshops, and a screening of The Day of The Dead 1984 cinema classic, “Under the Volcano”.

Entering the gallery to a mindblowing DotD float crowned in sugar skulls and marigolds, traditional to Dia de los Muertos, guests make their way through the sprawling galleries to finally the two Jose Cuervo bars serving up a small selection of tequila drinks to accompany you through the artwork. As per 2014’s obsession with the drink, Frozen Margaritas make an appearance, as do Palomas and Sours, all priced at a perfect 6.50 GBP.

The Paloma is standard, but worth it at the price, but the star of the night would be Tradicional Sour, A tequila sour with egg white and fig puree – a much better choice than infusion since the perfectly seasonal, ripe sweetness of the fig comes through excellently. A must try this weekend!

Drinks wise, yes, it is an event to definitely visit. Art was enjoyable, but I couldn’t help but feel that the event did not capture both aspects of the Dia de los Muertos. True, there is a remembrance and honouring of those that passed, with an appreciation for feelings of loss and grief; but there is also celebration in their memory, and in terms of the art here, the festivities are lost with the artwork being predominantly focused on grief, old age and suffering, and even horror. This may or may not have led to the rather sombre attitude of the crowd most of the night.

Nonetheless, great pieces of artwork, with excellent drinks at 6.50 – what’s not to love?

Enjoy your Dia de los Muertos all, and a Happy Halloween!

Bargehouse

Bargehouse Street, South Bank
London SE1 9PH

http://www.oxotower.co.uk/events/day-dead/

Cecil’s UFF Tea Ball, London Bridge

Oct29

Type of Bar: Basement, Vintage
Damage: ££
Ideal for: Party, Date, Small Groups, Large Groups, Birthdays

Tucked away down the industrial alleyway of 8 Holyrood Street, Cecil’s is a basement venue that on weekends goes from bar to 1930s glam with their galas. With Cecil himself on stage and the wonderfully charismatic Jim McMahon as host, the night wasn’t short of incredible entertainment and fantastic service. We have been to Cecil’s before, as we covered their Paris in London Grand Marnier pop up in London Cocktail Week (Click HERE for review!).

The UFF Tea Ball is characterised by its focus on the 30s and formal wear (always a good excuse to throw on a tux), with varying themes now and again, this time: 1930s Shanghai; with Cecil singing classic tunes on stage in front of a small dancefloor, two large booths on either side of the room and a scattering of tables among the indoor foliage.

Greeted at the door with an Oolong tea based punch, downstairs we begin with a New York of the East: Maker’s Mark Bourbon, a splash of Umeshu plum wine, sugar, bitters, orange twist. Essentially an Old Fashioned with Umeshu, it brought a brightness to the classic, with a lasting earthiness in the aftertaste. An interesting twist. The Cecil’s Rum Swizzle is one of those effortless and classic drinks that demands no pretention or fascination, and in many ways epitomises the style of Cecil’s cocktails, it’s quietly confident and here to get the job done: Santa Teresa Claro rum, Velvet Falernum, spiced sugar syrup from Barbados, lime juice, bitters. I’m going to go ahead and assume the ‘spiced sugar syrup from Barbados’ is the spiced sugar cane syrup that is mixed in with rum to make Velvet Falernum, but I could be wrong. What you get is a clean, soft cocktail that really is a quintessential rum swizzle.

The New York of the East

The star of the evening would definitely be the Aperitif No. 20: El Jimador Reposado tequila, lemon, marmalade, sugar, splash of Kamm and Sons – bright, spry, lively, and effervescent. Citrusy, but only the best of ways, the tart sweetness of the marmalade and warm earthiness of the Kamm and Sons preventing a dreadful leap into sourness.

There was, still a hiccup with the Cecil’s Club Vodka Highball, which might appeal to some, but came off a bit *too* plain: Belenkaya Vodka, Umeshu, stripped cucumber, soda. Besides a distant umeshu after-taste, my bias against this might be the same reason I dislike so many of Hendrick’s Gin signature drinks, you could just eat a cucumber with a shot of vodka. So I am reluctant to judge this harshly since it could be a personal dislike, although it wasn’t a hit across the table for its plainness.

L-R: Cecil’s Rum Swizzle; Cecil’s Club Vodka Highball

Service-wise, as aforementioned, Cecil’s was flawless. Especially with their hosting and shout outs of several birthday parties that seem to take place there. Maybe a *slightly* stricter policy on the formal dress code, after all, ticket holders paid for an event to come out in gowns and tuxes, and the random fellow with shades indoors and his shirt hanging out over his jeans is bit of a dampener – but I suppose everyone needs comic relief.

In short? Cecil’s UFF Tea Ball provides a stimulating night out without the oppressiveness of say, the Blitz Ball, or the general offishness of most of the London Vintage scene. Along with fabulous hosts, and simple, classic cocktails, it’s definitely worth a knees up.

Drinks: ***
Atmosphere: ****
Service: *****

Cecil’s

8 Holyrood Street,
London, SE1 2EL.

http://www.cecilslondon.com/

City of London Distillery, Blackfriars

Oct26

Type of Bar: Basement, Ginstitute
Damage: ££
Ideal for: Gin, Date, Small Groups, Large Groups, After Work, Education

COLD is a rare gem in the City of London, opened in 2012, it finally brought back the distilling of gin to the City after 200 years – and boy do they take it seriously. Climbing down the stairs on unassuming Bride Lane, you’ll walk past their enormous copper stills, Clarissa and Jennifer, on display, which play part of the many Gin Experiences they provide: from tours, flights and tastings, to ginstitutes and making your own gin.

The atmosphere at COLD certainly is one of a late night bar. Dark green walls with an impressively stocked bar and vintage paraphernalia bask in the glow of the stills’ lighting. Further back the sense of being underground heightens, as the Hoodooist hunted down the winged leather Chesterfield armchair in the corner (as one does).

COLD’s ‘Distiller’s Martini’

They are known for their gins made in situ, including the award winning City of London Dry Gin that is also for sale – a well-balanced gin, with tendency to citrus, the distinct flavours of the liquorice, pink grapefruit and orange come through in this spirit, making it a very interesting choice for a:

COLD Distiller’s Martini: City of London Dry gin, Mancino Bianco with a pink grapefruit twist. As aforementioned, the gin is already fairly grapefruit-heavy, so pairing it with the garnish, and a more bitter vermouth that is distinctly flavoured with grapefruit and orange was a bold choice. The gin gives a slight pepperiness to the Martini, but one must acknowledge the overwhelming grapefruit of the drink – moreso than any of the other cocktails here serving up CoL Dry gin. It provides a decidedly smooth Martini that only isn’t to my taste because of the overdone grapefruit, although I did take to it more after getting the garnish out.

A winning drink coming up was a White Martinez, Cocchi Americano, City of London Dry Gin, Luxardo Maraschino, dash of Regans Orange Bitters, maraschino cherry garnish dropped in. This is excellent, but also very sweet, even in comparison to most Martinez’. The orange bitters really does come through with the grapefruit of the CoL gin; combatting with the thick sweetness of the Cocchi Americano and Luxardo Maraschino. Further down the drink, the cherry gets a chance to release its sugars into the drink for further sweetness. Somehow still a wonderful drink regardless of its intense sugariness – but one that takes time to drink.

COLD’s ‘Cristal Clear Martinez’

Chatting with our absolutely wonderful server, a bespoke Gin Old Fashioned was concocted, and was exactly that – an Old Fashioned with Beefeater Borrough’s Reserve Oak Rested Gin – sugar, bitters, grapefruit rind. A sophisticated cocktail often avoided by most bars, using a gin avoided by many gin purists, handled well and confidently, here at COLD. Probably more suitable to a drink like this, Beefeater Borrough’s is rested in French Oak barrels that used to contain Lillet Vermouth, that adds to the gin’s juniper and citrus notes of oaky vanilla, and winter spices like cinnamon or nutmeg. This gin certainly isn’t a Martini gin, but a wonderful idea to use it as a Gin Old Fashioned. Inspired.

After those 3 successful drinks, though, there was one hiccup – the OMG & Tea was a warning with the name, really. CoL Old Tom Gin, Bitter Truth Golden Falernum, Merlet Crème de Peche, Breakfast tea, lemon juice, soda water, garnished with mint and lemon. It ended up being a confused muddle of citrus soda at the end of it. Honestly though, this is a drink that is a warning from the outset, so it was silly to try it.

What COLD does best, is present sophisticated, alcohol heavy drinks – the menu’s occasional attempts into more ‘fun’ cocktail regions come with risk upon reading the ingredients.

The highlight of the night though, was the incredibly knowledgeable and convivial service. Conversing with our servers was a delight, and a highly educational experience. Polite, attentive, the staff are stars.

In summary, COLD is a unique gem in the heart of London’s business sector, and has won awards with good reason. Providing an incredible list of experiences and events, besides their unique gins, makes it a destination in itself. It’s strength lies in its simpler, more sophisticated drinks that demand skill and finesse to construct, and in its wonderful service. A hit in our books.

Drinks: ****
Atmosphere: ***
Service: *****

City of London Distillery

24 Bride Lane,
London, EC4Y 8DT

http://cityoflondondistillery.com/

Tequila Fest 2014 Preview @ Agaveria El Nivel

Oct22

“There are many ambassadors of Mexico to the UK,” announces the Mexican Ambassador behind the bar, “Tequila is one of them.”

Working alongside event organisers, the Tequila Festival in London is being proposed almost as a diplomatic event – with good reason. Though the wide-spread drinking of tequila and the recent emergence of Mezcalerias like 184 Hackney Road are known well enough, a connoisseurial culture of the spirit never completely blossomed in the Isles. “This is a no salt or lime zone”, stresses Festival organiser Eduardo Gomez as we grab our Mexican passports.

Literally.

Hosted at Agaveria El Nivel, one of the Hoodooist’s favourite openings this year (Click HERE for review!), the press preview brought forward a spectacular crowd to taste a large variety of tequilas & mezcals, either neat or in a margarita. A few fantastic discoveries in the world of tequila for the Hoodooist, such as Ambar’s selection of Blanco, Reposado, Anejo and Extra Anejo; where the aging of tequila isn’t dissimilar to that of cognacs, as the vanilla and wood notes begin to grow over time. Delightfully smooth, the Extra Anejo is a fantastic sipping tequila.

It also works surprisingly well in cocktails – a Tommy’s Margarita bursts with flavour here, and saved the Hoodooist’s butt in a cocktail competition that evening. Who knew that a blander Margarita made with a blanco tequila of an unnamed company can be spruced to life with a splash of Ambar Extra Anejo? Definitely remembering that concoction.

Ocho Tequila obviously makes an appearance – but I still vote for its use in cocktails moreso than to sip.

Siete Misterios still a winning mezcal for me, as is the Del Maguey, which I discovered at the Cocktails in the City show (Click HERE for review!). And whereas I was recommended the Papadiablo, it came off a bit harsh on the throat for myself.

On the note of mezcals, you can’t go wrong with a nicely smoky Del Maguey Tommy’s Margarita.

After the food provided by El Nivel (incredible as usual) was demolished by the now slightly staggering clientele of the room, the Hoodooist retires to the bar for a cheeky little sip of a Fortaleza Tequila – who knows when he’ll get a chance with this rarely-seen-outside-Mexico tequila. On the nose the warm pine is almost identical to the interior of a Swedish sauna, strangely; with smooth length, and sandalwood aftertaste. Unlike any other tequila tasted that day. Incredible.

Opinion of the night? Fantastic execution, one of the better press nights I’ve been to in a while, so major thanks to the organisers and Cutlass Communications! If the organisers keep this up, I can’t deny that Tequila Fest is going to be an incredible weekend that I’m already looking forward to!

“The Tequila Fest will educate you in the customs of production and consumption and engulf you in the taste, smells, sounds and sights of true Mexico. There are few spirits with a more rich and fascinating lineage. Get to grips with the technical jargon, the process of distillation and the bounty of care that goes into every single bottle.” Also featuring blind tastings, cocktail tutorials and masterclasses, and what the ambassador calls, “Real tequila.”
UPDATE: London Tequila Fest 2014 has been reviewed! Click HERE.

http://www.tequilafest.co.uk/

London Cocktail Week ’14, Day SIX: The End, and Best of the Week

Oct12

Welcome back to the recap of the sixth day of London Cocktail Week 2014! Wield a red or white wristband and enjoy the discounts/events that LCW has to offer!

This year the Hoodooist will be bringing you #YourDailyDoseOfHoodoo, a daily review of each day of London Cocktail Week ’14.

Today we look at October 11^th: Where the Hoodooist and friends return to London Bridge for a final hurrah to LCW14.

Having exhausted ourselves over the course of the week, Saturday marks our final night of participation, leaving Sunday for you, dear readers, to revel in using our reviews so far as a guide.

7.30PM: Our finale for the week is a return to Cecil’s hosting two events on the night: besides their LCW cocktail offer, the Paris in London Grand Marnier pop up, and the bar’s usual formal ball hosted by UFF Tea.

After spending the night there, I then decided that we tried enough of their house cocktail menu to merit their own full length review, coming up soon!

Cecil’s UFF Tea Ball

And that’s all of #YourDailyDoseOfHoodoo for London Cocktail Week 14, kids! As an afterword, let’s have a look at bars and events that really stood out this past week.

Monday Oct 6^th was a bit weak in terms of bars, but the pop up and masterclass stole the show.

The Nikka 51.4 Bar pop up at Covent Garden (Still open Sunday 12^th!) presented with spectacular pre-mixed ‘Nikka From the Barrel Whisky’ cocktails, with recipes brought from bars around the world. The concept of a 4 pound 4 mini-cocktail flight is a bargain for tasters, and the drinks themselves, spectacular. In order of most to least favourite, the Nippone, Robbie Burns-San, Professor Cocktail #30, and the Bamboo Crane.

The Cognac Masterclass held by Courvoisier’s Global Ambassador, Rebecca Asseline, was most excellent. The session provided information on the making, and indeed complex architecture, of the most honourable Chateau Courvoisier – an enlightening lesson in the making, tasting, and pairing of cognac. If one gets a chance to participate, grab it.

The Nikka ‘51.4’ Bar’s Cocktail Flight

Tuesday Oct 7^th was by far the headiest evening of the week, defined by fantastic service overall.

Winning bar would be Merchant House, hosting a pop up with Burleigh’s Gin (the pop up is shut, but Merchant House is still offering a Burleigh’s St. Clement for LCW), whose Woodland Martinez (Burleigh’s Gin, red vermouth, mushroom bitters, absinthe) hit the jackpot for the Hoodooist’s tastes. First lightly floral, then deeply earthy and mysterious – rich in texture. Wonderful.

Grand Marnier’s Paris in London pop up at Cecil’s was firstly wonderful in their choice of drinks, with the excellent Cold Claret Punch; Grand Marnier Cordon Rouge, Cherry Marnier, Bordeaux red wine, botanicals, spices and lemon juice. The intense spiced wine moving into the sweeter cherry, ending on the Grand Marnier was for once, a long drink the Hoodooist enjoyed, and did so immensely. The evening was defined by the lovely EU Ambassador for Grand Marnier, Julien LaFond, being an gracious and generous host, introducing the Hoodooist and friends to the flavours and history of Grand Marnier and their bottles of Centenaire and Quintessence. A highlight of the week.

L-R: Grand Marnier Centenaire; Quintessence

Wednesday Oct 8^th was an odd night of bars the Hoodooist loves taking unnecessary risks.

But the winning drink of the evening would go to 184 Hackney Road /QuiQuiRiQui, with their Mezcal Margarita. Their signature smoky mezcal, hibiscus and cardamom syrup, lime juice and agave nectar, was a simple, laid back drink that brought out first the smokiness of the mezcal, momentary agave sweetness to the deep smokiness, but quickly resting on the hibiscus, with a slight hint of cardamom in the distance.

184 Hackney Road

Thursday Oct 9^th reminded the Hoodooist of the importance of good service, highlighted by one terrible event at the Bistrot Bruno Loubet, versus spectacular service at all the other venues of the evening.

Pop up of the evening goes to Buffalo Trace Bourbon and their excellent Pickle Jar event in the basement of The Well, Clerkenwell. Presenting the painfully smooth Rosemary Sazerac to rival some of the best in London, along with the perfectly Perfect Maraschino Manhattan (though only red vermouth was used), alongside a trio of Picklebacks, one using pickled gherkin juice, beetroot, and cucumber. A wonderful evening to be spent here.

Bar of the evening would be the City of London Distillery, with their fantastic service, and surprising vermouth-heavy Cristal Clear Martinez of Cocchi Americano, COLD London Dry gin, Luxardo Maraschino, dash of Regans Orange Bitters, maraschino cherry garnish dropped in. Rich mouthfeel, surprisingly sweet, but not overly sickly. A drink one takes time with, but won’t get bored of.

Buffalo Trace Bourbon’s Pickle Jar event

Friday Oct 10^th brought with it exhaustion and many puns. The winning bars are two:

First, Mele e Pere put forward the incredible apertivo, the Veneton Mess Revisited, a twist on their own Veneton Mess: homemade white vermouth, strawberry vermouth, and ginseng liqueur with a dash of lemonade. Both slightly dry with the white vermouth, yet having the richer mouthfeel of the red. First, the intense strawberry vermouth, followed by the warm citrus notes of the white, with the lemonade aftertaste.

Second, MASH (Modern American Steak House) – besides excellent service, food, and clientele – put forward the Woody Woodpecker, walnut infused Buffalo Trace bourbon, maple syrup, peach juice and Angostura bitters. The smooth Buffalo Trace comes in first as you’d imagine, playing lightly with the maple syrup. The peach makes a short-lived appearance, and the aftertaste of warm walnut envelopes. Drink quickly, the ice unfortunately dilutes and affects the flavours too harshly.

MASH’s ‘Woody Woodpecker’

Finally, the winning drink of Saturday Oct 11^th at Cecil’s UFF Tea Ball/Paris in London Grand Marnier pop up would be the Aperitif No. 20: El Jimador Reposado tequila, shaken with fresh lemon, marmalade and sugar, with a splash of Kamm & Sons ginseng. At first sight this recipe looks like running the risk of being too sweet, but what we get is a well-rounded, tart aperitif.

It is done.

Alright! That’s our recap of Day Six and the best of London Cocktail Week 2014! I do hope it may have helped you one way or the other, dear companions, on our quest through the most magical week of the year. May the LCW shackles on your wrists take you to fantastical vistas through this glorious city.

You have one more night, TONIGHT, Sunday night, to make the most of London Cocktail Week 2014! And best you do! The Hoodooist, on the other hand, is going to curl up in bed, and forget the world exists – for #YourDailyDoseOfHoodoo LCW recaps are at an end till LCW 2015.

Nonetheless, you will still be getting your regular bar reviews from Highball Hoodoo twice a week starting 22nd October 2014 (What? I need a week off. I bloody deserve it.)

Until then, dear readers, teach your livers a lesson in Hoodoo.

Good night, and good luck.

London Cocktail Week ’14, Day FIVE: Ain’t No Rest for the Wicked

Oct11

Welcome back to the recap of the fifth day of London Cocktail Week 2014! Wield a red or white wristband and enjoy the discounts/events that LCW has to offer!

This year the Hoodooist will be bringing you #YourDailyDoseOfHoodoo, a daily review of each day of London Cocktail Week ’14.

Today we look at October 10^th: Where the Hoodooist and friends tackle Soho (Well, Soho-ish) .

Day Five and it’s starting to show. The bodily effects of LCW14 are coming in all their baggy eyed, dry skin’d glory. But there ain’t no rest for the wicked, till this is done and dusted for good.

So it may be a blessing in disguise when at 1.30PM: The Blind Pig at the Social Eating House couldn’t get their work in order for their cocktail, Gin Quininey, Gin Quininey, Gin Gin Yuzu. “Our ingredients finished last night, we can’t make the drink till 4PM tonight.”
Here are reasons why this is silly: Some of us are making our way to you with schedules with slots that you fit in to. Do what you promise, or don’t do anything at all.
Secondly, OVERSTOCK. A Gareth Evans joint changes its menu like every five minutes. Even if your cup runneth over and you have too many ingredients – keep serving it up after LCW is over as a limited edition drink.
Thirdly, if you couldn’t organise the above because forward-thinking isn’t one’s forte, offer another drink as an option. Or hell, maybe choose a regular drink from your menu instead of one with ingredients that might be hard to come by.
A shame since I rather enjoy the Blind Pig as a bar, as I do most of Evans’ bars.

4PM: Lunch done, and the Hoodooist already has a gelato stain on his shirt. But Amorino gelato stains are scars to be proud of. Mmm.
We find ourselves at the Carom at Meza, serving up a ‘Kill Jim’, El Jimador tequila swizzle with chilli, Mozart chocolate liqueur, Velvet Falernum and Navy Strength rum. The sweeter rum flows into the tequila before an explosion of chilli – with the chocolate playing in the background. As you’d guess, it gets spicier the longer you take to drink. The drink seems a bit overthought for me and not my thing, but was a hit with couple of friends at the table with taste for sweeter, longer drinks.

Opium’s ‘Down to the Baijiu’

5PM: Opium Cocktail & Dim Sum Parlour (Click HERE for review!), who are serving ‘Down to the Baijiu’ according to the LCW14 literature; Baijiu, Oolong tea infused vodka, fresh lemon and pomegranate juice, almond syrup. Although our server also mentioned the ingredients chilli-infused tequila, and orgeat (instead of almond syrup, I suspect), and didn’t mention pomegranate.

So running by palette, the Baijiu was unmistakable and the opener to the drink, followed by a citrus and almond sweetness I believe is the orgeat. The oolong followed immediately behind, ending on the tequila. This incredibly sweet, but not sickly so, was pleasant and nagged me with a sense of nostalgia until somebody finally yelled “STRAWBERRY LACES!”, which is essentially what it tastes like – scarily similar. I would love this as a dessert drink, with its light mouthfeel and short serving.

Mele e Pere’s ‘Veneton Mess Revisited’

6PM: Soho’s vermouth bar, Mele e Pere, presented a twist on their own drink – the Veneton Mess – with the ‘Veneton Mess Revisited’; homemade white vermouth, strawberry vermouth, and ginseng liqueur with a dash of lemonade. I love this. What I enjoyed here was the drink being both slightly dry with the white vermouth, yet having the richer mouthfeel of the red. First, the intense strawberry vermouth, followed by the warm citrus notes of the white, with the lemonade aftertaste. As usual in cocktails with strong flavours, the ginseng hides in the background (which is strange considering its intensity when drunk straight) but helps round the drink out. Made a wonderful aperitif.

MASH’s ‘Woody Woodpecker’

7PM: The aperitif done, we found ourselves craving beef tartare at the dark, subterranean MASH. Presenting one of their own drinks, the Woody Woodpecker was walnut infused Buffalo Trace bourbon, maple syrup, peach juice and Angostura bitters. The smooth Buffalo Trace comes in first as you’d imagine, playing lightly with the maple syrup. The peach makes a short-lived appearance, and the aftertaste of warm walnut envelopes. A hit across the table, this drink is highly recommended. The only catch to it is having to drink it quickly, since the diluting ice really does steal many of the flavours if left to melt.

Food was spectacular, service was absolutely impeccable. Clientele incredibly dressed. It’s almost like an American extension of Zedel’s Bar Americain couple of doors down (Click HERE for a review of Bar Americain!)

Benares’ ‘Mumbai Martini’

8PM: 10 minute walk brings us to Benares at Berkeley Square, serving up a Mumbai Martini; vodka muddled over curry leaves, fresh root ginger, lemon juice and sugar syrup. Okay. This was something that, with a couple of changes, can be a very intriguing drink.

At first, there is this absolute slam of curry leaves followed by a powerful lemon, ginger simmering, then suddenly going back to lemon. It runs a risk of tipping between ‘alright’ and ‘unpleasant’. Halfway through the drink, the curry leaves and ginger vanish, leaving sweet lemon vodka behind. At this point, it’s all out unpleasant.

I suspect leaving out the sugar, changing the citrus (Yuzu? As a light spray, not as a juice. But if it demands juice after trial and error, minimal), and infusing the vodka lightly with curry leaves, then muddling with a hint of ginger could change this drink into something wonderful.

In other news, service was confused, the bartender had a better idea of who we were and when we wanted the bill from miles away while three servers were busy running into each other being confused. Or acting it. Whichever. It was more of a fun bobble-head boxing contest.

Midnight: Is there a theme to today? Well, besides all the awesome puns. Maybe there is a moral to the story, but not in the bars. The Hoodooist made it home obscenely early at 9.15PM when he realised that the concept of another drink was almost unthinkable. Five days in a row of LCW meant a full night’s sleep is something necessary.
Ain’t no rest for the wicked.

Alright! That’s our recap of Day Five of London Cocktail Week 2014! I do hope it may have helped you one way or the other, dear companions, on our quest through the most magical week of the year. May the LCW shackles on your wrists take you to fantastical vistas through this glorious city.

#YourDailyDoseOfHoodoo is almost at an end! Be prepared for our LCW14 finale article coming up this weekend!