apricot, ananas, black cherry and sage...

this weekend gone, was a true challenge...


after The T club, on thursday, i had two events to pull off, with brand new and tailor made cocktail lists for variety and a positive welcome to summer, which is not yet here... but i have hope...


on friday, i went one more time, to my beloved fabrica584, to make cocktails for a double birthday celebration of two italian friends, friends of the friends at the last party (beginning of may/ the italian party).


the menu was inspired by my new found passion for italy, in small doses and very filtered, elements of which, i truly appreciate: the language, the seasons, the freshness and some of the history...


i gave the drinks italian names for fun and the different and the individual: albicocca daiquiri/ with gin and apricot brandy; dolce vita/ with bourbon and amaretto and dry orange curacao, as a variation of the godfather (history, get it?); ananas in the caipirihna and limoncello in the caipirowska... and i also made a huge bowl of punch which i call 584 with fresh fruit and juices... lychee and mango and pineapple, in juice and fruit, with raspberries and strawberries and blackberries and a whole of cantaloupe melon and it was just divine and really good looking! o. yes: one bottle of dark rum and one bottle of spiced rum!


ironically and delightfully, the three amazing cakes, the celebratees had chosen for their guests, had lush fruit on them!


we were busy, busy, busy and we run out of the spirits in due time and towards the end, which pleases me, for stock control and customer satisfaction! no door glass was smashed this time, but the writing table, which normally hold the amp, is a bit sensitive and in need of some fixing tlc... o. well... i'm sure we'll have it fixed by the time, robi is back from the americas!


three of us stayed till late, clearing up, while i was spinning my 45s kept in my 'office' downstairs!


.......................................................................................................


on saturday, i carried and uploaded the liquor bar's boxes in the enterprise house, on hackney's tudor grove, a warehouse space, where residents live, create and host events...


so, they hosted this one too; sons of satyr (sos), a collaborative venture, between two ex colleagues and now, friends, passionate about food offered and presented differently...


i was asked to do the bar and as i always rise to the challenge and enjoy new ventures, i said yes and i focused on creating a new cocktail menu, to match as  much as possible the food and the general atmosphere...


i put black cherry jam in the old fashioned, which was a total winner; rhubarb in the gin daiquiri, which sweet and bitter juxtaposition, matched the herbal gin with the maraschino; sage and pineapple in the vodka and i made an eponymous punch with cardamon and ginger...


great food, amazing photographs from a posh butchers in mayfair, by gaby motola, gracing the walls... a stuffed fox, was keeping company to anka, who was doing the door, in fine style...


total yuminess and appreciation...


phew! sunday was rest and preparation day for another chocker week, in the dark room and The Place (my new venture)... keep an eye for more information...

many thanks to all involved in assistance and love: george, valentina, irene, giulia, andre, dan, sarah, anka, oliver, andrew and zbigniew

Tweet
Follow @theliquorbar

kingsland palace, rio and clara ludski

this saturday gone, the twelveth day of may, i experienced a double whammy, as a participant and as an observer: stav B's liquor bar set up home upstairs outside the auditorium, in a subtle, but atmospheric affair, with lowboys and edible flowers holly placed around them, instead of putting them in the punch and it looked lovely and warm and inviting! 
stav B was preparing for her brand new performance written and premiered at the rio cinema, in dalston, london, for the avant garde event, at home with the ludskis and included a tutu, feathers and a lot of fire!
i am writing here, as stav, talking about the brand and the personae, instead of speaking about myself in the third person... just saying...


but let me start from the beginning:


i became aware of the event, via a facebook email and a friend and i was instantly intrigued... avant garde and surreal and thought provoking and out of the ordinary with a lot of music and art disciplines and generally, a spectacle du theatre, need i say more? i loved it! i went to the first one for me, but third one for them, in january after work and i discovered, that a. i knew a lot of people there and b. what a fantastic idea! an event in a cinema, starting at 11:30pm after the last screening!


the next day, i was requested by granny ludski and as i added granny to all my groups (queen Bees and the liquor bar, at the time), i was invited to perform and do the liquor bar at the next edition in may! so, here we are: it is tuesday, the event has been and gone, but not forgotten and continually resonating in my mind, upon reflection and a major anti climax on sunday. (more on this at madam B and tricks blog)


clara ludski was a russian immigrant, who founded the kingland palace ( the first electric picture house) in 1909, cum rio cinema, in its art deco beauty, as it is today...
at home with the ludskis is a tribute to her with a multi disciplined extravaganza in its avant garde and surreal glory...


i wrote a brand new piece, refelecting my current state of affairs and heart, called 
'you and me and no one else' (more on this at madam B and tricks blog)


i created a small, but special list, to match the event and my stock and it was only cocktails, which made things not necessarily easier, but definitely more straightforward, in focusing on one thing and very well.


i made a big bowl of punch, which has become the bar's trademark, with its tropical fruit juices and fresh fruit and drops of grenadine and sugar, with or without rum... as the night progresses and the fruit naturally ferments, the flavours change to the better, blend to perfection and the mix is almost alcoholic, without the spirit! yumm - y!


the margarita, made with herradura anejo, to granny's delight, had also a splash of grand marnier, chocolate liqueur and lavender syrup, which, i'm telling you, is divine! no exaggeration there!


the old fashioned had cardamon and the gin was made to exquisite daiquiris with maraschino liqueur, bitterness galore and singapore slings, with the fantastic heering cherry liqueur, a whole cherry in your mouth with a dolop of booze and the ever classic and classy benedictine...


all @£5 made with love and attention and a great deal of skill...


we had fun, we made new friends and we were surrounded by our own, who were mingling and circulating, among their second and third orders...


it was a challenge, but definitely manageable and yes, i would do it again... waiting for the next date...


meanwhile,
i give thanks, to granny ludski, emie, gary, dominic, max, marta, andre, holly, anka, zbigniew, doug, diana and chris, who did a very good job, in their fields and being brilliant, in general... x

Tweet
Follow @theliquorbar

the joys of female power part two

my favourite cafe, fabrica584, hosted the second fundraiser, we organised for the east london fawcett society and to my delight for an array or reasons; better location, longer hours, beautiful venue and an outside access for smoking and chilling away from the busy street, with all the restrictions, councils impose, for safety and the law...

plus, i love this cafe and the people who own it, as i consider them friends with imagination, warmth, support and the ability to risk and try different things...

i customised the space and moved the sexy sofa at the back, because i wanted to create a stage for the band and a sitting area near the garden, which, eventually, became a platform for my haistylist! o. yes, we had haircuts from one of the best hairstylists in town, who i proudly call, my girl, as i love her so much!

the glitterball was installed and is now gracing the cafe's industrial ceiling for the next party and the next...

we put the lowboys on the tables for atmosphere and we swapped the harsh white in the standing lamps with warm orange, which cost a deserved fortune and boom! we had ambience, with the rotating glass chips of the ball above us!

we had shoe drawings, beautiful, originals, who were donated by a friend, colouring the brick, red and white walls!

we brought the heavy boxes from downstairs and we set up the busy bar...

i re introduced the east london fawcett society sling, made lovingly with gin, heering cherry liqueur, benedictine, lemon juice and sugar

and 

the beaver royale, with vodka, creme de cassis and apple juice, as the signature drinks of the event, because i knew i would have new folk, who i wanted to experiment on; in a good way!

as i love to play with jams and spices and syrups as of late, i put on the menu chilli and cinnamon manhattan, with fresh chilli, which was delicious and warm and spicy and full of bourbon; chocolate and lavender in the margarita and ginger in the old - fashioned. 


i had the garden breeze as the non alcoholic beverage and instead of white grape juice, i added apple with the fresh ginger, the cucumber, the mint and the lemon juice and all in the bender with crushed ice! fresh and clean and i believe, excellent also, with gin...


djs, all female and sexy and gorgeous were alternating their great sets, between the band and the short talk from the society's integral members and the charity's representative, money we were raising for: a safer world for women...


we drank and danced and mingled and cheered and we got involved... 


we stayed till the early hours dancing to my iphone's 90s house, drinking the remaining beer and breaking down the pop up... watch this space for our summer party... nymphs and sirens and muses are coming on board!


many thanks to roberto, george, noemi and valentina at fabrica, my beautiful team, anka, andre, andre, holly, georgie, zbigniew, miri, sam, dan, monica, mystique, sophie and zara and the society's, hannah, rachel and gemma.

Tweet
Follow @theliquorbar