Friday 23 September 2011

the boutique bar show 2011

for business, networking, inspiration, seminars, shows and competitions and ample amounts of classy plonk in all genres... till the next year...
































slings, daiquiris and disco moments...

on wednesday the twenty first of september on the two thousand and eleventh year, rod thomas, aka bright light bright light had a party launching the band's second single, at myhotel's central bar in bedford square!
and he asked me to bring stav B's liquor bar into it! i said yes!


i met lovely rod last easter sunday at a barbecue party, alun davies, art director and friend, who has worked at the bar too... and we connected... 


we had an express meeting bang in the middle of london fashion week and it was all full on and hectic, but i like the pressure as a challenge and more interesting... i was very late, but quick in getting the info i wanted to create the cocktails...


rod liked gin, but we decided that the majority would like vodka and of course i wanted rum in the menu, as it's exquisite and very interesting when combined with flavours.


the colours featured were black and red and pink and grey and rod mentioned how much he liked twin peaks, which admittedly, is one of my favourite television series ever, after six feet under and true blood; get it?


so,


this event prompted me to have a logo made, which was tricky, because, i'm not a logo, don't have a logo and create site specific images every event... but i asked doug to use the work that we have had already, as it's very good and plenty and i knew he was super busy with LFW also; he designs the sounds for shows...


in black and white... perfect... photos on the previous post, but i'll add here too.


the menu, which i wanted in simple white paper with garamond type, included just four cocktails, based on my client's loves and desires and using names from the famous track and the name of the venue, as well as colours and the yummy cherry pie, which agent cooper was scoffing down in the diner and we, as faithful spectators shall never taste... colours, too.


disco moment sling
with gin, heering cherry liqueur, benedictine dom, lemon juice and pineapple juice with two drops of orange bitters when served up
ginger martini
with vodka, or gin and a kick ass ginger liqueur, so condensed and alcoholic, it knocked lovely kapila out! nicely, i hope.
blueberry daiquiri
with dark rum, lime juice, sugar cane and blueberry liqueur; delicious and dark
central black
with vodka, creme de cassis, apple juice, lemon juice and sugar cane


it was really good, pushing it further and mixing up strong flavours, with ordinary spirits, with exquisite combinations and high quality liqueurs, which i trekked from east to central london to get happily from my beloved special shops!


we were busy and we enjoyed the whole affair; i hope that i'm not missing too many of my jam jars, how much jam can one have to collect?


typography next... watch this space for more details and cheers, for if you try this at home, be extra careful with your measures!
i used

benedictine DOM
heering cherry liqueur
lapponia blueberry liqueur
king's ginger liqueur

pure, undiluted alcoholic joy!












































music by brightlightbrightlight
logo/ menu design by doug haywood
cocktails/ photos by stav B
©2011





















Tuesday 20 September 2011

logos






















we are getting serious... we are having fun...
design by doug haywood





Monday 19 September 2011

the slaughterhouse

i am just getting myself together... so tired... after all this conception, preparation and final execution...
it's a september aftrenoon on a monday and the sun is playing hide and seek with the clouds and it's warm. lovely.
i'm back here, blogging happily about the new venue and party which my bar graced in exotic and lush style.


the slaughterhouse in shoreditch, london and at the back of the geffrye museum is a new business, incorporating a hair salon (chris, its young owner, has been cutting hair since the age of 14 in his stepmum's salon and has developed a beautiful style and doing it on his self employed self); a tattoo parlour, with his mate  jack, who simply loves tattooing and a photographic studio, where emerging artists can showcase their work... all under a huge arch in black, red and white...
i was introduced to the space by the gorgeous kajsa, the girlfriend of my friend's friend and of course and as usual, i jump into a new opportunity with a vivid passion, imagination and risk.
our collaboration began yesterday sunday 18 september, where i brought the bar to accompany a reggae band, graffiti art on paper and skateborads and i suppose the melancolic end of summer for the golden autumn to begin.
i devised a menu based on the beauty and spirit of reggae and the freshness and naturalness of fruit. and i went rum galore...
since, my good friend cristine, who accepted my offer of bringing her kitchen in the bar and finally, as it was in the cards for some time, collaborate with me, is brazilian and was making lush brigadeiros with a bottle of sailor jerry's rum that i bought her, cachaca simply had to be included, where the abaci batidas flew from the bar top to the jam jars and the throats of many enthusiasts!
the menu including a precise, taylor made, quite demanding, but manageable list of mulatta and apricot daiquiri, as well as the yummy abacaxi ricaco (spelled abacashi ricasoo)... all mixed with dark rum and in this case appleton, which is a really nice and affordable jamaican rum, creme de cacao, for the mulattas and creme d'abricot and lilet for the daiquiris...
for the batida, i used the incredible cachaca sagatiba pura, smooth and fresh and basing its excellent reputation on 400 years of painstaking development of a recipe... produced in sao paulo, of course! delicious and sexy; i built the drink in a jam jar with crushed ice, lemon, sugar and pineapple juice! 
and naturally, i had the classics, never to be underminded and always respected: dry gin martini, dirty vodka martini, perfect and sweet manhattan, old fashioned and treacles and my tiny stock created a few long island ice teas, which, in my opinion, is a ridiculous drink, comprising five clear spirits, lime and coke, but what can i do, when a sweet man is asking for it and i can do it? i was in a good mood and i layered it in a highball...
cristine's kitchen included the absolutely and i'll say it again, sexy and delicious handmade parcels with goat's cheese and beetroot oozing out of them and served with a watercress salad! the spiced rum brigadeiros served chilled in shot glasses were a winner and let me tell you this readers, they were not for the faint hearted! lush and alcoholic!
we had fun and the ball is rolling again and well...
i'm due to return at the slaughterhouse on saturday 15 october for the fundraiser i am organising for the east london fawcett society and this is going to be a biggie!
watch this space for more details and go to facebook to see the event.
meanwhile, enjoy these words and pics and take a breather, after it all.
preparing my fashion event next. i shall tell you all about it.


love.
stav




















drinks by stav B
food by cristine leone
artwork/ design by doug haywood