Category Archives: Alcohol Reviews

Celebrate Valentine’s Day with Viña Real Wines.

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The look of love is in the air and we think Valentines is the perfect reason to wind down with a delicious dinner paired with a superb wine. Whether you’re sharing the day with a loved one, celebrating Galantines or just spending the evening enjoying your own company, Viña Real wine will not disappoint. Now we must admit, we were sent this wonderful package of wine weeks ago but with dry January in full tow we didn’t want to leave out any folk so here’s why Viña Real should be your top choice this week.

The award winning Spanish wine brand CVNE have continued to supply us with a wide range of quality Rioja wines since 1879. With age only comes wisdom and the winery, which is split into four, include Viña Real. The wines we tried were Viña Real Crianza and the Viña Real Barrel Fermented White but the brand also stock four other wines including a Rosado and a Gran Reserva.

First up the Viña Real Crianza, this is a charming red with a flavour of deep dark berries. This is a spicy red perfect for the Winter months and great for sipping with roasted meats. This wine is very easy to drink and can be found in Gordon’s Wine bar in London for £28 per bottle buy you can get this for a fraction of the price from a good wine retailer. This bottle certainly delivers much more than it’s modest price tag. Great value and great all rounder we think this would suit even the most discerning palette.

If it’s a quality white you’re after than the Viña Real Barrel Fermented white comes highly recommended. This wine is made up of 100% Viura or Macabeo grape which has become increasingly popular and is usually used to make up Cava wines. The barrel fermentation means that the wine is fermented in smaller oak barrels as opposed to large stainless steel and helps to highlight the texture which is creamy and light and helps preserve the fruit aromas, in this case gooseberry and honeysuckle. Again a moreish and fantastic value wine with an average price of £10.95

To find out more about CVNE and Viña Real wines visit www.cvne.com

Cocktail Ideas: Missy Flynn’s 2017 Round Up

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In our final instalment of Cocktail Ideas before the big day, we’ve got some inspiration from cocktail expert and mixologist Missy Flynn. This week the cocktails featured are a step away from being quintessentially Christmas but a round up of the biggest food and drink trends of 2017 in a glass. Inspired by foraging, veganism and superfoods, we simply love the colours and healthy element of these cocktails. We think they would be the perfect day-after partying tonic for you to refresh yourself and unwind as well as being utterly instagrammable so impress and wow your friends and family and serve up these delicious cocktail creations this week and if mixing up your cocktails is not for you fear not, All Bar One will be serving these very cocktails all the way until New Years Eve.

From Left to Right: Baileys Blush, Turmeric Sour, Beetroot Mule, Tanqueray Forager Smash

Our star cocktail this week is the;

Captain Morgan – Turmeric Sour

Ingredients:

50ml Captain Morgan Spiced Gold
75ml Funkin Sour mix
15ml ginger syrup
1/4 bar spoon turmeric
Lemon twist and mint sprig to garnish

Glass: Rocks
Ice: Crushed

Method:
Add the Captain Morgan Spiced Gold, sour mix, turmeric powder and ginger syrup to a shaker or jam jar.

Seal the shaker or jam jar and holding it closed, carefully ‘dry shake’ so that the sour mix begins to emulsify the drink, building a froth.

Open the shaker, add ice and then shake again.

Strain over ice into a tumbler. Using a zester, take the peel from a lemon and snap it over the drink to expel oil from the skin, resting the peel in the glass.

Clap the mint between your hands to release its aroma and then place inside the drink as garnish.

Bailey’s Blush

Ingredients:

35ml Baileys Irish Cream
50ml Half and Half cream / milk
15ml Cherry Heering
12.5ml cherry syrup
Garnish with raspberry dipped in edible glitter / gold

Glass: Coupe
Ice: None

Method:
Add Baileys, Half and Half cream / milk, Cherry Heering, cherry syrup and ice into a cocktail shaker.
Shake hard!
Double strain into a chilled coupe or martini glass, use a tea strainer to remove any small shards of ice so the drink is nice and smooth.
Roll raspberry in edible glitter or gold until it reaches your desired level of glam, cut a slit in the base of the raspberry and rest it on the edge of the glass.

Tanqueray Forager Smash

Ingredients:

50ml Tanqueray London Dry Gin
25ml lime juice
20ml sugar syrup
Mint leaves
Pea shoots
100ml soda
Garnish with pea shoots, viola flower and mint

Glass: Copa
Ice: Crushed

Method:
Fill a tall glass with lots of ice, add the Tanqueray London Dry Gin, lime juice and sugar syrup. Stir to mix, and top with soda water. Add a little more ice if needed. Gather all your herbs and flowers and toss into a rough mix, dress the drink with this mix, scattering a few extra flowers on the top.

All cocktails featured are available in All Bar One bar’s until New Years Eve and liquors and ingredients are available to purchase through ocado.com

Cocktail Ideas : Tanqueray Edition

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Every weekend until Christmas we will be offering you up some lovely cocktail ideas which you can use to celebrate the occasion or to create your very own cocktail guide with to use all year round. This week we were sent some exciting Tanqueray cocktails created by presenter Miquita Oliver. We think you will love her daring twists on some Gin cocktail classics.

First up the Tanqueray Martini – This is probably my favourite cocktail ever. Simple, sophisticated and packs a punch. Miquita has created;

Tanqueray Martini with Ginger Chilli and Coriander.

45ml Tanqueray London Dry Gin
10ml Chilli infused Cocchi Americano
10ml Chilli infused Dolin Dry
5ml Ancho Reyes Chili Liqueur
1 dash orange bitters
Atomised with coriander & ginger spray
Garnish: Coriander leaf

Stir all ingredients over ice and strain into a chilled martini or nick & nora glass
garnish with spray and float a coriander leaf in the drink

For the Chilli vermouth infusions
Take 2-3 dried whole chillies and break their skin and put straight into the bottle and allow to infuse for 1.5 hours – taste after this time to check that the chilli has infused – depending on the strength of the chilli it may need a little longer but this should add a gentle heat to the vermouths – after this time strain and rebottle

For the coriander & ginger spay
Infuse coriander and ginger for 1.5 hours. Strain. Transfer liquid to any plastic atomiser

The Green Tanqueray Tonic –

A refreshing and zesty green take on the G&T


For the Syrup:
500g Sugar
1.5 Litre Water
350g Cucumber
1.5 Granny smith apples (cored)
20ml Lime juice

Heat sugar & water up together and leave to cool to make sugar syrup
Blitz cucumber, apples and lime in a blender and strain. Add to the sugar syrup.

To serve:
40ml Cucumber and Apple syrup
25ml Tanqueray
topped with Fever tree tonic

Garnish:
Pleated cucumber peel (full length of cucumber) pierced by a cocktail stick and rested on top

The Red Tanqueray & Tonic

The Red Tanqueray Tonic – perfect for Christmas, we love the spicy notes and cranberry twist.

For the Syrup:
500ml water
150g Sugar
100g Cranberrys
10g Cinnamon
10g Black Cardamon

All except sugar in a pan and  bring to the boil and simmer for 20 mins
Reduce to about half as much water and add the sugar. Simmer for another 4 mins on a low heat, remove the spice cinnamon & cardamon and blitz the rest. Strain.

Serve:
35ml red syrup
10ml Lemon juice
2 dash angostura bitters
top with fever tree tonic

Garnish:
3 cranberries on a cocktail stick

Tanqueray is available to buy from multiple major retailers. For more details visit www.tanqueray.com

Feeney’s Irish Liqueur – An Essential For The Christmas Drinks Cabinet

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Frost loves Feeney’s Irish Cream Liqueur. The gold standard in Irish cream liqueur. Smooth, delicious and festive. It would not be Christmas without it.

A Christmas drinks cabinet wouldn’t be complete without an Irish cream liqueur. Feeney’s Irish Cream Liqueur is a luxurious Irish Cream Liqueur, masterfully distilled and matured for at least three years in Abbeyleix, County Laios, Ireland. Made with barrel-aged, single malt Irish whiskey blended with milk chocolate and the finest quality Irish dairy cream, farmed fresh from cattle grazing in local pastures, Feeney’s Irish Cream Liqueur is rich, smooth and deliciously creamy.

An excellent Christmas cocktail would be Feeney’s Espresso Martini:

Using a cocktail shaker, shake 30ml Feeney’s, 25ml Expresso Coffee and 25ml Premium Vodka with ice and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with three coffee beans.

 

1 litre bottles are available from: Tesco, Asda and 31Dover.com from £12.00 per bottle. ABV: 17%

https://www.tesco.com

 

70cl bottles are available from: 31Dover.com, Master of Malt and Amazon. RRP: £12.50 ABV 17%

https://www.amazon.co.uk

 

Festive Cocktail Ideas : Amarula Edition

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This week we welcomed in December and also snow in some parts of the UK so wherever you are, we wanted to offer you something super comforting, decadent and spicy to keep you warm from the inside out.
This week our cocktail has come from the delicious South African liqueur Amarula and has the inspiration of a hot toddy and a mulled wine all rolled into one quintessentially festive tipple.

Amarula Spiced Dram

Ingredients:
35ml Amarula Cream Liqueur

20ml Spice – infused whisky (clove, cinnamon, juniper, star anise & cardamom)
Method:
Stir ingredients in glass beaker with ice until chilled. Fine strain into a chilled champagne glass.

Amarula is available to purchase from multiple major retailers priced at £12.50 per 700ml Bottle

Festive Cocktail Ideas : Greenall’s Sloe Gin Edition

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Take it Sloe Toddy

Every week until Christmas we have teamed up with some fabulous drinks brands to bring you some wonderful festive cocktail ideas. This year Greenall’s have launched a new Sloe Gin recipe combining the eight botanicals which make up the Original Greenall’s with rich sloe berries to create the perfect warming winter tipple.

Greenall’s Take it Sloe Toddy

Best enjoyed by a roaring fire

Ingredients:
50ml Greenell’s Sloe Gin

100ml Cloudy Apple Juice

50ml Orange Juice

Cinnamon Stick

2 Cloves

Method:
Pour Sloe Gin into a toddy glass. Warm juices gently with the cinnamon and cloves for 5/6 mins until infused. Pour the warm liquid into the Greenall’s Sloe Gin. Garnish with orange wheel and cinnamon stick.

Greenall’s 1761 Royale

Perfect for dazzling your party guests

Ingredients:
25ml Greenall’s Sloe Gin

50ml Prosecco

Blackberry to Garnish

Sprig of Rosemary

Method:
Pour Sparkling Wine over ice into a coupe glass. Lightly bruise rosemary then drop into glass. Slowly pour Greenall’s Sloe Gin so it sinks to the bottom.

Greenall’s Sloe Thyme

A refreshing tipple

Ingredients:
50ml Greenall’s Sloe Gin

150ml Cloudy lemonade

Sprig Thyme

Lemon Slice

Method:
Fill a tall glass with ice, pour in Greenall’s Sloe Gin. Slowly pour in cloudy lemonade or lemon tonic. Garnish with a sprig of thyme and a lemon slice.

Greenall’s Sloe Gin
New recipe Greenall’s Sloe Gin will be available to customers in the UK through Amazon from November
R.R.P £18

Christmas Cocktail Ideas

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If you’re planning on staying in this weekend why not gather some friends round, take out your cocktail shaker and try our simple Christmas cocktail ideas inspired by cocktail classics.

Chocolat Luxe Gold

Made with: Baileys Chocolat Luxe
Inspired by: The White Russian
Perfect for: After Dinner.

We love this indulgent and silky dark chocolate version of Baileys

Ingredients:
30ml Baileys Chocolat Luxe


70ml Hazelnut milk

Gold edible colouring and edible gold leaf

0.5 units per serve

Method:
Shake in a cocktail shaker and fine strain into the glass.

Finish by garnishing a simple sheet of edible gold leaf.

If you’re feeling fancy, pre-dip a raspberry in edible gold colouring to add an extra touch of glam.

Gordon’s Pink Spritz

Made with: Gordon’s Pink Gin
Inspired by: Wine Spritzer
Perfect for: Cocktail Reception

The Gordon Pink Gin has a natural sweetness from infused strawberries and raspberries.

Ingredients:
50ml Gordon’s Pink Gin


50ml lemonade


25ml Prosecco


Garnish of cranberries and pomegranate

2.1 units per serve

Method:
Fill a prosecco glass with ice and add everything together

Garnish with pomegranate and cranberries.

Mezcal Cocktail Recipe for Dia De Los Muertos

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This Saturday we celebrated National Mezcal Day and we thought it was just about time this smokey agave plant made a comeback to claim it’s place proudly in your drinks cabinet. Here in the UK, Mezcal is making a comeback and we would love you to try this smoking hot cocktail perfect for Dia De Los Muertos which is coming up on November 2nd.

Mortar & Pestle, craft cocktail specialists with bars across the West Coast of USA have kindly supplied us with a cocktail which is evocative of their signature style. Full of show-stopping panache.

Mayan Calander
created as a libation for the end of days.

With flavours of;

Wahaka Joven Mezcal
Creme de Cacao
Habanero Syrup
Blackstrap Bitters

You will need:

One Martini Glass

¾ oz Lime juice
½ oz Habanero Syrup (cut 50/50 with 1:1 Simple Syrup)
1 ½ oz Wahaka Espadin Joven Mezcal
½ oz Tempus Fugit Creme de Cacao
3 dashes Blackstrap Bitters
5 drops Saline Solution

Garnish: Flamed Lime Boat with Grated Cinnamon.

Method:

Combine ingredients into shaker.
Long shake and double strain into martini glass.
Garnish with lime boat filled with Overproof rum to fuel flame.
Torch, then grate cinnamon over time boat to create sparks.