The History and Culture of Washington DC

We left Philly and continued our journey south toward the nations capital, Washington DC. Another 4 hour bus ride and we reached DC in the early afternoon. Now, Washington is not well known for its cocktail and bar scene, but this visit was not about researching bar culture in DC, it was more about discovering and learning the about history of America.  It’s a city which is full of monument’s, well known political buildings and the famous Smithsonian museums. Our stop in Washington was just for the weekend, and as luck would have it, we were fortunate enough to witness the annual cherry blossom festival which sees thousands of tourists from far and wide visit the city, as it turns pink with cherry blossoms. 

I’d booked Cara and I into a hotel, just off the National Mall, perfect location for getting to all the major sites on foot. We dumped our bags and wasted no time and quickly set off the see what Washington had to offer.  As we made our way out into the centre of the “Mall”, we could clearly see two of the most well known structures in America, and probably the world, At one end, we saw the dome of the famous US Capitol Building and at the other, was the unmistakable giant spike, which was the Washington Monument.  We decided to make our way toward the US Capitol first.  This famous building is the meeting place for the US Congress and the US Federal Government. Funnily enough, Before Congress and Government came to the Capitol Building, it had previously been held at Philadelphia’s “Independence Hall”, which Cara and I had visited the day before. It was Thomas Jefferson, who in the spring of 1792, decided to hold a design competition, for architects to propose an idea for a new home of government in Washington, as well as a home for the President. Architect William Thornton, was the winner for the US Capitol Building design. The building began its construction in 1794 and on November 17th 1800, the US Congress held its first meeting inside the new location. Construction and expansion continued until 1811. When seeing the Capitol Building on TV and movies, It’s hard to comprehend the size, but as we made our way closer, we were both blown away and amazed that something so impressive was built over 200 years ago. 

As is to be expected in Washington, security is tight surrounding important places, so we could only go so far. After several photos and long periods of staring in amazement, we made our way back, up the Mall, toward the Washington Monument. The shape of this structure is known as a “obelisk”, which is a tall 4 sided pillar, tapering in at the top into a point. This monument, which was named after George Washington, is the largest obelisk in the world. It stands 170 metres tall. It’s construction began in 1848, but was not completed until 1884. Due to lack of funds, building was halted for 23 years in the middle of that time. The Washington monument is arguably the centre point of the city.  As Cara and I stood at the bottom of the giant obelisk, we had a clear view back toward the Capitol building. In the other direction was the famous Lincoln Memorial and reflecting pool. Lastly, directly north of the monument is the presidents home, "The White House”.  Never had we seen so many different famous sites within one eye shot. 

After an amazing first day in the nations capital, we made our way back to our hotel for some much needed food and drink. We stopped off at a nearby bar, where I decided to continue my research on American brews by trying another US beer. This time it was the Yuengling Traditional Lager.  Yuengling is the oldest brewing company in America. It was established in 1829 by German brewer David Gottlob Yuengling. When David Yuengling immigrated to America, he started up a brew house, based in Pottsville, Pennsylvania.  So far I’ve noticed that American beers are very heavily influenced by the Belgium and German style of brewing, and the Yuengling beer is no exception. Although It’s a lager, the Yuengling flagship beer has a deep rich amber colour. It has a light herbal aroma and when tasted, you can pick up hints of caramel which makes this beer a little sweeter than your average lager. It has a nice crisp clean finish and it’s slightly higher in carbonation, which made for a nice refreshing, thirst quenching beverage after a long day of travel and sight seeing. 

The site seeing continued the next day as we visited the Smithsonian museums, and some of the many other monuments and memorials in Washington DC. But, by far our highlight for the day was getting up close (well, as close as we could get) to the White House. The home of the US President was designed by Irish architect James Hoban, in 1792. Like the Capitol Building, Construction was completed in 1800 and it has been the home to every US President since that time. Before the White House, US Presidents would base themselves in New York City. But in 1801, Thomas Jefferson was the first president to move into the White House. As we walked around, taking many photos, we saw a nice little restaurant along Pennsylvania Avenue, which would make a perfect place for us to have dinner and a cocktail.  On an unseasonably warm night in Washington, Cara and I enjoyed the opportunity to sit outside, just near the front gates of the White House and look down Pennsylvania Avenue toward the Capitol Building whilst sipping on a cocktail. Cara was drinking a lychee and raspberry Bellini, and I decided to go for one of my favourites, a classic ‘Rum Punch’. 

The next day, the city was a buzz. It was the day of the famous national cherry blossom festival. It’s a day which symbolises friendship between America and Japan. It started in 1912 when the mayor of Tokyo, Yukio Ozaki, gave Washington DC the gift of 3000 cherry blossom trees. Every year during the month of April, these trees blossom which turns some of Washington’s most famous sites into a sea of pink. As Cara and I made our way around the festival taking it all in, we were lucky to witness the annual parade which goes through the city centre which includes many of the local school groups and sporting teams. It also celebrates many other cultures and people who have immigrated to America, not just the Japanese. 

Looking at the Jefferson Memorial, through the Cherry Blossoms.

As mentioned at the start, Washington DC is not the epicentre of all things cocktails and bars in America. It is however a place full of history and culture. Cara and I both learned a lot from our weekend visit. We now have to say goodbye to the east coast of America as out next stop would be the on the other side of the country in San Francisco!

“Lychee and Raspberry Bellini”
Shake with no ice
30ml Lychee Liqueur
30ml Raspberry Puree
Pour into Champagne Flute
Top with Prosecco

Classic “Rum Punch”
Build over ice
15ml Lime Juice
30ml Sugar syrup
45ml Rum
60ml Orange Juice
Garnish with grated Nutmeg over the top (optional)

The classic rhyme for Rum Punch goes...

“One part sour, two parts sweet, three parts strong and four parts weak"

Living the Dream in NYC

New York City... There has been no other place that we’ve been to which has carried such anticipation and exception as we arrived.  As our plane arrived into JFK airport from Iceland, we both couldn’t wipe the smiles from our faces. We were in America! The land of the free and the home of the brave. Since becoming a bartender, it has been my dream to one day visit New York City and drink in some of the great bars of the world.  Cara and I quickly gathered our bags and jumped on board the NYC metro train and headed  for Union Square, located in the lower east side of Manhattan.  Throughout our travels, Cara and I have tended to stray away from the cab option when travelling from airports to city centres. We find that catching public transport gives you a better feel for how the locals live. Our first train ride in America will be a memorable one. Mid-way through the trip, a couple of dances jumped on and began to give the commuters a break dancing show. We’d seen buskers in trains in Italy and France, but this was something else. Using the trains handles and poles to perform flips and other break dancing tricks, running up and down the carriage as the train was moving. It was quite a good show and a great introduction to life and culture in America. 

We made it to our hotel on 17th Street, dumped our bags and headed across the street to a bar for frosty cold beer and classic New York style pizza.  I ordered a pint of “Blue Moon” Beer, this popular NYC beer, is a Belgium style beer which is brewed in Colorado. Blue Moon is produced by the MillerCorrs Company, one of the biggest brewing companies in America. MillerCorrs are most commonly known for the Miller Genuine Draft range along with Corrs lite (2 of the most popular beers in America). Both the Miller and the Corrs and very light in colour and are made in more of a lager style, so the inspiration behind the Blue Moon was to create a European style beer which was more similar to an ale. This unique beer has proved to be successful as I noticed throughout our time in New York, that almost every bar had the Blue Moon on tap.  After a our beer and pizza, the time was 11pm, but with the time difference from Iceland,  our body clock was telling us it was about 4am. So we got back to our hotel and hit the hay. We needed sleep as the next few days were going to be busy. 

There are so many places to visit in New York City, where do you start? Cara and I had no idea what to do first. If you had to see only one thing in New York, what would it be? After some debate, we agreed that the Statue of Liberty would be the top of the list. So we set out and made our way to the lower west side of Manhattan Island. On our way to the Statue of Liberty, we had the opportunity to visit "Ground Zero”, the site of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. No words can describe the feeling when visiting the World Trade Centre site. Cara and I felt many emotions during our visit. Obviously great sadness for the victims, but we also had much admiration for the people in New York. These locals have turned this tragedy and have used it to pull together and support each other and build a community spirit which can never be broken.  

Once leaving Ground Zero, we were only a short walk from the Staten Island ferry. This free ferry service, takes you from Manhattan Island, right past the Statue of Liberty, to Staten Island. Its the best and cheapest way to see the Statue up close. Once we cruised to Staten Island and back, taking many photos along the way, it was time for lunch.  As we went in search of the typical NYC diner, we suddenly found ourselves standing on Wall St, out the front of the New York City stock exchange. After more picture taking, we found a diner, and had another regular meal in a New Yorkers diet, a classic Hot Dog.  

We began to make our way back to our hotel to freshen up, as we had a big night planned. We were heading to Times Square and also popping into B.B. Kings Jazz Bar to see the band “Atlantic Star”.  As we made our way up 5th Ave, we decided to stop off in a local tavern, not for a cocktail, but for a simple rum and coke, just to get a feel for what your standard New York “watering hole” was like. We struck up a conversation with the bartender who was happy to explain to us the "do’s" and “dont’s" for tourists in NYC. A “do” was to tip well and you’ll get “hooked-up” by the bartender, by over pouring your next drink, tip poorly, and you might as well just purchase a coke, because you won’t have much rum in you glass next time you order. Another “don’t” was not to take a horse and carriage ride through central park. New yorkers see that as a bit of a joke. If you want to see Central park, walk it, or hire a bike. So we took that advise on board as our next day was going to be spent in the park.  We finally made it to Times Square and did what thousands of other tourists were doing and thats take as many photos as we could and try not to get hassled by buskers or people dressed up as movie characters trying to get you to have your picture taken with them.  This place was packed, and it was just your usual saturday night. You could only imagine what it would be like for the famous “ball-drop” on new years eve.

After an amazing night out at B.B King’s and Times Square, we needed to return to our hotel. We had another busy following day ahead.  I could go on and describe every single little thing we did during our time in New York, but it would go on forever. To summerise, The next day was spent entirely in Central park, with dinner later that night spent around the lower east side of Manhattan. The following day was jam packed with us conquering the Empire State building and going to the Ed Sullivan Theatre for a taping of the “Dave Letterman Show”, then going to some of the top drinking spots the city had to offer.

When it comes to cocktail bars in various cities we visit, It’s usually me, who does the bar research and Cara is the one who gets dragged around to the many amazing bars we’ve drunk at. But this time, Cara suggested a bar that we must visit as it was featured in “Sex and the City”, one of her favourite shows. So I was more than happy to visit a bar which i’d never heard of before but is apparently well known to many locals. It was a place called “The Monkey Bar”, a short walk past Madison Ave on 54th Street.  This bar was definitely not a touristy bar. Filled with business men and women who had just finished work. It was quite intimidating for Cara and I as we walked through the door. We didn’t let this bother as too much as we pulled up a stool at the bar and ordered our drinks. I ordered a cocktail called a “No Problemo”. I martini style drink which consisted of Reposado tequila, Celery bitters, lime juice, an egg white and Licor 43 (a bright yellow Spanish liqueur, which has a strong vanilla and herbal flavour). Cara ordered a drink called “Mule Variations”. This was exactly what the name said, it was a variation on a classic Moscow Mule. It was made up of aged rum, fresh pressed ginger juice, lime juice and spiced walnut liqueur. Both our drinks were nice and well balanced. After two years of travelling the world drinking cocktails, it now takes a lot to impress Cara and I, So despite our drinks being very nice and well balanced, they didn’t exactly rate up there with the best drinks we’ve ever had. But that didn’t matter though. We were sitting in a swanky NYC bar, absolutely loving life and it gave us a chance to stop for a second and reflect on the past few busy days in the city the never sleeps.

We had one more day left in New York, so we decided to head out of Manhattan and visit Queens. After spending a gorgeous afternoon in Flushing Meadows Park we had one last thing to do in Manhattan. I mentioned earlier about the classic New York hot dog which we had at a local diner, and as delicious as the diner hot dog was, no visit to NYC is complete without a visit to “Grays Papaya” probably one of the most famous chain of hot dog stores in the world. So just before we returned to our hotel for the last time, we made a stop off at Grays Pappaya, just near 17th street.  It was our last night in New York and it has been a visit we will never forget. We tried not to get to upset about leaving, we still had much left in America to see. As we chowed down on our “Papaya” hot dogs we looked ahead to our next stop... Philadelphia.

“No Problemo”

In a Shaker,

45ml Reposado Tequila

15ml Licor 43

A dash of Celery Bitters

30ml Lime Juice

1 x Egg White

Shake and double strain into a Martini Glass

“Mule Variations”

In a Shaker:

60ml Aged Rum

30ml Lime Juice

5ml Ginger juice

15ml Walnut Liqueur

Shake and strain over ice in a short glass

The Amazing New York City, Looking out from the top of the Empire State Building.

Top 5 Things We’ll miss about the UK

Well our time here in the UK has come to an end. We now begin to slowly make our way home to Australia. Our time here has been unforgettable and truly life changing.  Over the last 2 years I posted things on this blog largely to do with the cocktail culture and the hospitality trade outside of Australia. But our trip has been so much more than cocktails and food. It been about experiencing a lifestyle which is different to what we have been used to in Australia. Sure you can go and holiday to the UK and see all the popular tourist attractions, but it is only when you get stuck into the day to day life of working and living that you get a true understanding on what life is like in the UK.  It has also made Cara and I appreciate what we have in Australia. The large open spaces, the gorgeous weather, cheaper  living expenses amongst many other things. In saying this though, there are many things that we will miss about Great Britain. On our last night in London, we decided to visit a bar which we’ve been just recently been voted as one of the top 3 bars in the world, a place called “NightJar”. It is at this bar where we’ll have our last cocktail in the UK, and reflect on the last couple of years. We decided to think back and put together a list of the “Top 5 things we are going to miss about the UK”. 

(In no particular order)

The Classic British Pie:  In Australia you can pretty much guarantee that you’ll find a “Schnitzel” on every pub menu. But in the UK, it's the classic pie. Usually a steak and ale pie, or a beef and Guinness pie, Cara and I had our fair share of this popular pub dish. Always served with chips and vegetables or in some cases, mushy peas.  Some of the pies we’ve had in our travels have been amazing. We think only maybe a very select few pubs in Australia could compete with the quality of the pies. 

You’ll never run out of things to do in London:  We have spent most of our time living and working in London and even after living somewhere for so long, there is always something new to do. A new exhibition, a new west end show, a different market to check out. You never seem to be short of things to do. I’ve heard this quote many times since being in London, “If you are tired of London, you are tired of life”.   This saying seems to mostly ring true. Although the hectic busy lifestyle of London can wear thin after a while. We’ll never get sick of exploring the city and discovering new hidden gems which make London so special.  

The Picture Perfect Countryside:  When we would go out our little adventures outside of London, and even when we toured the Scottish highlands, we could not get enough of how beautiful the landscape is outside the big sprawling cities. We saw plenty of pristine green rolling hills which look like landscape paintings, something which we don’t see much of in the baron outback of Australia. The Aussie countryside has it’s own beautiful qualities, but nothing as lush and green as the UK.

The Accessibility to the rest of Europe:  What makes the UK so appealing to many Australians is the close proximity to the rest of Europe. Cara and I have certainly taken advantage of this, doing quick trips to Italy (3 times), France (Twice), Spain and also Ireland just recently. Living in Australia means you are so far away from (what feels like) the rest of the world.  

Friends and Family:  Last but certainly not least, we will miss our friends and family who we’ve spent so much time with over the last 2 years. For me, I had the chance to see my extended family, who I’ve not seen since I was 3 years old. I have no memory of that trip, so it was like I was meeting family for the first time. They have all made Cara and I feel welcome and at home, and for that we can not thank them enough.  We’ve also made many close friends who we are all urging to make the trip to Australia. Whether they make it over or not, we’ll certainly stay in touch with all of them.  

Of course there are going to be many other things we’ll miss about the UK. I’ll miss the Haggis in Scotland. Haggis, Neeps and Tatties was a dish I fell in love with living in Glasgow. It’s something I probably won't eat for a long time, if ever again. Also, being a big fan of European football, I’ll miss watching games in primetime. It’s back to either staying up, or setting the alarm to watch live soccer in the middle of the night. 

We sat at Nightjar reflecting on our time and we had the pleasure of drinking some of their delicious cocktail creations. We were joined by some friends and began working our way through the menu. Every cocktail served at Nightjar was an amazing work of art. We could understand why this bar is regarded as one of the best in the world. It was hard to pick out our favourite drink of the night, so I thought I’d share 2 cocktails from our Nightjar experience. One drink which stood out was a cocktail called a “Naked Lady”. This consisted of Santa Teresa Claro Rum, Umeshu (a sour Japanese liqueur), lemon juice, egg white and grenadine. It was a simple drink with a nice, well balanced flavour, but what made this cocktail amazing, was it’s presentation. The use of icing sugar on the outside of the glass and the egg shell floating in the drink made for an interesting look. The egg shell was filled with tiny easter eggs and the foam created by shaking the egg white, made it strong enough to hold the weight of the shell. Along with the egg shell, was an assortment of berries, which added to the overall presentation of the drink. The recipe itself was quite simple, but the presentation made this cocktail fun and was certainly a conversation point with us all. Another cocktail which blew us away with it’s unique design was a drink called “Chicha Morada”. This consisted of vodka, sherry, date syrup and Peruvian blue corn soda. Again, another simple recipe, but the fact that it came out to our table served inside a butternut pumpkin and topped off with berries almost made the taste irrelevant. The cocktail looked so impressive it was almost too good to drink.  Every drink we ordered at Nightjar was a mystery as to how it would be served. It made for a fun filled evening with friends as we celebrated our last night in the UK.

As mentioned, Our time in the UK has been unforgettable. But our trip is far from done. Next stop... Iceland!!

“Naked Lady”

In a shaker:

45ml Santa Teresa Claro Rum

15ml Umeshu Liqueur

15ml Lemon Juice

Dash of Egg White

Dash of Grenadine

Shake Hard and Strain into Cocktail glass

“Chicha Morada”

Build inside a Butternut Pumpkin:

60ml Vodka

15ml Sherry

15ml Date Syrup

Add Crushed Ice

Top with Peruvian Blue Corn Soda

Garnish with Berries

Discovering Bath & Bristol

Well it’s getting towards the end of our UK adventure, but before we depart we had time for one last trip. We decided to visit the city of Bristol and the near by town of Bath. These places had been highly recommended to us by many friends. I’d also read a lot about Bristol’s cocktail culture. Several articles have said that some of the bars in Bristol rival the top places in London. So we jumped on a train and headed west towards Bristol. 

When I researched what there was to see in Bristol, I was impressed with the many museums and galleries that seemed to be on offer. Over the past couple of years, Cara and I have had our fare share exploring museums, so we decided to do something a little different. I’d heard about Bristol’s famous “Nelson St”, before our visit. A once dark and dirty road which had been turned into a vibrant display space for street art. The project was called “See No Evil” and it is the largest outdoor street art display in the UK. The display was only opened in August 2012. It involved 45 graffiti artists, 3,500 cans of spray paint spread over 12 buildings along Nelson Street.  It was certainly an impressive site. We had to  walk down the road twice, as when you walked from the top of the road to the bottom, you only saw half of the designs. When we turned around and walked back, the street took on a whole new look, as new pieces emerged. 

As our day of exploring Bristol came to a close, It was time for us to start thinking about where we would have dinner and which of Bristols many bars we’d visit and review.  A highly recommended restaurant on Bristol’s waterfront was the “Severnshed”. This converted boat shed offered an extensive dinner menu offering many different cuisines, which suit us perfectly as we’d worked up quite an appetite during a day of walking around Bristol.  There cocktail menu was impressive too. A selection of classics, variations on classics and around 5 or 6 of the house signatures, meant we had plenty to choose from but without being to overwhelmed with choice.  Cara continued her love for gin and ordered a drink called a “Gin Honey Sour”. The variation on the classic sour, consisting of Beefeater Gin, pink grapefruit juice, a squeeze of honey, lemon juice, sugar syrup and one egg white. In the past I’ve found ‘sours’ a type of drink that can be easily made badly. Sometimes, bartenders feel the need to take the name ‘sour’ to literally and cram to much lemon juice into the drink. but it is in fact the sugar which is the secret to a good sour. Fortunately this “Gin Honey Sour”, had the perfect balance of lemon and sugar. To compliment this, was the grapefruit and the honey which gave the drink some body and changed it from just being a plan old ‘sour’, into something unique.  

After a great meal and satisfing cocktails, we ventured across to the other side of Bristol to visit a little prohibition style bar called “Hyde & Co”. This bar also was highly recommended and boasted weird and wonderful creations and unique alterations to prohibition classics.  We had a few different drinks but one which stood out to us was a cocktail called a “Confire”. This drink was made up of Chairmans Reserve Rum, Blanco Vermouth, rhubarb syrup, a dash of lemon juice, Chartreuse and a dash of egg white. Chartreuse is often a difficult spirit to use in cocktails due to it’s over powering nature. But this was subtle. What really came through strongly in this drink was the rhubarb syrup. This gave the drink a nice sweetness was balanced out well with the lemon juice and the egg white gave the cocktail a smooth, fluffy texture which made it a pleasure to drink. After a great dinner and some amazing cocktails we returned to our hotel, ready for another big day visiting the small town of Bath.  

This little town is around 15 minutes on the train outside of Bristol. By far the main tourist attraction is the Roman Baths. As Cara and I got of the train and made our way in toward the Roman Baths. We were instantly impressed with the architecture which lined the streets leading up to the baths. As we arrived, I was in photography mode as the neighbouring Bath Abbey was a site you couldn't miss. After many photos and much exploring outside the site of the baths, We entered the site of the ancient ruins, and straight away we could feel the warmth coming from the hot springs. It was a nice change from another bitterly cold british day.  We learnt that the baths were first discovered in 836 BC, but it wasn't until after the Roman invasion, around 60 AD, that construction of the temples and surrounding baths began. Over the next 300 years the Romans would gradually build the site up and around the hot springs to create a place of spiritual meaning and healing.  As we continued to explore, we noticed the many statues and figures on display, all with their own story and special meaning in Roman history. Most notably was the statue of Julus Ceasar, which was positioned at the head of the "Grand Bath".  We continued on through past the Sacred Spring and underground through the many temples to finally at the end have the chance to taste some of the (so called) fresh water which was taken from the Sacred spring. Unfortunatly this was not one of the tastiest beverages we've had on our travels. Dispite the dodgy sacred water, Cara and I both had an amazing day. We got to (as was mentioned several times on the tour) "Do as the Romans did" and enjoy walking around the beautiful hot springs.

We headed back to Bristol for the night and got our selfs ready for our last trip back to London. We are always excited to do something different on our trips, and our visit to Bristol and Bath gave us a chance to see some amazing street art in Bristol, walk in the footsteps of the Romans in Bath and have some delicious food and some quirky cocktails.

“Gin Honey Sour”

In a shaker:

45ml Beefeater gin

30ml Pink Grapefruit juice

A Teaspoon of Honey

15ml lemon juice

15ml Sugar syrup

1 Egg white

Shake hard and strain into cocktail glass

“Confire”

In a shaker:

30ml Chairmans Reserve Rum

15ml Blanco Vermouth

15ml Rhubard syrup

A Dash of Lemon Juice

10ml Chartreuse

Dash of egg white

Shake well and strain into cocktail glass

The Worlds Best Cocktail Menu

We returned to London, after our short trip to the South, we were looking forward to exploring some more of the city’s top bars.  A place which was at the top of our list was a bar called “Callooh Callay”.  This bar was recently awarded (in my opinion) one of the highest honors in the cocktail bar world, “Best Cocktail Menu” in the world.  What makes a top cocktail menu I hear you ask? It's many things. Design and layout come into play, but mainly it comes down to the drinks them self. Bars who wish to win this accolade as Best Cocktail Menu, spend many hours researching consumer trends and fads, but still keep trying to push the boundaries with new ideas. The menu is constantly evolving due to what fruits and ingredients are in season and easy to obtain during certain times of the year. But most of all, the cocktails on a menu, must appeal to customers and keep them returning again for new drinking experiences. Industry experts thought that in 2012, "Callooh Callay" did this better than anywhere else in the world. So naturally Cara and I had to find out. 

We walked into a jammed packed bar. Unfortunately for us, not a spare seat to be found. However we were able to stand at the bar and watch the bartenders pump out drinks for the punters. As the famous menu was handed to us, we were instantly impressed by the unique layout of the list. The menu had been designed as a colour swatch book. It fanned out in front of us, with each colour on the menu, representing another cocktail.  Our first thoughts... It came across a little tacky, but it was hardly designed to be classy. It was designed to be fun, which it was. After browsing through the swatch book for quite some time, we each picked a cocktail that stood out to us. As it had been a usual cold day in London, Cara had picked a drink called "Grow a Pear". It was a cocktail which was served hot and consisted of Bacardi 8 year old rum, Rhubarb liqueur, pear puree, a pinch of cinnamon, almond syrup, lime juice, apple pieces and finally a dash of the London cocktail society's own "Christmas Bitters". This cocktail was like have a jazzed up 'Hot Toddy'. It was a perfect winter cocktail to have on a cold London day. It was fruity and sweet, but the pinch of cinnamon give it a subtle spicy after taste which made the drink unique and fun to drink. I was drawn to one of the award winning cocktails on Callooh Callay's menu, the "Ale of Two Cites". I was attracted to this drink due to it's use of the 42 Below Feijoa vodka, which I know from experience, can be very tough to use in cocktails due to it's over powering nature. This cocktail consisted of the Feijoa vodka, Punt e Mes (dark brown Italian vermouth), lime juice, apple juice, wild nettle cordial, and malt syrup. This mixture was all shaken together and served in a half pint glass, making for an interesting looking beer. I was pleasantly surprised that the Feijoa vodka didn’t take over at all. It was a perfectly balanced drink. It had a slight sour and citrus taste, with the flavours of the vodka lingering longer than anything else. Overall it was quite easy to drink. The only criticism is due to it being served in a beer glass, it didn’t look very appealing, and with no garnish the presentation did let it down a little. However it was still and enjoyable and most importantly, it tasted great. 

We departed from 'Callooh Callay’, satisfied that we'd seen enough and that we could tick it off the list of bars we must visit before leaving the UK. The menu was everything we had come to expect from a world class cocktail list. The drinks we’re creative, there was something for everyone and the presentation was unique. Maybe, before we arrive back to Australia, we may come across other menu which could rival the worlds best. 

“Grow a Pear”

Served Hot

30ml Bacardi 8 year old Rum

15ml Briottet Rhubarb Liqueur

15ml Pear puree

Pinch of Cinnamon

15ml Almond Syrup

15ml Lime juice

2 - 3 Pieces of Apple

Dash of London cocktail society christmas Bitters

Fill to the top with hot water and stir

“Ale of Two Cities”

In a shaker:

30ml 42 Below Feijoa

15ml Punt e Mes (Italian Vermouth)

15ml Lime Juice

30ml Apple Juice

Dash of Wild Nettle Cordial

Dash of Malt syrup

Shake with ice and strain into a half pint glass

Returning to London

When we first came to London almost 2 years ago, the city seemed exciting and also very overwhelming. Back then, Cara and I were also very focused on establishing ourselves with a place to live and a new job to begin. London now feels like our second home. The once intimidating London underground train, is now a piece of cake. It was almost like we’d never left.  As we return to London after six months in Glasgow, we felt more relaxed than ever and felt like we could just enjoy our time. We had no pressure to find a home or a job, and as we’d done much our sight seeing in our first stint living in the countries capital, we had the freedom to relax and catch up with friends and family. 

Naturally, one of the things we wanted to do this time around in London is check out as many quirky and different cocktail bars as we could. We’d already visited many bars throughout our time, but we hadn't even scratched the surface of what London has to offer. We decided to head to Shoreditch, an area which is located just north of the city centre. It’s a part of London which just recently has become famous for it’s trendy cocktail bars and nightlife. Having only been to this part of the city briefly once before, we decided to catch up with some old friends and explore the Shoreditch area some more.

Our first stop was the "Hoxton Pony" cocktail Bar. It was here where we ordered a lesser known classic, the “Louisiana Jam Jar”. The Jam jar is a cocktail made famous in New Orleans, a city known for it’s partying. It's also famous for being the birth place of Southern Comfort. Southern Comfort was first invented by bartender Martin Wilkes in 1874. Bourbon whiskey back then was not always nice to drink, so Martin decided to turn this into bourbon liqueur making it sweeter and easier to drink.  As it's popularity grew, many cocktails were invented using Southern Comfort. Many of these drinks were often served in jam jars, which was a common theme in New Orleans during the late 1800’s.  No one is sure for certain who came up with the original recipe for the Louisiana Jam Jar, but we know that it is a relatively modern classic, which was designed to pay tribute to Southern Comfort and the city of New Orleans. It is made up of Southern Comfort, lemon juice, apple juice, a teaspoon of apricot jam, sugar syrup and a handful of mint leaves. It’s a fun and creative cocktail which will go down a treat with the bourbon lovers. But even if you are not a fan of Southern Comfort, this cocktail is still enjoyable for almost everyone.  The “SoCo” is not over powering, which lets the apple and lemon juice come through, making it quite citrusy and refreshing. The apricot jam and the mint are subtle flavours and they add another dimension to this cocktail. Trying to pick all the differing flavours in a cocktail like this always makes for an enjoyable drinking experience.

As we continued to explore Shoreditch, we decided to head to a bar which I’d heard of many times, as it was ranked number 11 in the latest poll of the ‘Worlds Top 50 Bars’. This was a little place on Hoxton Square called “Happiness Forgets”.  I was excited to order one of their signature cocktails, so I chose a drink called the “Overdraft”. This cocktail consisted of Banks 5 Island Rum, Rhum* Orange, lime juice and clove bitters, shaken and served into a chilled martini glass. It was described in the menu as being “Robust and Refreshing”, which i guess it was, but ‘refreshing’ would not be a word i’d use to describe this drink. Robust? Definitely yes... This was a cocktail which was strong in flavours and required you to sip it slowly to fully appreciate it’s taste. It was surprisingly sweet and the after taste of the clove bitters gave it a unique complexity. 

As is usual when going out in London, you find yourself having to hurry to catch the last train, so we decided to call it a night. It was great to get out and about again in London. There are many things we missed about the city. I’m sure we’ll fit in a few more outings around town before we depart.

* Rhum is a by-product of Rum. Rum is made from molasses of sugar cane, where as Rhum is only the juice of the sugar cane. The taste can often be very different.

"Louisiana Jam Jar”

In a Jam Jar glass (Or tall highball glass):

45ml Southern Comfort

15ml Lemon Juice

15ml Apple Juice

15ml Sugar Syrup

Teaspoon of Apricot jam

Handful of mint leaves

Fill the Jar with crushed ice and stir ingredients together

Garnish with a sprig of Mint

Happiness Forgets, Hoxton Square:

“Overdraft”

In a shaker:

30ml Banks 5 Island Rum

15ml Rhum Orange

15ml Lime Juice

15ml Sugar Syrup

Dash of Clove Bitters

Shake and Strain into Martini Glass

A Night in Liverpool

Well... What can I say about the city of Liverpool? As we arrived, We instantly noticed the typical ’Scouse’ traits. The girls dressed up with fake tan and big hair, the blokes with trendy designer labels and flawlessly styled hair. Aside from the fashion, Liverpool is famous for being the home to pop music in the UK. It was labelled by the Guinness World Records Book as being the “World Capital City of Pop". Which is understandable, the city is the birth place to bands and musicians like The Beatles, Gerry and the Pacemakers, Frankie Goes to Hollywood, along with many others. 

Liverpool is also known to have the best nightlife in the UK, better than rival cities, London and Manchester. So Cara and I were excited to head out and see what made Liverpool’s nightlife so great. We spent the day exploring the city, visiting places like the famous Liverpool Cathedral, the Merseyside docks and of course a walk past the “Cavern Club”, home of the Beatles. We returned to our hotel and quickly got ready to hit the town at night.  We noticed that Liverpool has a huge nightclub scene. Along with the clubs, there are also many pubs (which is a standard feature in cities throughout the UK), there seemed to be a lack of high end quality cocktail bars. However, there was one place, that all the guides and reviews online mentioned was a must see bar. This place is called “Alma de Cuba”. This was a bar which had been built inside an old cathedral. It has been said to be one of the best looking bars in the UK. As we made our way through the Cathedral’s front doors, we saw the bar, which was positioned in the centre of the building (where the aisle of the would usually be). On one side of this island style bar was a more relaxed lounge type set up. Whereas the other side of the bar was designed to be more of a stand up area, with a couple of high tables and small booths running along the churches wall.  The far end of the cathedral was a small stage where a jazz band was about to start playing. As Cara and I took found a seat in one of the booths, we were amazed by the “mish-mash” decor. Many elements of the old existing church still remained, but there was now added features such as palm trees, along with other cuban influenced details. The menu was also a combination of Cuban flair with a religious twist. The first page of the menu was a ‘tongue in cheek’ version of the 10 commandments starting with “Love thy neighbour...they may be drunk”.

When Cara and I sit down at bars, we tend to look around the room and see what other people are drinking. It’s usually a mixture of beers, wines, mixed spirits and cocktails, but at Alma de Cuba, almost everyone was holding a cocktail. This could only mean one thing... Their cocktails were good. Cara kicked it off with ordering an Alma original, a drink called a “Kingston Crush”. This tiki inspired cocktail consisted of Appleton Estate VX rum, muddled pieces of watermelon, pineapple juice, lime juice and frozen chunks of grapefruit, shaken and strained over crushed ice. It was lastly topped up with ginger beer. These types of cocktails can be dangerous. Not in the sense that it’s high in alcohol, but dangerous because it’s not. This drink was fruity, refreshing and very tasty. You could hardly taste the rum. It’s a drink that you could have half a dozen very easily. But the rum was not going to ly down with out a fight. If you were to down six of these fruity concoctions, it would hit you hard. It’s hard to go wrong with this mixture of watermelon, pineapple and lime, they are always popular ingredients.  But the use of grapefruit and the fizzing finish of ginger, makes this drink a little different then your standard tiki cocktail. It was perfect for Cara. A nice fruity, refreshing cocktail, one which would quench the thirst after an afternoon exploring Liverpool.

I decided to consult the bartender and ask him to make me his signature drink. When a bartender is asked to make their own creations, you can guarantee that little extra bit of love, care and attention will  be put into that drink. His creation was a cocktail called “Mrs Jones’s Breakfast”, a drink which was inspired by his mother. The bartender explained to me that when his mum made him breakfast throughout his childhood, she’d serve up cereal covered in pieces of grapefruit and apricots and sprinkled with sugar on top. He recreated this meal in the form of a drink by starting with Aperol,   followed by Elderflower liqueur, Caradores Blanco (Tequila), a dash of grapefruit juice and lemon juice. It was all shaken together with ice and strained over into a sugar rimmed glass. It was a simple concoction but one which was well thought through and well executed. Each ingredient complemented the other nicely. It wasn’t to sweet, or sour, or bitter.  Even the non-tequila drinkers would love this cocktail. I thanked the bartender for sharing his story. A cocktail seems to always taste better when it has a story and not just thrown together randomly.

As we made our way back to our hotel, we could see the surrounding nightclubs were getting into full swing. We were both glad we got the chance to visit Liverpool, even if it was only for a short time. We had an early start to the next day, as we were returning to a place, which now feels like our second home. We were going back to London.






“Kingston Crush”
In a shaker:
Muddle 3 - 4 chunks of watermelon
15ml Lime Juice
60ml Appleton Estate VX Rum
30ml Pineapple juice
3 - 4 Pieces of Frozen Grapefruit
Shake firmly and strain over crushed ice
Top up with Ginger Beer












"Mrs. Jones’s Breakfast”
In a shaker:
15ml Cazadores Blanco Tequila
15ml Elderflower Liqueur
30ml Aperol
15ml Grapefruit juice
15ml lemon juice
Rim short glass with white sugar
Shake and strain into the glass over ice

Last Night in Scotland... A Night out in Edinburgh

As we set off again, after having a relaxing night in Oban, it was time to finish our road trip and head back to Edinburgh. What an amazing few days we've had. We managed to cover lots of ground in such a short time. From the east coast of Scotland at St. Andrews, Up and over the highlands to Inverness, then down the west side to Oban and back across to Edinburgh. To celebrate the end of our road trip and also the end to our time in Scotland, we decided to head out and see what the Edinburgh night life had to offer. 

There was one cocktail bar which was on the top of my list to visit in Edinburgh, that was the "Bramble Bar”.  Bramble Bar has won many awards over the years. Australian Bartender Magazine listed Bramble in the top 20 bars in the world. It is also said to be the best bar to visit in Scotland. The menu at Bramble is extensive but without being too over-whelming. They offer a good mixture of classics, variations on classics as well as some of there own creations. I decided to order a cocktail called “Lazarus Lane”. This is a simple yet unique combination of Tapatio blanco tequila, blackberries, ginger extract, vanilla flavoured sugar and garnished with a sprig of rosemary. It’s served over one large cube of ice with is chiselled out of a huge ice block by the bartender. When sipping this drink, the smell of the rosemary hits you straight away. Then when tasted, the acidity of the blackberries works well with the sweetness of the vanilla and ginger extract. Then there is the tequila, which adds a whole other dimension to the drink. It’s a combination of simple ingredients, but they all compliment each other and work well together. Warning though... this drink is not for everyone. Cara took a sip of the “Lazarus Lane” and she did not like it at all.  It’s bitter taste did not go down to well, but I like it. It was different and had been well thought through. 

Recently Cara has been taking after my love of rum, and has started to often order rum based cocktails. Our visit to Bramble was no exception. She ordered a cocktail called a “Red Rum”. This consisted of (one of my favourite rums) Bacardi 8 year old, Plymouth Sloe Gin, fresh lemon juice, red currants and vanilla sugar syrup. This was definitely more to Cara’s liking. The sweetness of the vanilla sugar and dark rum blended well together with the flavours of the gin. This drink was not sour at all, so the lemon juice was simply there to bind all these flavours together. Out of the 2 cocktails, Cara’s “Red Rum” would certainly appeal to more people. 

After Bramble, We made our way to another near by cocktail bar, “Bon Viant”. A bar which has a great reputation as being one of the best in Edinburgh. As we walked in we could see why. The place was packed and with almost every person holding a cocktail. We found a small part of the bar to stand and ordered a lesser known classic drink, A “Millionaires Cocktail”. This classic first featured in Harry Cradock’s book from the 1930’s, “The Savoy Cocktail Book”. Since it was first published, it’s stood the test of time and has taken on many variations over the years. It consists of 25ml Sloe Gin, 25ml Apricot Brandy, 25ml Jamaican Rum, the juice of 1 lime, a dash of grenadine and a dash of egg white. Then shaken into a martini glass. Like most classics, It’s a well balanced cocktail which is easy for almost anyone to drink. It’s similar to an original daiquiri, with its rum and lime, but the added sloe gin and apricot brandy gives the drink more fruitiness.  The egg white gives the drink a unique texture. 

We headed to a few more bars in the near by area, before calling it a night. Our time in Scotland has been unforgettable and a night out in the trendy city of Edinburgh was the perfect way to finish. 

Bramble Bars, “Lazarus Lane”

In a Shaker:

Muddle Blackberries

45ml Tapatio Blanco Tequila

Dash of Ginger Extract

15ml Vanilla Sugar Syrup

Shake and Strain over ice into a short rocks glass

Garish with a Sprig of Rosemary

Bramble Bars, “Red Rum”

In a shaker:

Muddle Red Currents

30ml Bacardi 8 year old Rum

30ml Plymouth Sloe Gin

15ml Lemon Juice

15ml Vanilla Sugar Syrup

Shake and Strain into Martini Glass

Bon Viant Bar, “Millionaires Cocktail”

In a Shaker:

25ml Sloe Gin

25ml Apricot Brandy

25ml Jamaican Rum

The Juice of 1 Lime

Dash of Grenadine

Dash of egg white

Shake and Strain into Martini Glass

Spicing up the Rum World

Over the last few years, there has been a massive growth in the spiced rum market. Many different spirit companies are now all fighting to realise there own version of this popular type of sweet brown rum. It seems to be a popular trend now to create and sell many cocktails using spiced rum and during our time, out and about in Glasgow, I’ve noticed that a popular theme is to slightly change the classic rum cocktails to give them a “spicy” new taste. 

There are instantly 4 popular brands which spring to mind. These 4 rums seem to be featured on the back selves in almost every bar we visit. I thought I’d write a little about each one, to try and find what each of these brands are doing differently to get the edge over their competitors. The 4 rums I’m focusing on are as follows:

Morgans Spiced Rum: Stemming from the original “Captain Morgan’s Dark Rum”, This light brown alternative has been marketed as a "party rum”. Meaning that it’s not pretending to be a trendy spirit to sipped over ice. The people at Morgans’s have been open in saying that it’s advertised and made to be mixed as the perfect accompaniment with coke and lime. Morgan’s spiced rum is lower in alcohol percentage (compared with it’s rivals). It’s only 35% ABV, making it cheaper for the customer. This adding to it’s popularity. As I mentioned, it has a rich golden colour, which is achieved from the charred oak barrels which it’s aged in. To the nose, you get an instant hit of vanilla. To be honest it’s hard to pick up any other smells other than vanilla, but I’m told that there should be hints of lime and cinnamon. I think the lime and cinnamon flavours come through more in the taste.  Morgans spiced rum is a nice rum, not amazing in my opinion. But it’s easy to drink, and with coke and lime, it’s perfect.

Sailor Jerry’s Spiced Rum: Unlike the Morgans, Sailor Jerry's has a little bit more of a “trendy” stigma attached to it. It’s quite often seen as a premium rum, and at 40% ABV, it is therefore a little more expensive. Distilled in the Caribbean, the makers of this rum blend vanilla, cinnamon and nut-meg together create a product which is unique and is not as sweet as other spiced rums. To the nose you get strong aromas of the 3 ingredients mentioned earlier, but there is also hint of smokey toffee. These smells translate perfectly to taste, picking up all the same qualities. Sailor Jerry’s is great also with coke and lime, but it has a little more scope to work with. It would work well in cocktails or with many other mixers. I personally love a Sailor Jerry’s, ginger beer and lime. 

Bacardi Oakheart: Bacardi is by far the most famous rum brand in the world. For many years, Bacardi Superior (the original white rum) was the highest selling spirit around. It was even selling more than vodka.  Bacardi already had a well established portfolio of rums, but it was only a few years ago that they decided to jump on board the spiced rum market. They realised the "Bacardi Oakheart”. Don’t get me wrong, I love the Bacardi brand and I think the Oakheart is a great rum, but it just seems to be to similar to the Morgans Spiced. The fact that it’s aged in charred oak barrels (like the Morgan’s), gives it the exact same colour. It also contains similar flavours such as vanilla and cinnamon. It is also the same 35% ABV as the Morgans, however the price can be sometimes a little more expensive.  The only edge that I can see which gives the Oakheart some uniqueness, is it’s a little more fruity. When I did some more research on this product, no could tell me what specific fruits were used to give it this flavour, only that it’s made with a mixture of dried fruits. 

Kraken Spiced Rum: Kraken rum seems to be the product which is causing the most waves in the spiced rum world. This is largely due to the fact that it is completely different to other spiced rums. It’s dark brown (almost pitch black) colour makes it stand alone from it’s rivals. Kraken still possesses the similar flavours as the others, such as vanilla and cinnamon, but it also contains strong citrus and orange flavours. This makes it perfect to serve with a slice of orange as opposed to lime. Along with the citrus taste, there is also hints of dark chocolate, which make it delicious to drink on it’s own, or in a cocktail. Kraken rum seems to be the most popular choice for using in cocktails. It’s ability to able to mix well with other flavours has added to it’s popularity.  It’s one of the strongest spiced rums around at 47% ABV. 

On one of our nights out in Glasgow, I came across a variation on the classic Daiquiri. This cocktail was called a “Krakquiri”. The original classic Daiquiri contains, white rum, white sugar and lime. Then came along a variation called the “Black Daiquiri”, which is Dark rum, brown sugar and lime. The “Krakquiri" is a variation of the two. It contains 30ml Kraken spiced rum, 15ml chocolate liqueur, 15ml lime juice and a dash of sugar syrup. The result is a sweet tasty concoction best suited as an after dinner drink. As the popularity of spiced rums continues to grow, I’m sure more brands and more cocktail creations will start to feature more prominently in bars around the world.

  “The Krakquiri”
In a shaker:
30ml Kraken Spiced Rum
15ml Chocolate Liqueur
15ml Lime Juice
Dash Sugar Syrup
Add Icc and Shake
Double strain into a martini glass

The Italian Job

It seems that Cara and I just can’t stay away from Italy. We’ve done Rome, we’ve done Milan and Lake Como, but now it was time for us to visit the city of Venice. It was also Cara’s parents first visit to Italy, so they were just as excited as us to explore the canals and tiny alley ways of Venice.

Venice is a place famous for it’s beautiful scenery, It’s architecture and It’s artworks. The city is seemingly one island, but it is in fact made up of 118 small islands all linked together with hundreds of footbridges. It’s history dates back to the ancient roman times. The roman soldiers built and used Venice to flee mainland attacks. No one is sure when the romans first lived in venice, but the city was first officially founded on the 25th March, 421 AD, with the opening of the first church, the San Giacomo di Rialto. Since this day, a further 148 churches have been built and Venice has expanded to now have a population of around 270,000 people living on the islands. Known as the “Floating City”, it’s visited by approximately 20 million tourists a year.

One of the fun things about Venice is exploring the canals and It’s alley ways. It’s easy to get lost as the streets get narrow and wind through around the waterways. Whilst we explored, we walked past several little shops offering Italian souvenirs, I noticed that little bottles of limoncello were a popular item. Limoncello is huge in Italy. It’s common to finish off a meal with a small nip of this sweet digestive.  The Italians have been producing limoncello since the early 1900’s. It was homemade, by simply soaking lemon peals and zest with grain alcohol until all the oils are released, then mixed with sugar syrup and chilled and served ice cold. In 1988, Italian business-man, Massimo Canale became the first person to trademark the name “limoncello” and began mass production and selling of the product. The bottles of Massimo Canale’s limoncello were instantly popular in the local shops and markets throughout Italy and it was soon being exported to other countries. Limoncello is now an Italian icon, hence it’s popularity in the souvenir shops throughout Venice.


After a busy day, Cara and I decided to spend a night out at a local jazz bar, tucked away in a little lane-way just off the Grand Canal.  I couldn’t resist ordering one of the house specialities, a “Miles Davis”. A cocktail which had many similarities to a Long Island Iced Tea. It consisted of gin, vodka, rum, blue curacao (orange flavoured liqueur), grenadine, a dash of lemon juice and topped up with lemonade, all built in a tall glass over ice. Not the most original drink, and I couldn’t help but wonder what the correlation this cocktail had to the man Miles Davis himself.  What ever the reason, it didn’t matter. We were in Venice sipping cocktails and listening to jazz, both reflecting on how lucky we are to be doing what we are doing.


“Miles Davis”
Built in a Tall Glass over Ice
15ml Gin
15ml Vodka
15ml Rum
15ml Blue Curacao
15ml Grenadine
A Dash of Lemon Juice
Top up with Lemonade