We're rarely happier when starting off a fine meal with a good and strong cocktail (or two) as you may well be able to tell from our Test Drives. So we've been rather pleased to have our inbox filled with cocktail news this week. Here's a round-up of mixology missives that we think you should know about...
Hix does Breaking Bad
We (well, @hotdinners2 for sure) are COMPLETELY obsessed by Breaking Bad at the moment, thanking god for Netflix and unable to wait until Monday for our final fix. So we loved the idea of the new cocktail at Mark's Bar at Hix Soho (and all their restaurants in fact) which takes the blue crystal meth of the show for its inspiration. The "Heisenberg" has mezcal, calle 23, maraschino, lavender, blue curacao (we particularly like that touch), lime and sugar. It is "Served in a science beaker, then pour the contents of the beaker into two mini coupe served on a wood board with blue sherbet in a pile on the board as a garnish."
It sounds only slightly less lethal than meth. We absolutely want to try it.
Purl heads to Balham
Innovative cocktail creators Purl head south for their latest incarnation, with a pop-up bar at The Bedford in Balham, running between 3 November 2013 and 27 April 2014. It'll be specifically focused on serving “Forgotten Purls” - some Purl classics no longer available at the original bar. These include one of the drinks we had on our first visit to Purl - Mr. Hyde’s Fixer Upper (Zacapa 23 rum, Bob's Chocolate Bitters and homemade cola syrup with Pedro Ximenez smoke, dry ice and lapsang souchong tea) - which is well worth going along for alone.
The list will change regularly - and you'll be able to request your favourites on Twitter. Opening November 3rd, it'll run from 5pm – midnight, Tuesday – Saturday and you can make a reservation on the Purl website.
Matt Whiley at One Leicester Street
And still on the subject of Purl, Matt Whiley was one of the founders of Fluid Movement, the people behind Purl and Worship Street. He's now going it alone as the Talented Mr Fox and his first stop is at One Leicester Street to create a cocktail list that is specifically designed to match chef Tom Harris' restaurant menu.
There are some slightly barmy sounding (in a good way) creations as a result - not least the Bloody Mary that has vodka distilled with pig's blood and bacon powder around the glass rim, or another that's served in a mini wheelie bin with 'bin juice'. The one month residency kicks off in the One Leicester Street bar on October 1. See what we thought of the place on a recent Test Drive.
The White Lyan opens in Hoxton
Meanwhile, over in Shoreditch, there's the launch of the much anticipated White Lyan, which opens to the public for the first time this weekend. It's being billed as the "bar wth no ice" as Ryan Chetiyawardana (69 Colebrook Row, Purl and Worship Street Whistling Shop, Bramble in Edinburgh) and Iain Griffiths (also Bramble) have banned ice from the drinks to avoid the cocktails being watered down by the pesky cubes. It's bound to be a big hit and with the cocktails around the £8.50 mark and all looking very tempting - we do fancy the look of the Monkey Ball (scotch, cassia, chocolate, truffle and banana soda) and the Martini made with a tincture of roasted chicken bones.
For a look at the cocktail menu, head over to their website (trust us, the menu's there - but you have to look very hard...).
Colour-changing cocktails at 45
There was a lot of cocktail chatter when Bar 45 at 45 Park Lane first opened. Now in the run-up to Thanksgiving they've introduced a genuinely eye-popping drink the Thanksgiving cocktail infusion.
The cocktail starts out as a classic martini made with Russian Imperia Vodka, stirred with dry Vermouth, and finished with an orange crisp garnish and violet sugar rim. A small silver cup is then removed from the glass, allowing an ice infusion of nutmeg, clove and cinnamon to seep through the classic Martini, changing the taste from dry to sweet and turning the cocktail from clear to a dark shade of purple within minutes. Genuis, no? It'll be available from from 1 November, priced at £16.
