Friday, May 30, 2014

The Drunken Vimto and Four Classic Cocktails

This sassy cocktail combines succulent blackberries with blackcurrant jam, lemon, vodka and soothing honey!
This sassy cocktail is full of berries, lemon, vodka and a dash of honey. From Anyonita Nibbles
Yield: 1 rocks glass
Prep time:

The Drunken Vimto

This sassy little cocktail is my very own creation. It's a lovely mix of blackberries, blackcurrant, lemon and vodka with a hint of honey. But we'll get to that in a second. Last night, I was invited to an event at the Millennium Copthorne Hotel in Salford Quays. But not just any event, a cocktail making masterclass headed up by a fantastic team of bartenders. The event, #toastofthetown sought to pair our fantastic city of Manchester with cocktails of our own creating, but first we were taught the basics with four classic mixed drinks.



Four Classic Cocktails: Kentucky Stormy, Bramble, Mojito and Cosmo from Anyonita Nibbles

Anybody can drink, so the bloggers gathered at the event last night weren't limited to food bloggers. There was a mix of foodies, lifestyle and political bloggers as well as mom bloggers. After filing into the stunning conference room with its views over moored boats and one of the quays, we were left to mingle with flutes of raspberry Bellinis and await the trio of canapes. 
Canapes from a cocktail masterclass in Manchester from Anyonita Nibbles
The set up of our bar at the cocktail masterclass in Manchester from Anyonita Nibbles

With tummies lined with canapes, we took to the makeshift bars: tables cloaked in black linen and kitted with a mini popup bar of fresh fruit, muddlers, swirled spoons and Hawthorn strainers, piles of napkins and an array of glasses from rocks to high balls. Under the expert hand of our lead 'tender, we whizzed our way through four classic cocktails: the Kentucky Stormy, the Bramble, the Mojito and the Cosmo.


The Kentucky Stormy
A highball of a lime and bourbon Kentucky Stormy cocktail by Anyonita Nibbles
 Bourbon | Lime | Cane Sugar Syrup | Ginger Beer

Each member of the team, took turns making a cocktail.This was the cocktail I made so there's not very many shots of it being created. Personally, I found this cocktail to be a little too sour for me. I'm very particular about my bourbon and prefer it to have less of an edge, but I'd definitely try this cocktail again in the future.

The Bramble
A glass of Bramble made with gin and blackberry liqueur from Anyonita Nibbles
Gin | Lemon | Creme de Mure | Blackberries
If I'm not mistaken, other than a quick sip of a friend's G&T, this was my first experience with gin. I was pleasantly surprised! I love the sweetness of this and the subtle blackberry flavor from the Creme de Mure. In fact, this is the drink that inspired my Drunken Vimto. Charlotte, one of my teammates and the blogger behind Gin & Ginger took the task of making this cocktail.

Creme de Mure is weathered into the gin to make this decadant Bramble cocktail by Anyonita Nibbles

The cool thing about The Bramble is the feathered effect you get from pouring over the Creme de Mure.
Charlotte from Gin and Ginger models a Bramble cocktail from Anyonita Nibbles
A glass of Bramble modeled by the lovely, Charlotte.

The Mojito 
This Mojito gets a sugary hit for a refreshing twist on a classic cocktail from Anyonita Nibbles
Rum | Lime | Cane Sugar Syrup | Mint

I'm partial to a good mojito, but this one, prepared by another teammate and blogger, Fiona from A Living Diary, was hands down the best mojito ever to pass my lips. I'm not sure if it's because we were giggling or slightly too inebriated to follow basic instructions, but we more than tripled the amount of cane sugar syrup in this and I think we re-invented the mojito! Seriously, gone are the days of mojitos so sour they make your entire face pucker.


The Cosmopolitan
Not just for Carrie & the gang, this Cosmopolitan Cocktail is easy to replicate at home. From Anyonita Nibbles
Vodka | Cranberry | Orange | Triple Sec

Even if you've never tasted one, if you've seen at least half of any given episode of Sex and the City, you know this cocktail. The drink of the Girls, this Cosmo delivered on everything I generally hate about cosmopolitans: the bitter orange, the bitter cranberry juice and the bitter Triple Sec. Can you tell, I'm not a fan of bitter flavors? It's why I'd happily reach for a cocktail over a pint of beer and why I'll leave dark chocolate untouched no matter what it's thrown into.

Our Cosmo is a work in progress at this cocktail masterclass from Anyonita Nibbles

Our fourth teammate isn't a blogger (unless he's keeping a secret!) but he's a representative from the blogger/brand company who helped to put this event together. James took one for the team and made perhaps the least manly drink of the entire night. And let me tell you, hysterical carnage ensued. At this point, I'd say 85% of the room was definitely too intoxicated to follow instructions properly. ... and this is when they decided it would be best for us to use lighters! 
The secret to a good cosmo? Lighting the orange zest to release the essential oils from Anyonita Nibbles

Finally, the last task of the night was to take all of the knowledge we'd acquired and create our own cocktail to represent Manchester. Given that we'd been sipping spirits all night, I was surprised that all of us were able to come up with decent drinks! Here's what my team (minus James) offered up:

Fiona's Red Illusion
Fiona from A Living Diary with her Red Illusion cocktail by Anyonita Nibbles


Charlotte's Curry Mile
Charlotte's Curry Mile Cocktail from Anyonita Nibbles


Charlotte from Gin and Ginger can show you how to whip up this tasty Curry Mile cocktail from Anyonita Nibbles
and without further ado, here's the recipe for my creation, the Drunken Vimto!
This delicious cocktail is easy to drink and full of fruit flavor. From Anyonita Nibbles

Ingredients:

For the Drunken Vimto*
1/4 cup blackcurrant or blackberry jam
1/2 large lemon's juice
1 teaspoon honey
1 rocks glass worth of crushed ice
2 shots vodka
2 blackberries
15 milliliters Creme de Mure (blackberry liqueur)
 

**Notes**
  • Vimto is a British soft drink made with various fruits including blackcurrants. Manchester has a strong history with Vimto and Salford, a suburb of Manchester, is the place it originated from.

The main components of the Drunken Vimto are blackcurrant jam, blackberries and lemon juice. From Anyonita Nibbles

Instructions:


The Drunken Vimto



  1. Squeeze the lemon juice into the bottom of a rocks glass. Fill halfway with crushed ice.
  2. Spoon the blackcurrant or blackberry jam into the bottom of a shaker along with a blackberry, the vodka, honey, the Creme de Mure and a bit of ice.
  3. Shake well until incorporated.
  4. Top off the glass with more ice.
  5. Use a Hawthorn Strainer and a sieve to filter the cocktail while you pour it over the ice.
  6. Serve garnished with a blackberry and a straw.
Lemon, blackberry, blackcurrant, honey and vodka come together to form this sassy drink. From Anyonita Nibbles



8 comments:

  1. sounds like a great Friday night drink!

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  2. What a great excuse for a sore throat...put that soothing honey to work! ;) Sounds so #refreshing and I do love #blackberries! #cocktail

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  3. This looks like a fun way to spend a Friday night with some friends. I don't drink very much or very often but I'd be willing to give one or two of these lovely drinks a go. Thanks for sharing!

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  4. Wow, that looks so fun! And your drink looks amazing. I love fruity drinks and I just love, love, love blackberries. I bet it's just wonderful!

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  5. What an AMAZING post! I'm so impressed that you took such detailed notes...thank you! I've bookmarked this post to read in detail. It was such a great event! xx

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  6. Mmmm that mojito is nicely put together! I need to work on my cocktail skills. These look awesome.

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  7. Wow! The cocktails are all so impressive looking and I bet tasty!! Your drink looks especially enticing. I need to find a way to get my ice to crush perfectly. It really adds the finishing touch to a cocktail!

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  8. What a party! Pinned! Please join us tonight at 7 pm and party with us. We feel honored when you stop by! http://loulougirls.blogspot.com
    Happy Monday! Lou Lou Girls

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What do you think of this recipe? Be sure to tag me in any recipes you make on social media and use #anyonitanibbles!