What’s really great about this place, however, is the Tuesday tasting sessions (thanks for the tip GinMonkey). Hosted sporadically throughout the year they are just £15, which is pretty cheap when compared with other establishments, which usually go for £40 a pop. I went to ‘Do Brands Matter?’ with an old flatmate as a treat for his birthday and while I was looking forward to it, I wasn’t expecting it to be quite so informative.
We were actually the only two there so it was a private lesson at the little vintage bar in the corner of the main bar rather than the back room they use for bigger parties but it wasn’t too noisy and great that we got to ask a lot of questions.
We started off with a Martinez made with Old Tom gin and variations on the vermouth – I’d had my first Martinez not long before and it was a little powerful for me as I was already a few down. I’m trying to get into more classic drinks as the sweeter modern ones don’t really do it for me anymore. So, I was a little apprehensive but decided to throw myself into the spirit of things.
The first was made with Martini Rosso, it was a lot sweeter than I’d had before, quite light and pleasant and the second with Antica Formulae. Initial sips were a lot herbier but after a while I really settled into it. With the Antica Martinez I could see it going well with a cheese board; something I’d mix for friends at home or if I was just out for a couple of after work drinks whereas the Martini Martinez it was a lot more of a session cocktail. Both made me re-evaluate my relationship with vermouth, though for both of us the Antica won hands down.
Martinez
We moved on to Daiquiris, one with Chairman’s Reserve and another with Diplimatico Anejo. I knew we were safe here as once upon a bartending time I used to be able to blind taste rum (a skill I have since lost apart from major brands and personal faves). Chairman’s is probably in my top 5 favourite rums and in the daiquiri the raisin and vanilla notes balanced nicely with the citrus to end with that nicely rounded oaky finish. The Diplimatico was also good, but just a touch too sweet and spicy for my personal tastes and would’ve worked better (for me) with something creamier that would pick out its fudgey notes. As our host pointed out, the evening was about finding what worked for you, and my companion really liked the Diplimatico.
Finally we had an Old Fashioned, one with Buffalo Trace, the other with Fighting Cock. Now I’m not a whisk(e)y fan, I have been known to equate certain brands to rat piss (not that I know what rat piss taste like, but I can imagine) however, my first positive experience of the spirit was with Buffalo Trace so I crossed my fingers. It ended up being pretty pleasant - the sugar and the chilling really took the edge off - but for me the Fighting Cock was still a little too punchy. I think I like the ritualistic element of the slow stir and the fact that it’s impossible to neck in three sips, which counter-intuitively meant it lasts a lot longer than a Julep would've.
Old Fashioned and Daiquiri
So we got six cocktails each for £15 – that’s pretty sweet deal considering on menu they’d be around £8 each (a saving of roughly 70%). Since this evening I have been ordering a lot more of the classic style cocktails, particularly the Martinez which is now competing with gimlets for my favourite tipple, so my objectives were met for the evening. I’d definitely go back on a Sunday to soak up some more knowledge and delve a little deeper into the cocktail menu.
See you in SE1,
TGOC
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