Missoni Hotel Edinburgh

Went to the Missoni Hotel Bar Edinburgh on Friday night for a couple of cocktails after swinging by Villager. It is quite possibly the coolest looking place I have ever been in; a 'Luxury Unique Design Hotel', it features crazy patterns and odd furniture all over the place. I absolutely love it, the only thing I struggle with is the high, high price of some of the cocktails. Don't get me wrong, I fully understand how and why they can charge over £10 for a cocktail, but I think given the level of innovation, quality of ingredients etc £8 would be more acceptable. That said, I did spy a Tanqueray Ten Martini for about £8, so perhaps all is not lost financially!

My Biennale was superb, high quality home made fig and vanilla conserve topped with Prosecco for (if memory serves correctly, which I'll be honest it will not after the rest of that night...) was around £7.

The staff are fantastic, all smiles, manners and attentiveness. Even when I asked for a glass of water it was crafted rather than made, shaken for instant chill and with a carved oval of cucumber. This is what Edinburgh has been missing, a style bar that includes its customers in its coolness. Every table was full and most of the seats around the bar were taken, yet with 6 staff on the wait was never lengthy, we were given wee nibbles to enjoy whilst our drinks were being made, and I didn't spy a single dirty glass in the whole bar.

Hats off to you, Missoni - You are a shining example for Edinburgh style bars, and I for one wish they would catch up soon.

Much Love,

Tom x

Mulata Daisy

What a beauty. Created by Agostino Perrone (Head Mixologist, The Connaught, London), this one is a very, very nice twist on a classic. It was the UK 2010 Bacardi Legacy Cocktail Competition Ultimate Winner, the same comp that launched the sick videos I mentioned last time.

"The first impression that you get of my drink is of the generous and sensual curves of the glass dusted with the powdered chocolate.
This is where the name comes from; it takes me straight to a sun-drenched Cuban street where I see a beautiful Latina flower seller walking past swinging her hips.
The rich dark chocolate liqueur blends with the vanilla sweetness of the rum, but it is the light nutty aniseed of the fennel where the drink really comes to life. This gives it depth and intrigue, with the floral-herbal notes of the Galliano teasing out the finish.
The glass is like a basket of flowers held high, with the most wonderful and seductive bouquet of aromas that you cannot help but follow. Just like the girl."

Phwoar. You smooth bastard Agostino. Here's the recipe listed on the website; if this doesn't get you excited wait till you've seen him make it....I think it's his accent but I've never heard anyone make a drink sound this good...

• 40 ml BACARDI Superior rum
• 25 ml Crème de cacao dark
• 20 ml lime juice
• 2 tsp caster sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp fennel seeds
• 10 ml Galliano L’Autentico
   

Step 1 - Dust the rim of a coupe glass with chocolate powder and carefully rinse it with the Galliano L’Autentico

Step 2 - In a shaker muddle the fennel seeds 

Step 3 - Add the other ingredients with cubed ice
Step 4 - Shake hard and fine-strain into the glass

I'm off for a cheeky drink at The Meadows Hotel, will definitely be asking my friend to make me one of these!


Much Love,


Tom x

True Originals

True Originals is the new campaign from Bacardi, promoting their 'Legacy' cocktail competition. After sifting through the obvious entries and user uploaded videos, you'll eventually come across some of the advertisement videos featuring various mythical cocktail legends demonstrating their takes on classic cocktails. I absolutely love these four videos, they literally give me goosebumps. 

No.1 is the epitome of Japanese cool, The Samurai. The Samurai pours the perfect simple Daiquiri for our slightly evil looking narrator, and is rewarded with a black and red coin I presume is an invite to some super-awesome competition, like Mortal Kombat but for cocktails. Mortal Cockbat perhaps.

No.2 is my latest crush, The Hummingbird. Her challenge is a Pina Colada, which she dispatches with ease. She too earns her multi-colour poker chip. I have little else to say here, the bar looks similar to where I work, but with more beautiful people.

On to No.3 then, and our sinister host (who it has just hit me looks kind of like a sleazier, more Spanish version of the bad guy in X-men: Wolverine) makes his way to foggy London town, correctly represented as a medieval farming commune. In The Apothecary he challenges the bartender/farmer to make him a Mojito; of course to be an original with this drink he really has to pull out all the stops. Apart from stressing the use of 'not just any mint, it has to be Yerba Buena' (which you can read more about in my previous posts!) I was most struck by the idea of using Australian eucalyptus leaves as a base before adding the usual mix. Can't even begin to fathom what it would taste like but I have no doubt it would be awesome.

And finally No.4, the biggest Lad I've seen in a while, The Outsider. It's a Cuba Libre Jim, but not delivered like we know it.

Take me now, you beautiful beautiful man. Well teach me how to be so bloody cool at least, love making can wait.

Hats off to Bacardi for some seriously awesome marketing here, I really hope these videos become well known in UK bartending circles.

Before you go, watch The Outsider video again. Hell yeah.

Much Love,

Tom x