the 30th birthday party

saturday 19 september 2015

brick lane, london on a saturday night: sticky, messy and busy... and i was tucked away behind it, at the cooperage building, in a small, but full of character mezzanine room, called the espero space, for kuchenga's 30th birthday party. 

the brief included shortbus, which is a wonderful film, written and directed by john cameron mitchell, of the hedwig and the angry inch fame. 

i went and got the film and watched it, hungrily and loved it and to my surprise, i wept towards the end, as the feelings escalate and vivian justin bond's chanson breaks my heart. 

i decided to create three cocktails, sexy and delicious, colourful and very alcoholic and made with aphrodisiac herbs, fruits and spices, to entice the senses and to go with the brief loosely. 

SHORTBUS PUNCH

w/ rum, citrus fruits, watermelon, pineapple, pomegranates, ginger, chillies and vanilla pods. Garnished with edible flowers and glitter.

THE PASSIONISTA

w/ gin, passion fruit juices, passion fruit liqueur and prosecco. Garnished with a blueberry.

THE ROSE ELIXIR OF QUIETUDE

w/ rose vodka, rose syrup and lemon juice. Garnished with a rose petal.

needless to say, the drinks went down really well, everyone was happy and tipsy and drunk and i was really glad, to have made people satisfied, mission accomplished, as i realised that i was back at the pop up game and it suited me fine. 

new business to come out after this? all to be revealed in due time. 

meanwhile, 

many thanks 

to sarah and kuchenga, for giving me the job,

to anka, for being a great bartender, 

isabel and thomas, for helping on the floor

and kel, for the space. 

and yes, i tolerated the paper cups. romantic and practical. 

happy birthday kuchenga and have a great year. x 

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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

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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.

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