Welcome one and all to the recap of the fifth day of London Cocktail Week 2015! 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 ’15.

Today we look at October 9^th: Where the Hoodooist and friends tackled Soho!

The Aged American

1.30PM:

The Green Bar at Hotel Cafe Royal is always a good place to start!

The green tiled surrounds of the venue and the gorgeous bar in the centre offer an Aged American: Maker’s Mark bourbon, 20 year old port, Briottet figue liqueur, egg white. A great drink to start with this early. A balance of sweet and citrus, slightly velvety, easy to down. Vanilla and light notes of rye spice, but stronger orange and fig – bit of toffee.

A great drink if you want to start off with something light.

L-R: The Old Fashioned Date Night; Hops & Glory

3.30PM:

After lunch at the Brasserie Zedel, the Hoodooist finally makes it to the The World Class London Cocktail Week Hub – hosting masterclasses and being hosted by several World Class bartenders each day – this is a must-see of the week.

Two of the cocktails on offer were the Hops & Glory, and the Old Fashioned Date Night:

The Hops & Glory provided Tanqueray 10 gin, shaken with London IPA syrup, Italian vermouth and lemon – for a crisp, but exceedingly smooth and crisp Martini. The full body of the Tanqueray 10 and the malty sweetness of the IPA syrup make this a winning citrus cocktail that even non-Martini drinkers absolutely must try.

The Old Fashioned Date Night  brings Ron Zacapa rum, popcorn and cola infusion, chocolate bitters and a date garnish – After the first sweet hit from the Ron Zacapa, there is an immediate procession through cola, then a long moment of popcorn, and intense bitterness. This drink might tend toward a lot more bitter than expected about reading the menu – and demands time be taken with it.

Off to the Blind Pig next door!

L-R: The Canhattan; the Monkey Shoulder Snakebite

4.30PM:

The Blind Pig at the Social Eating House gets busy. Fast. Getting early or managing to book a table is best advice. Luckily, 4.30 is 15 minutes before the crowd roll in, and the bar suddenly goes from quiet to bustling.

There are two drinks on offer here:

The Canhattan offers Monkey Shoulder whisky, sweet vermouth, Angostura bitters and ‘canned maraschino cherry’. Expecting the unexpected from any Gareth Evans concoction, the Hoodooist was still surprised by the presentation – not over the top, but still fun! The cocktail’s beautiful nose thanks to the Monkey Shoulder’s winter spices and malt – palate of cloves, berries, dried fruit, honey, and then orange from the vermouth make this a fantastic Manhattan that is neither too sweet nor bitter, with a bit of kick.

The Monkey Shoulder Snakebite was a surprise! Monkey Shoulder whisky, pear liqueur, ale reduction, cider syrup, lemon juice, citrusy, malty and velvety, sweet. Bursts of spice and butter come clean through the cider with a fresh fruit finish. A long and heavy drink, and certainly an enjoyable one.

The Prohibition

6PM:

Today’s drinks have been mostly light, citrusy, sweet, and usually involving some hop-related ingredient – so it was time for the Hoodooist to return to his roots with The Prohibition by The Vault Soho.

Whisky, dry vermouth, homemade Amer Picon, cherry liqueur, and orange bitters make this a bitter, but addictive cocktail. Rye spice and dried fruits is cut through with liquorice and bitterness before being followed but a wave of cherry liqueur and ending with the orange bitters. If you enjoy them strong and bitter (with a hint of fruity sweetness), this is the one for you. Great job by the Vault.

The Comin’atcha

7PM:

So the food at Shackfuyu is fantastic. After spectacular okonomiyaki styled prawn toast and smoked eel tostada, we turned to the Matcha Comin’atcha: Gin infused with matcha powder, lime and cucumber garnish.

I wanted to like this drink, since it was a refreshing polarity to the previous one – but the matcha doesn’t really do much to make it different from a gin and tonic. In any case, it’s a great 5 pound G&T, and worth popping by as a break with their amazing bar snacks.

The I Bee-long To You

8:15PM:

And so we find ourselves at Percy and Founders.

Something about this place, is reminiscent of ‘That Girl‘ in high school. The one you and your friends suddenly think of in conversation, but for some reason you just cannot for the life of you remember her name. Or her hair colour. Or if she was in your classes. Arrested Development fans might know her as Egg.

Egg was also responsible for the I Bee-long To You: Glenfarclas 15 whisky, Drambuie, lemon juice, honey, English Bitter Manzanilla.

I can’t think of a way to describe this cocktail without being disrespectful.

ON THE PLUS SIDE: Day Five has been dominated by a wide variety of cocktails: from the sweet and smooth at the Green Bar and Blind Pig, to the deep and bitter at the Vault and the World Class London Cocktail Week Hub, to the bright and refreshing at Shackfuyu. Soho has outdone itself this year with what it has on offer, just make sure to make reservations!

Tonight, the incredible international contest with bartending teams from across the globe, pitting city against city at the International 24 Hour Bar Build! Tune in for that recap tomorrow!

Alright! That’s our recap of Day Five of London Cocktail Week 2015! I do hope it may have helped you one way or the other, dear readers, on our quest through the most magical week of the year.

Remember to check out Highball Hoodoo every morning of London Cocktail Week for more reviews of the LCW cocktail offerings, parties and events!

Get #YourDailyDoseOfHoodoo each morning from 5th to 11th October!
*Tune in tomorrow for our coverage of the International 24 Hour Bar Build!*

Welcome one and all to the recap of the fourth day of London Cocktail Week 2015! 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 ’15.

Today we look at October 8^th: Where the Hoodooist and friends tackled Dalston and Whitechapel!

The Wanderer

7:45PM:

We already know that the Hoodooist loves Original Sin. A quieter evening, seated at the bar; the LCW offering, The Wanderer is presented: Kilchoman whisky, amontillado sherry, lemon, orange, pomegranate molasses.

My, this is beautiful. Balanced, toward sweet, but not sugary. Strikes a fantastic partnership with what feels like the Kilchoman Machir Bay. Maritime brine and smoke cut through the pomegranate molasses and light orange, all tempered by the amontillado.

A well-balanced drink that doesn’t patronise the drinker. A must try this cocktail week.

The Tropical Italian

8:30PM:

Finding oneself at Ruby’s Dalston, service is once again welcoming and warm.

As in our full review of Ruby’s, classics are very well done, but house cocktails tend to falter into extremes. The Tropical Italian (aka, Mambo Italiano): Campari, mango, chinotto, topped with prosecco, is no different.

The chinotto isn’t communicated well, the Campari and prosecco dominate the cocktail, with a bit of mango coming through between. Sadly, this cocktail went unfinished since the Campari was overpowering when combo’d with mango (this is coming from a Negroni fan, for the record).

Hope this was just a one-time mishap – otherwise atmosphere and service and fantastic.

The Golf Gin Fizz

9:30PM:

Chomping through some excellent scallops, the Golf Gin Fizz is served at Mussel Men: Eden Mill Golf gin for a classic Gin Fizz.

A long and refreshing gin fizz, thoroughly enjoyable on a hot day. The lemongrass coming through might tip it over to the sweet side, in which case ask to mind the sugar.

Make sure to nip in for the seafood! Mussel Men will be hosting several events through the week for this LCW #ScottishInvasion series.

The Blessed Thistle

10:30PM:

Down in the basement at 46 & Mercy (make sure to say hi to Mat), another favourite of the evening was being served: the Blessed Thistle brought together Ketel One vodka, Cocchi Americano vermouth washed with smoked pork fat & thyme, sherry vinegar.

Spectacular, everything is taken into consideration here (well, the nose can be a bit strong, if you want to nitpick). A fascinating twist on a vodka Martini, the washing lends to the cocktail a velvety smoothness and ease of drinking, as well as depth and herbaceous quality that goes to well with the floral Ketel One vodka. The sherry vinegar is a little bit of cheeky kick. An ambitious, and very successful, drink.

Another must visit, and very close to the Spitalfield Cocktail Village if needed.

If seated on the reclining chairs, don’t lean forward. Really.

The #borntoparty

11PM:

Okay, Apples and Pears wins point for atmosphere: aftar admiring the artwork, Hoodooist and co just became drunkenly absorbed into the classic Tom & Jerry and Merrie Melodies cartoons on the big screen. Because why the hell not.

The fun vibe extends to the cocktail, the #borntoparty: Courvoisier VS cognac, orange liqueur, Cocchi Americano vermouth, blackcurrant and vanilla tea syrup. Coming with a ‘polaroid’ of, um, Napoleon (give it a second).

Serving a cold drink in a balloon glass is a long time peeve of the Hoodooist’s, but if sticking to the theme, might as well go all the way. The drink has a bit too much going on, though. The blackcurrant and vanilla do come through, but once all the flavours mingle, it starts to taste like a liquid Curly Wurly – which, if you enjoy, you’ll love this.

Definitely a dessert cocktail, with a syrupy texture, and caramelly flavour.

1AM:

The Hoodooist has to stay up and type, taking on Soho needs an early morning.

But first, more pizza.

5 bars today, and we see some stand out winners like Original Sin and 46 & Mercy, and evidence that sometimes classics are classics with good reason with Mussel Men. Great selection.

Alright! That’s our recap of Day Four of London Cocktail Week 2015! I do hope it may have helped you one way or the other, dear readers, on our quest through the most magical week of the year.

Remember to check out Highball Hoodoo every morning of London Cocktail Week for more reviews of the LCW cocktail offerings, parties and events!

Get #YourDailyDoseOfHoodoo each morning from 5th to 11th October!
*Tune in tomorrow for our coverage of Soho and Fitzrovia!*

Welcome one and all to the recap of the third day of London Cocktail Week 2015! 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 ’15.

Today we look at October 7^th: Where the Hoodooist and friends tackled Mayfair and Marylebone!

The Original Sin

4PM:

The Sheraton Park Lane Hotel’s Smith and Whistle is a relaxed hotel joint with a distinct love for Irish whiskey, and Jameson’s in particular.

Besides their Caskmate’s cocktail, they were even hosting a raffle to win a bottle before going home! But their Original Sin is not to be a missed. A beautiful crimson cocktail topped with a spicy stout foam. The first sip through the foam brings out flavours of warm spices from  cinnamon, nutmeg and star anise – until you get to the cocktail of Jameson’s Caskmates whiskey, red wine reduction, and more of that homemade spiced syrup.

Expect to find an immediate hit of light warm spices (enhanced by the burning cinnamon garnish), the wine reduction’s dark fruits and raspberry, finally ending with the Caskmate’s Madeira, fresh and honeyed fruit, and vanilla. A beautiful cocktail – even the Hoodooist didn’t mind its sweetness.

Smith and Whistle raised the bar high before continuing on!

The Sakura Highball

5.30PM:

The ROKA Mayfair kept up the standard so far with the long Sakura Highball. Nikka From the Barrel whisky met Cocchi’s Barolo Chinato vermouth, Sakura cherry blossom tincture, topped off with a plum soda.

The nose is bittersweet and tempting, the first sip immediately brings out the Nikka’s fruit, winter spices and toffee along with the plum soda, before quickly setting onto a long wave of the Barolo Chinato’s orange peel, cloves and dried fruits with the bitter kick, ending on a bed of cherry blossom.

With excellent service and chat from the bartenders, beautiful surrounds, and bar snacks that are devoured in moments, this is an excellent highball drink, highly recommended.

The Amor y Amargo

6.30PM:

Into the winding side streets that lead us into the busy lane housing Cartizze, which seems more at home in a hotel than the lane that houses it, the Amor y Amargo is served at the table. Being rather busy, it took its time, the sweet drink caused a little debate.

Amaretto liqueur, Cynar, apricot liqueur, vanilla sugar, lemon, topped with prosecco. Some enjoyed the drink, the Hoodooist couldn’t taste much over the amaretto, lemon and a hint of apricot. It seemed to lack dimension, and blurred into a one-trick drink. Of course, if this is one’s style, a sweet tooth might enjoy it.

When a friend at the table ordered a second, they were informed that only the first drink is subject to the LCW 5 pound offer. Something *no other bar so far in the history of the 5 years of cocktail week* has inflicted on wristband wearers.

The Sesame Street

7PM:

Next door, the Cartizze’s sister bar, Mews of Mayfair, offered the Sesame Street: Glenmorangie 10yr infused with apricots, sesame oil, topped with egg white and sesame seeds.

A major improvement from next door, the spicy nose is refreshing, the palate is instantly hit with sesame, followed by vanilla and bold fruits of the whisky, retreating once again into sesame and ending with bright apricots.

An enjoyable drink and a huge improvement, with multifaceted flavours, though a friend retorted, “I keep thinking of chicken yakitori.”

The Golden Shuffle

8PM:

Recently opened dinner and shisha bar, Noir W1, next door to Selfridges, serving up the Golden Shuffle: Courvoisier Exclusif cognac, yuzu juice, lemon, cocoa nib infused white truffle honey, egg white and black walnut bitters.

Tastes like a regular Sidecar.

Somewhat detectable honey.

The Absolutly Dirty

10PM:

After a bite and some key lime pie in Marylebone, Hoodooist and co. find themselves at an old haunt that once had a long and beautifully complex menu.

Purl offered up the Absolutely Dirty for LCW: Absolut Elyx vodka, sherry (fino, perhaps?), capers and black olive bitters.

Only approach if Dirty Martini fan. After the first kick the face with black olives, you will feel a sharp slice of the sherry, followed immediately after by the black olives and a hint of caper.

The Hoodooist, a major fan of the bone-dry gin Martini, not so much a fan of this. At least didn’t enjoy the wincing with each sip.

As aforementioned: Only approach if Dirty Martini fan.

Midnight:

The Hoodooist remembers there are at least three more days to go, and has a lie down.

With a really high standard set up by the Smith and Whistle, and Roka, and a fun twist at Mews of Mayfair, the Mayfair March was a day of high highs, and low lows. Some, like the Cartizze and Purl, have targeted very specific audience palates that the reader must consider.

Alright! That’s our recap of Day Three of London Cocktail Week 2015! I do hope it may have helped you one way or the other, dear readers, on our quest through the most magical week of the year.

Remember to check out Highball Hoodoo every morning of London Cocktail Week for more reviews of the LCW cocktail offerings, parties and events!

Get #YourDailyDoseOfHoodoo each morning from 5th to 11th October!
*Tune in tomorrow for our coverage of Dalston and Whitechapel!*

Apologies for the late post, readers, but writing this up last night was impossible with the room spinning and uncontrollable giggling in the shower – which means London Cocktail Week has kicked into gear!

Welcome one and all to the recap of the first day of London Cocktail Week 2015! 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 ’15.

Today we look at October 5^th: Where the Hoodooist and friends tackled the LCW Village and the City!

5PM:

Of course, the hangover was improved by the wonderful guys from Ohayo Tomorrow! Their hangover cures can be found at the all new London Cocktail Week Village at Spitalfields – a massive space converted into the LCW’s main hub where you can collect your wristbands and peruse some of the exciting brands and bars that set up shop, serving cocktails and cocktail equipment!

Set up around the giant SodaStream carousel, there are some must visit stops.

James Elliot of Pizza Pilgrims (Who made a lifesaving appearance at the Bussey Bar Rooftop this summer) manages the all-new London limoncello brand – Pococello, using exclusively Amalfi lemons with spirit produced by the Chase Distillery UK.

The result is a deliciously smooth spirit that balances sweet and tart when drunk neat and ice cold, but works absolutely beautifully with the slightly bitter Fevertree tonic. Make sure to grab yourself an L&T before trying out their limoncello slushie which is a fantastic picnic drink.

The Pococello & Tonic

While you’re at the village, make sure to pop by Loves Company stall for a ginger mystery cocktail using Bathtub Gin and grab selfies in the (obviously necessary) bathtub with a bottle! You can always trust Loves Company for the quirkier stalls at a festival, winning Cocktail in the City 2015‘s Best Stand award.

Bathtub Gin at Loves Company

And don’t miss the Vestal Vodka stop right next door! Take a quick look at the history of this smooth potato vodka that is a longstanding Highball Hoodoo favourite, and grab a Vestal Martini before you leave. Velvety, with distinct blueberry and liquorice notes, makes this a fantastically easy to drink Martini.

The Vestal Martini

The Hoodooist and co. make their way to the heart of City to check out what the bars have to offer.

6.30PM:

Company all have a Pappy 10 Old Fashioned in hand at Barbecoa. Yes – a Pappy 10.

Rarely seen in London (to the point where wristband wearers are limited to one per visit), the Pappy was exciting, an Old Fashioned made with demerara sugar and orange bitters, topped off with a large ice cube.

The first glass came in, the nose sweet with sweet corn, toffee, and dried fruits, the palate, however, felt a little watered. You could tell the heart of the cocktail had that beautiful buttery, thick, dates, walnut, caramel with a hint of spice – but it seemed somewhat lost in the cocktail.

Our bartender was wonderful enough to try a few changes: chill the glass beforehand and lose the ice cube (it melts surprisingly quickly) and minimise the sugar – the Hoodooist wishes he asked to switch the strong orange bitters to Angostura as well, but the changes were an improvement for the company at the table. It is a change we’d recommend.

The Pappy 10 Old Fashioned

7.30PM:

Making our way to The Sign of the Don Bistro, company finally grab food to eat after a long day of imbibing – the octopus salad is not to be missed!

A round of The 10/10 comes to the table: 10 year port meets the Glenmorangie 10 year scotch, Campari, Monin gomme syrup, lime juice, chilli and coriander. This drink is interesting, the Glenmorangie’s citrus nose bursts through, the mouthfeel light and refreshing.

It begins with a citrus and coriander, that develops into the Glenmorangie’s creamy, fresh scotch, followed by a length of port and chilli, leaving an aftertaste of strong Campari and a prickling of the chilli.

This drink was a surprise, and not what we were expecting – worth trying for the novelty and popping by for the food!

The 10/10

8.30 PM:

In the basement of the Arbitrager, we find the beautiful drinking den of Demon, Wise, and Partners. Classically designed and luscious, a fantastic spot to get away from the noisiness of the day.

In typical DW&P fashion, the drinker is given options on which direction they’d like to take their drink: The Rabbit Hole presents the imbiber with a ‘Sweet’ or ‘Dry’ choice.

Both have the same base of Wild Turkey whiskey, Campari, lemon.

However the ‘Sweet’ comes with sweet Cinzano 1757 vermouth, and a red capsule full of a smoke and orange blossom powder.
And the ‘Dry’ comes with Cinzano Dry vermouth, and a blue capsule with powdered Green Chartreuse.

The result are two completely different cocktails, distinctly sweet and distinctly dry.

The sweet Rabbit Hole begins with the floral orange blossom, followed by the whiskey’s thick butterscotch and pepper, laying of a bed of smoke, finally ending with the lingering Campari.

The dry Rabbit Hole is beautiful is you like your drinks dry and bitter. It follows a similar pattern as above, but beginning with the herbal, pungent Chartreuse – the mouthfeel is the most interesting though, malty or yeasty in the best of ways.

Highly recommend this cocktail, one (two?) of my favourites of the day!

The Rabbit Hole

9.30PM:

Hoodooist and co. are overlooking London from the gorgeous Art Deco bar that is City Social at Tower 42.

A wonderful place to relax and end the night in the comfy, dark recesses of the couches with the glittering city below, we grab ourselves the LCW offering: the Vitamin Sea.

Hendrick’s Gin, sea buckthorn and orange sherbet, Cocchi Americano, lemon and carrot juice,and a touch of absinthe. The name is accurate. Served in a medicinal bottle, the nose is powerfully citrus, you can almost smell the sea bukthorn’s high vitamin C content. The cocktail tastes almost exactly like an alcoholic vitamin supplement. There is a distant touch of absinthe, but barely there, otherwise the palate is dominated by the berry and orange juice, with undertones of the Hendrick’s.

An odd choice of offering, a bit flat. An interesting twist on a gin and orange, however, but only subtle differences.

The Vitamin Sea

11 something:

The Hoodooist downs his Ohayo Tomorrow and collapses in bed, vowing to be up early to write this article. That didn’t happen.

Alright! That’s our recap of Day One of London Cocktail Week 2015! I do hope it may have helped you one way or the other, dear readers, on our quest through the most magical week of the year.

Remember to check out Highball Hoodoo every morning of London Cocktail Week for more reviews of the LCW cocktail offerings, parties and events!

Get #YourDailyDoseOfHoodoo each morning from 5th to 11th October!
*Tune in tomorrow for our coverage of Hoxton and Shoreditch!*