Monthly Archives: April 2015

The Rise in the Hidden Bar

With cocktails becoming the latest trend in drinking, some of us long for the days were cocktail bars were something of exclusivity and they were a little more relaxed and empty before they hit the mainstream. That’s exactly what these little hidden gems have to offer. The exclusive bars and clubs are open to be able to maintain quality over quantity and offer the finest cocktails in the world. Here is our pick of the most hidden and highest quality bars in the UK.

The Boilmaker, Nottingham

boilermakerbar.co.uk
This little hidden gem has taken the hidden bar to an extreme with its shifty looking exterior yet extravagant interior. The bar its self is hidden inside a little back alley store. On a first glance the store its self looks like a shady electricians store front, with little to offer anybody. However, walking in past the tall well built shop owner (who conveniently doubles up as a doorman) and you can go into the back through the “staff room” door before pulling the sink to open the wall into the majestic interior. This hidden beauty is themed as a vintage bar that offers cocktails through to the early hours of the morning at a very high class. The two bartenders behind the bar have been making cocktails for around 5 years at this venue for the famous and selected who are trusted with this well guarded secret.

The Milk and Thistle, Bristol

milkthistlebristol.com

The Milk Thistle is a small hidden away bar in the heart of Bristol. The unassuming town house looks to fit perfectly and has no signs of being a bar but once you ring the door bell and walk through the hidden door in the library you will enter a 4 floor colossal bar with different atmospheres as you get closer to the top and a bar on each floor. The staff in this bar don’t actually get paid and rely solely on tips. This may seem strange but it is so that the owner can ensure they make you as comfy as possible followed with making the highest quality cocktails they can make.

Ladies and Gentlemen, London

ladiesandgents.co

This bar is disguised as public toilets so that the average person would not expect what is lurking below. Once you enter the depths of the bar you will see the change from the public toilet like tiles to the dark whiskey and craft ale serving bar. This is certainly a manlier bar serving drinks that you would expect the big guy with the beard to drink. However, they offer literally anything in the way of cocktails if you ask them and what they can’t make they do some research and then make it even letting you sample it before you drink it so that you can see if it’s done right. This gives the bar its self a better welcoming feel for all of its patrons.

These three are the most perfect, tucked away bars we have come across. However for a truly tucked away and secret bar we shouldn’t be able to find it easily. If you know of a bar that you think is amazing and want to share it with the world then tweet us your selections!

Cocktails for Prinks

April 4 DIY Cocktails No Comments

Pre drink or ‘Prinks’ before going out are very popular, but you don’t want to have too much before you go out you don’t enjoy your night. Here are some fun cocktails that are great for ‘prinks’.

We have all gone for that night in town and had a little before hand. The key thing when doing this has to be getting the balance right of not drinking so little that it was worthless and not drinking so much that it’s simply silly and ruins your night. Here are some weaker cocktails that will make your night perfect with the right balance of sensibleness and fun.

The Libertea

This is more of a summer’s drink that you can enjoy relaxing with friends in the garden. The easy to make drink allows you to make a fairly large amount of cocktails so that you’re not going back and re making the cocktails over and over again every time you want a drink.This drink will need; four cups of water, four cups of lemonade, four black tea bags, half a cup of wild turkey bourbon and two cups of American honey liquor.

Then you are going to need to boil the in a pan before taking off the heat. Then add the tea bags and leave it to sink in for 8 minutes. Finally take the tea bags out of the mixture before adding all of the other ingredients to the pan. Get the mixture and place it in the fridge. Once this is done you should leave it for two hours to cool before serving. Serve with a slice of lemon or ice for the best results.

Marco Polo

The Marco Polo is a Negroni with a twist. The drink adds a few things to the mix and allows the drinks to be infused. Take a look at our recipe. you will need; one oz of gin, one oz of sweet vermouth, one oz of Campari, drop of green cardamom, half a teaspoon of pepper, half a tea spoon of mace, half a tea spoon of coriander and a slice of orange.

Firstly add all of the liquids into a shaker. Then add all of the herbs and spices one by one shaking in-between what you add. Then finally shake violently and strain into cocktail a cocktail glass filled with ice.

The Manzanilla

This is a Spanish apple cocktail that gives a exotic fruity like nature to the evening. The drink is very low in alcohol and is in one word amazing on the summer nights.To make this you will need two oz of manzanilla sherry, two oz of rhubarb soda and three oz of strawberry limbic ale.

This cocktail made the list as it is the easiest to make. Simply get all of your ingredients in a cocktail shaker and go crazy. Then strain out into a glass with ice.

SodaStream Cocktails

April 4 No Comments

The new SodaStream machines are said to hit the big market selling machines that can make cocktails fresh for you on demand. This comes as the SodaStream was seeing low sales and wanted to change its market to tackle clubs, pubs and bars. There isn’t a price on the actual machine yet but with the numbers looking so high for the residential market it wouldn’t surprise us if it came in very reasonably priced. This will make it affordable for nearly everybody to buy in the future.

This will enable even the worst bars t be able to mix the correct cocktails quickly and precisely for their audience allowing them to give a better service or simply a service in general if they were previously untrained. It’s predicted that they will sell over 5 million models in the first year to residential and 100,000 to stores and bars in the first year. If they hit this target it is more than likely that you will see them in a bar near you very soon.

It works through connecting to the internet through wifi or Bluetooth to your phone and will allow you to cycle through the alcohol selection on its front before it can create the drinks. It will then make the drink using whatever you have put into the machine along with changing the level of fix it gives the drink. This will allow you to have smooth or fizzy drinks depending on how it should be so nothing is very strange and unorthodox.

All in all it is safe to say that soda stream know what they’re doing on soda and sparkling water but when the house hold name comes to the mainstream drinks market they might not make it. Either way they should make some spectacular drinks in the future and we look forward to seeing how they get on.

National Malibu Day

April 4 Brands No Comments

Pubs, bars and clubs across the UK and US will soon be banding together to celebrate world Pina Colada day as Malibu works with bars and clubs to raise brand awareness. This comes as world Pina colada day last year was a huge hit and Malibu have doubled the marketing budget fort this year so they can invite everyone to come and get involved.

More than 7000 bars have signed up to get involved this year and that number is still on the rise until the actual event on Friday 10th of July. The brand is also launching a pimp up your colada day where they will release special recipes to bars that they can then offer patrons in a bid to be able t see which things sell and what the bars want to sell in the future. This will allow them to increase sales along with the bars and clubs doing the same.

Malibu has been sending out its ambassadors to clubs and pubs across the country to be able to get the awareness in for the event. This will help them build a sort of hype and drive the customers in when the big day finally comes about. Malibu has then even gone on to give big festivals free stuff to give away with competitions this summer. This includes visors, sunglasses and bandanas, coconut shaped cups. This will allow people to be able to get involved and get something more than a night out from the massive brand.

The competition is primarily aiming at 18-24 year old males in the party scene but is also targeting females in the same age demographic and some specific smaller older groups. People can win the prizes online too at the Malibu competition website which will give you a prize basically every time you play.

Biggest names in vodka right now

April 4 No Comments

We used a lot of branded Vodka in our cocktail making events and we find some people have their favourites. There are a lot of players in the vodka industry at the moment and some of them stand out for superiority more than others. Take a look.

Smirnoff

The most common and popular vodka throughout the world would have to be Smirnoff for its high quality mixed with affordability. This has been a main factor in your drinks for basically a life time as Smirnoff has been distilled in Moscow and is enjoyed throughout the world since the earlier 19th century in Moscow and has been a symbol for quality since since.

Absolut

Founded in 1873 in the mountains of Sweden the crisp taste of Absolut had always been high proof vodka that has been known to be included in the higher class bars for a usually higher price. This vodka comes next as although it does not come as cheap as Smirnoff it comes with a higher quality and brutal taste which is much needed on a more chilled colder night out in the more northern and relaxed countries.

Zubrowka

This vodka comes from the polish low lands where mountains aren’t as much there. The polish people used the grass to make the vodka giving it a rare and unique taste and making this very popular vodka in countries in the east of Europe and Asia. This is vodka that you will see in the more rural countries more than the built up Western Europe and America. Never the less it has a very distinct taste and a love or hate feeling about it.

Svedka

The Svedka brand is a vodka brand that is based in the US and sells throughout the US and South America. This is the 7th biggest vodka brand in America and the forth in the world. This allows the vodka a place on our list as a massive name in the vodka world and this is a spot it earns as if it can make a name in the club scenes of Miami and the cocktail scene of New York it can thrive anywhere.

Grey Goose Vodka

This is a popular vodka brand based in the heart of France and it is sub owner by Bacardi who enforce quality in all areas. This was founded in 1996 by Sidney Frank and since then has been giving a higher standard of quality then all the other vodkas on this list but coming with a higher price. The Grey Goose Vodka is a drink commonly used in the high class clubs and bars at a high price for its distinct and crisp natures and for that reason it has came in at or number five.

If you have a personal favourite why not tweet us?

The Charcoal Cocktail is Here to Stay

April 4 Cocktails, Trends No Comments

The High end business types of London and New York have always liked there neutral colours. Blacks, whites, greys, chromes and so on. However, does this new black mixture hit the spot for the high end metro sexual?

The new charcoal cocktail trend that is sweeping across the lifestyles of the rich and famous doesn’t just come as a little cool new thing but also brings benefits as charcoal its self it a ancient Chinese medicine. The charcoal not only gives the drink a matte black sophisticated finish but it also brings the bitter yet smoky flavour into their life with the added fact that it is a natural healing aid and stomach pain reliever. In fact it is also thought to cure hang over’s so it may be worth the extra pound or too so you can get up right as rain after that corporate or share holders event with your partners.

The London based bar “Momo” has been the force behind the push on this fashion as the newly opened bar has clearly done its home work on the quality of its drinks. A drink that has a deep taste, health benefits, is alcoholic and cures hang over’s all at the same time couldn’t be anything less than a miracle in the cocktail scene. The nights in the bar districts of London will never be the same again.

Over on Shoreditch high street the bull in a China shop has put a twist on the new cocktail by using a Chinese bourbon based cocktail instead of the usual American bourbon. This gives the drink a little more a fruity flavour whilst still being able to maintain the obvious benefits of the drinks aromatic flavour. This breakthrough is due to the research that the two bars have done consisting of Japanese and Chinese healing methods to cure hang over’s. Putting these two things into a drink to be able to elevate that morning feeling was simply genius and the world will owe them their gratitude every Sunday and Monday morning from now on.

This Summers Trendy Whiskey Recipes

April 4 DIY Cocktails, Fun cocktails No Comments

Once again the age of the craft beer has ended and with the arrival of the summer heat, the entire trendy hipster looking guys with the big beards and the plaid shirts has moved onto their whiskeys. These offer a sharper and stronger drink in the summer’s heat. Take a look at our favourites.

The Tallulah

This is a mix of;

1.75 oz. of whiskey,

1 oz. peanut orgeat,

Suitable amount of coca cola depending on your personal preference.

Firstly we will need to make the peanut orgeat, this may require a short trip to the shop but it’s nothing that most shops and cocktail bars shouldn’t already have in stock. Firstly you will need 2 cups of plain, unsalted nuts. Then get hold of 1 and a half cups of sugar and 1 and a half cups of water. Still all of this in a blender and mash it until it’s smooth. Then get hold of a tablespoon of orange flower and an oz of brandy, again mix all of this in a blender until smooth and make sure the entire mixture is completely liquid. Failing all of that you could always buy it online but you’ll get better results making it yourself.

Then pour the 1.75 oz of whiskey in with the oz of peanut orgeat and your whiskey and stir it until it seems mixed. Then you could always add option peanuts for garnish but that’s up to you.

Jalapeno and blood orange

This Mexican little beauty is an amazing summers drink for every occasion and event, simply pre make or order at the bar before relaxing in the sun with friends.

You will need 1 cup of blood orange juice,

Two table spoons of Agave,

Half a cup of whiskey and a medium sized jalapeño,

Chopped and with no stem.

Grab yourself a shaker and pour in the agave, blood orange and the whiskey before violently shaking the mixture, add the jalapeños and serve on the rocks. Make sure you serve it on the rocks as the spicy touch of the jalapeño will leave you needing something cool.

14 is the new number 1.

This is a simple but elegant blend of 7 up and Seagram’s seven crown whiskey. This means that you can enjoy the crisp flavour of the lemonade in the hot summer’s day with the musky flavour of the whiskey to give you a swift after taste. The mixture is perfect for evenings as the sun is setting and the night is just getting started.

You will need;

4 oz of seven up,

1.5 oz of seagrams seven crown whiskey.

To crack on with the production of this magnificent mixture simply add 4 oz of 7 up into a glass before pouring 1.5 oz of Seagram’s seven whiskey. This will make the concoction perfect but as always you can edit the measurements to be able to suit your specific taste.

Presbyterian

There had to be some form of scotch whiskey in the mix somewhere so we simply had to add the Presbyterian, this little beauty is fresh out of the welsh valleys despite many believing it has Scottish roots.

You will need 2 oz of scotch

Ginger ale 2 oz

Club soda 2 oz

All you need to do for this one is add it all into a glass and make sure your amounts stay roughly equal if the glass is bigger or you’re topping up, you can always change it later if it’s too weak or strong by tampering with amounts so keeping it even is a good starting point. Pour it over some ice making sure the liquid runs down the side of the ice for an instant cooling effect and then serve.

The Revolver

The Revolver as you can guess is a simple but elegant twist on the western classics. The drink its self originates in the Wild West and has an amazing blend of tastes for every pallet ranging for the cider to the subtle cinnamon sticks.

For this you will need;

5 cups apple cider

2½ cups Bourbon

¼ teaspoon ground cloves

¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 knob of ginger (about 2 inches), sliced

2 cinnamon sticks

2½ cups ice, plus more for serving

5 tablespoons maple syrup

Bitters (optional extra)

Then this cocktail is a bit more long winded but to counter act this The ingredients above make ten rather than one so you can prepare for the masses and it saves going through all this every time for one drink. First you need to get a pan and add the apple cider, cloves, nutmeg, ginger and cinnamon to the pan and make all of that bubble, it should look like a witches cauldron with it giving off a lovely exotic smell, after mixing the boiling contents strain it all into a container and put it in the fridge to cool down faster (not the freezer as it damages the overall taste). Once this has cooled add the remaining ingredients to a large container and pour your chilled mixture into that said container. There should be a plentiful amount of cooled mixture so when you’re pouring it out for your guests or patrons the ice becomes an option extra but we would always advise it.

Celebrities’ Favourite Champagnes

April 4 No Comments

A lot of celebrities and famous people in North America and the UK are and were big fans of champagne. Here are five iconic celebrities’ with their favourite Champagne tipples.

Roger Moore

Roger Moore, famous for his role in many movies including the James Bond films from “Live and Let Die” to “A View to a Kill” which gives him a high ranking celebs status among his fans and the world. His favourite champagne is Dom Perignon 52′ which comes in at around £3000 pounds a bottle. When asked about his passion for the beverage he said “Any man who drinks Dom Pérignon ’52 can’t be all bad.” Seems like the villain hunter of 007 has a good sense of character.

Kim Kardashian

Made famous by her “Meet the Kardashians” TV series and her just shy of 30 million Instagram followers. The Kardashians sister loves to relax with her high end Armand De Brignac. When she was asked about her love for this particular (£800) bottle of champagne, she claims that if she was going to spend mass money on anything she would want it to be champagne. Smart woman.

Napoleon Bonaparte

The French military, political and influential leader is said to have loved his champagne more than anybody. He is also said to have kept 30 bottles of the Jacquesson & Fils-Brut in his ships at all times to be able to relax after a victory. The champagne cost him greatly through his campaign of Central Europe, Russia, and the Americas with the champagne alone coming to around £50,000 a bottle when he was alive and drinking his way through a total of around 200 bottles of champagne. He is once thought to have said “in victory you deserve champagne and in defeat you need it.

Sir Winston Churchill

Winston Churchill was partial to the odd champagne when not fighting the war. He believed that Pol Roger was a amazing champagne that all should enjoy, it should also be known that the brand was funding the war effort at the time but never the less the brand was known across the country for making the finest champagne. the champagne its self would have cost a mere £40 in modern currency but with the war going on and most of the worlds funds being plunged into the conflict it is no wonder that it was such a small amount. He is said to have thought very highly of the Americans, claiming that “Meeting Franklin Roosevelt is like opening your first bottle of champagne; knowing him personally is like drinking it.”

Daniel Trump

This man likes his bottles of champagne to be immaculate in every sense from the crisp taste to the packaging it comes in. he drinks Louis Roederer Cristal to be able to get this sense of pleasure. One bottle alone comes in at just over 26,000 pounds and has a 24 karat gold packaging. It is of no surprise that they only come around at 200 bottles a year. He is said to be very fond of the bottles saying that a little moderation is good for some but his life is not one for moderation.

Cocktails That Are Out of This World

April 4 No Comments

Astronauts don’t get to be able to have that smell of coffee in the morning or the smell of cocktails in the evening. They have to get it all in pre packed bags and sip it through a straw, until now. There is now a cup being created to be able to allow a astronaut the pleasure of having a drink in outer space of whatever takes their fancy without it flowing out of control and getting all around the ship.

This new glass is being created to be able to give the astronaut all the luxuries they deserve for exploring the outer edges of space for us. They are calling this breakthrough “The Zero Gravity Cocktail Glass” basically meaning it does exactly what it says on the tin, so to speak. The glass works by having sets of grooves that are implanted on the plastic shell. This causes the water to run along them through the laws of physics and that in turn stops it all from getting out and floating as the plastic will attract the water. The only drawback is that the glass can’t hold a large amount of liquid so they would have to be on a reasonably large scale to work with that.

Future developments for this include a layered approach to be able to have the liquid go into a set of groves with groves on top and have it on a layered effect till the top of the glass is reached. The only problem with this method it the pouring of the liquid into the glass but I’m confident they should find something for that.

The team believe that it’s only a number of years until the space life style becomes the norm for the average Joe like me or you. They have set out the make sure that when the first space bar is opened that functionality doesn’t get in the way of style. Meaning that basically the team want people to be able to sit back and relax with a Martini glass rather that a sippy bag and a straw.

The Perfect Wedding Cocktails

April 4 No Comments

When planning a wedding, a big favourite with couples and guests are cocktails. However, getting the right cocktail can be hard and if not done properly could make or break the day for your guests. You will have some guests who can’t drink, some who have a sweet tooth, some who like the classics and finally those with very unique tastes. Here are our top four cocktails to be able to master everybody’s tastes on your special day.

The Non-Drinker

Firstly, those guests who can’t drink will need the most attention as they will be putting up with all the other guests antics all night. Be that good or bad so they need something special. To make the non alcoholic cocktail you will need to make something that the other guests can’t see is non alcoholic to avoid that “why aren’t you drinking” questionnaire later on in the evening so we recommend a Watermelon Agua Fresco. Nobody has ever heard of it to know if its alcoholic or not so they should be in the clear.

Firstly, check list it;

4 cups of finely cut water melon.

Juice from one medium fresh lime.

1 cup of crushed ice.

1 tablespoon superfine sugar. (depending on how sweet you think they’d want it.)

Orange slices for the garnish.

Mint springs for the garnish.

When you have everything ready simply add the 4 cups of watermelon, juice from one fresh lime, 1 cup of crushed ice and the set amount of sugar that you decided on earlier and bung it all into a blender then allow it to be able to mix until you can tell it’s a smooth mixture. Once it’s ready pour it into a glass and add the mint springs and the orange slices to be top to be able leave it with a lovely garnish. This recipe only serves three servings so if you have a large reception with more than one person not drinking then you may need to make a mass amount to fit the needs of the few.

The Classic

Secondly, move on to that group who loves the classics and make sure you keep it classic. A standard Martini should be more than enough to be able to leave them satisfied.

Just like with before you should always check before hand you have enough of everything;

Two and a half ounces of Gin.

Half a ounce of Dry Vermouth.

Angostura Bitters.

As much ice and you can get (optional.)

Once you know you have these three key ingredients then make sure you have enough to make the amount you want as this is only enough for 1 glass. Then When you have everything you need then go ahead and get started. Pour the ingredients into a mixing glass and add the ice cubes, stir it for 30 seconds before straining it into a cocktail glass. Once strained add a dash of the Angostura bitters if desired then add whatever garnish you prefer in your martini. There are such a range to suit different tastes that you should always try to mix it up. Even though your guests are after a classic the change in the garnish twist may always be a hit with them.

Sweet Tooth

Thirdly, there is the sweet tooth. Aim for something in the chocolate fields, everybody with a sweet tooth likes chocolate it’s practically law. The chocolate will not only taste nice but it will look amazing and smell even better. Whilst you’re making Martini’s then you might as well make a chocolate martini to be able to keep the sweet tooth happy.

Check list it as always;

Two ounces of vodka.

One and a half ounces of chocolate liqueur.

Dark Chocolate.

Cocoa for rimming.

Once you know you have all the ingredients make sure you have the amount to be able to ensure everybody has enough, once you’re sure then you can begin. start by pouring all the ingredients into a cocktail shaker with ice cubes before shaking vigorously. Once shaken then rim your cocktail glass with the cocoa powder before pouring your mixture into the glass. Once that’s done then you’re all set to serve it out to your guests and allow them to enjoy it.

The Unique One

The unique one needs to be something a bit unorthodox, for this then we would recommend the Cope Verde. The sheer abnormality of it will make it so strange that I can almost guarantee that the “strange” one hasn’t bought it anywhere else beforehand.

Check list;

One teaspoon of fresh thyme leaves

Two teaspoons of kosha salt.

Eight ounces of silver tequila.

Four ounces of freshly squeezed lime juice.

Four ounces of water.

Four ounces of light agave syrup ( an a little extra for glass rimming.)

One medium avocado.

Ice.

So when you are completely ready with all this mad concoction of ingredients. Get it all to hand and add the salt with the thyme in a shallow bowl. Then using your finger rim the glasses with the syrup you set aside and the contents of that said bowl. After you have done thing place all the other ingredients in a blender except the ice and do to town on making sure it is smooth as silk. Then pour both the mixture and the ice into a shaker and shake violently for at least 20 seconds. Then finally strain it into your rimmed glass and serve accordingly.

All in all these are the four main cocktails you should focus on when it comes to a wedding if you want to be able to keep the majority happy. If you disagree with any of these or want to see your cocktail party be amazing then please tweet us on @CocktailStars and we will do what we can to advise you on your cocktail party.

Monthly Archives: April 2015

The Rise in the Hidden Bar

The Boilmaker, Nottingham

The Milk and Thistle, Bristol

Ladies and Gentlemen, London

Cocktails for Prinks

The Libertea

Marco Polo

The Manzanilla

SodaStream Cocktails

National Malibu Day

Biggest names in vodka right now

Smirnoff

Absolut

Zubrowka

Svedka

Grey Goose Vodka

The Charcoal Cocktail is Here to Stay