ready to pop again... up!

i dedicated this weekend to classic cocktails stirred gently and superbly.


vodka or gin martini: twist (lime jest polishing the rim of the glass and thrown in the liquid, twisted); vesper (gin and vodka together james bond style, but stirred, not shaken); gibson (with a pickled onion), naked (no vermouth), dirty (with olive brine and an olive) and my most popular...


manhattan: perfect (dry and sweet vermouth), dry or sweet... self explanatory... 50ml bourbon, in this case, a tiny bit of maraschino cherry juice and a cherry for garnish... a fine, stylish beverage, which, if made right, it is simply a delight!


of course, the old fashioned with sugar cubes this time, instead of marmalade were still desirable, as well as the yummy treacles...


later on saturday, a faithful bunch of italians turned up and their friends after and some of them wanted something with gin and somewhat sweet, so i concocted there and then a simple, yet effective combination of gin, creme d' abricot, lemon juice and a small heap of icing sugar; the cherry at the bottom of the glass became a cause of a exclamation of contentment and positive feedback; i must have made eight altogether in a small space of thirsty time!


a vodka mix with peach puree, lemon juice and grenadine was the alternative choice; fruity, sweet and tangy, nicely balanced with a lot of spirit in it, too!


we danced to austrian/german/french electro (mr. G), as well as acid house, 80s  and 90s pop and house (max dmc) and mingled and made new friends joined by imagination and the love of late night drinking... till it was time to go and say a final goodbye to gallery 5A.


popping up soon, somewhere else...














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Stav B opens pop-up liquor bar and art space in Dalston - Now. Here. This. - Time Out London

Stav B opens pop-up liquor bar and art space in Dalston - Now. Here. This. - Time Out London


many thanks to sonya divine.
black and white photograph by georgie clarke.
x





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stav B's liquor bar artwork 3

we love billboards and huge industrial buildings! the attack of the 50ft stav B! - not my quote... pushing the idea further, having fun with good quality drinks and art and process and progress... good stuff; good times!
ready?


artwork and design by doug haywood. all rights reserved 2011

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rum and bourbon

the weekend was packed with events here in london and the region. art, music, relentless partying.


it rained too. a lot. and the sun, when out, hot.


but the show, any show must go on and so will mine. it's my style anyway. also, consistency is important. z claims it and my star sign description.


i asked doug to make a new playlist for the bar, as i had no djs this weekend, purposely needing to be bit quieter, with sounds which started the bar from the 20s, 30s and 40s and some lush jazz, as i run a speakeasy and not a club (well, i do queen Bees, but not on this occasion, as the liquor bar)


divine. jazzy mixes blended with balkan beats, soul and swing...


dark rum was stirred gently and endlessly with the sugared bitters and the old fashioneds were made with orange (this time) marmalade... we consumed the watermelon in the form of a frozen cocktail and fresh and the strawberries were cut in half and formed a heart shape and were blended with white tequila, white rum and clear vodka... bleeding...


did i forget to mention? caspar, the huge, fluffy and adorable samoyed of michael and giles' visited us enthusiastically! family and love...

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two days great

i had two good, consistent days in the bar on friday and saturday with fabulous drinks (of course), brilliant music and great folk, some of them newcomers. 


'tis the season to be fresh and fruity and frozen, so we blended strawberries, or raspberries, or bananas, or blackberries, or pineapple, or watermelon, or pakistani mangos, as mr. ali called them and brought them and we mixed them with white rum, or vodka, or tequila, or gin and we created summer masterpieces, like, daiquiris and caipirowskas and margaritas, easy to drink, although i have to stress that ALL my cocktails contain DOUBLE shots of spirit, which is 50ml. strong good stuff and they went down very well on both nights.


we also served bellinis and kir royals, which i believe them to be exquisite summer classics for those, including myself, who like a bit of bubbly, instead of a cocktail.


and i saw friends from down under and those i have not seen for ages.


max dmc was spinning on friday a delightful concoction of disco, acid house and hip hop in twisted and unfamiliar mixes, till after midnight with hot passion and 
spike spondike filled the dancefloor with arabic and greek tunes, on saturday; a very good zorba mix put a smile on our faces and a click on our fingers, to continue with electro and 90s classic house. marvellous, music is so important and good music is fundamental!


i got a new BBQ set which christened its grills with doug's mouthwatering nut and spicy bean burgers, as well as caramelised pineapple kebabs and barbecued bananas with organic chocolate... 


the creativity, imagination and quality continues in the liquor bar... 

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imbibe 2011

imbibe is a big hospitality show happening in earl's court centre in west london.

a big umbrella encapsulating all sides of the trade; from dishwashers, to bar snacks, obscure spirits, herby gin, toffee vodka and all sorts of wine, from different counrties and regions as well as plenty of free plonk, to try and try again and finally leave the show full of ideas/ inspiration/ contacts or drunk.

i distinguished the toffee vodka and gin mare with rosemary or basil and connected with a big wine company for sales on returns.

saw some folk and met some new and left pretty tipsy, to go and meet the boys in the pouring rain for a yummy turkish, devoured happily. in stepney green.

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private parties 3

and this time it was in my bar...

i hosted a joint birthday of two friends; it was semi private, as i had invited some of my peeps, too. a selected few and with no discrimination...

it was a warm day, summer in london, at last... and let us keep quiet, not to jinx it!

it was also PRIDE day in london; perfect, sexy, celebrating equality, difference and individuality; a great reason for partying!

we bought a blender. we made strawberry daiquiris with white appleton rum and platino batidas with sagatiba cachaca and fresh bananas!

when we run out of the strawberries, we used doug's leftover pineapple chunks (he made caramelised pineapple chunks on a skewer - delicious)!

they went down very well in the jam jars with a fruit garnish, as well as the bellinis with creamy peach puree.

we had veggie bean burgers on a bun with a selection of condiments and sauces and we had exquisite music, via five djs, playing in turns with a wonderful communication, which would not let anyone sit down till the early hours of the morning...

fun. busy. quality. in a nut shell.

after two late, yer successful nights behind the bar, i slept a lot, to wake up very early on monday and begin another busy week...

good stuff. good times. and i count my blessings and thanking my support network...

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