J20 Midnight Editions - cocktails and Winter garden in Clapham

Late last week I was invited to the Phoenix Pub in Clapham, South London (http://www.phoenixclapham.com/) to see their beautiful Winter garden celebrating the launch of J2O’s new seasonal limited editions. 

The Winter garden is intended to be a mystical place for people to meet during the next few days to enjoy a drink and a chat whilst immersing themselves in the woodland atmosphere, complete with twinkling lights, two romantic swing seats, outdoor log seating with throws and wraps to keep the chill away. The garden will be around to enjoy up to 22 November 2015, so do go and check it out!

The two new J20 limited editions are called Midnight Amber and Midnight Forest. Devised to be perfect non-alcoholic drinks in their own right for people attending Christmas and New Year parties, they have also been designed as super mixers and cocktail bases for the party season.

Midnight Amber is a Winter-inspired blend of fruit juices with a spicy tone. Think mince pies with their edge of warming cinnamon, cardamom and ginger. The blend of orange, lemon and mandarin juice is fresh and light. Previous J20 juice blends have been thicker and gloopier than this, and the change is a refreshing new move.

Midnight Forest is an unspiced fruit drink with a quirky list of ingredients; orange, cherry and chocolate… like your favourite Christmas confectionery! The deep red colour is perfectly seasonal. If you are sceptical that the addition of chocolate would make the drink too cloying or rich, don’t worry. It is fairly light and the dominant flavour is that of the juices. It is well worth trying this festive season.

Leeds based expert mixologists The Hedonists were present to demonstrate how these two drinks could be used to make 2 cocktails perfect for Christmas parties, whether you are having one at home or are running the office Crimbo shindig.

My cocktail guru from the Hedonists was Aaron, a dapper mixologist with nearly 10 years experience of developing his own unique recipes, influenced by his love of drinks, experimentation and cooking. Aaron is sceptical of those who say they don’t like cocktails, observing that everyone has three classic cocktail ingredients which are to their tastes. For him, the challenge is to counter their preconceived notions and work to find the perfect balance for each drinker. Truly passionate about his craft, I don’t doubt he can achieve his mission for virtually every punter.

So, let’s look at the Hedonist recipes for the J20 Midnight Limited Edition juice drinks….

Midnight Martini

Usually the name “martini” means the style of the cocktail, often referring to the glass in which the drink is served. This cocktail is a Martini because it actually contains Martini; Martini Rosso, the famous fortified wine, given extra strength through the addition of grappa. As I've said already, Midnight Amber is a juice blend of orange, cherry and chocolate. The concept is that these two components combine to create a long drink, served in a tall glass which is simple, easy to make, and keeps your guests going for longer. Better for busy hosts, better for a party; you don’t want people getting too merry on straight martini cocktails made of vodka too quickly.

Red wine (the base of Martini Rosso) and orange are a good match, due to their earthy tones. Hence their happy marriage in Sangria. Martini Rosso has been selected for this cocktail as the spices and aromatics in it add some Christmassy Wintry flavours; liquorice, tobacco leaf, espresso, cinnamon, anise, nutmeg and clove are among the goodies added in the fortification process.

Aaron advised us to take a double shot (50ml) of the Martini Rosso, pour into a highball glass, and to top up with the Midnight Forest J20. He reminded us to ensure the J20 is shaken thoroughly before pouring as the high natural juice content means it settles in the bottle very readily. Shaking will recombine the constituents quickly and effectively. Serve with a slice of orange peel for colour and aroma.

Midnight Spritz

In recent years, Aperol Spritz has become a hugely popular Summer drink. Drunk in the sunshine whilst holidaying on the Mediterranean, it’s a favourite with us Brits. But can it be tweaked for the Winter months?

Absolutely, says Aaron who advocates serving this delight in a wine glass. Why? To flag up the fact it is a seasonal update of the Aperol Spritz, but also to enhance the nose of the orange and special burnt orange peel decoration.

To make the cocktail you will need to take a large wine glass, pour in a double shot (50ml) of Aperol, add ice to 2cm to the top of the glass, then either use a spoon or a muddling stick to slow the flow of the 150ml of Midnight Amber J20 poured on top, to allow for a layer to form. Top up to the top of the glass with Tonic Water.

Next comes the moment of pure theatre – take a piece of orange skin, squeeze gently to release the oils from the zest. Then light with a cigarette lighter and FLAMBE!

Each of the cocktails should be served with the rest of the J20 bottle, allowing guests or customers to top their drink up and make it last longer. Christmas parties should be fun for everyone, and we shouldn’t be rushing our drinks, particularly if we are having a work Christmas social. Drinking responsibly has been factored into the serving.

I hope you will enjoy these creative cocktail ideas in your festive celebrations.

The Phoenix
348 Clapham Rd, London, Clapham SW9 9AR

020 7622 2645
http://www.phoenixclapham.com/

I would like to thank the Phoenix Pub in Clapham and The Hedonists for making me so welcome.

Snigdha has not received any financial incentive or payment for this post.

Cinnamon Kitchen's Lychee Goji Bellini - A Curry For Change recipe (cocktail recipe)

I have recently been sharing with you a number of recipes I have learned from the Indian cooking Masterclass I attended at Vivek Singh's Cinnamon Kitchen restaurant. I was invited by Find Your Feet, a unique and very special charity which has a firm philosophy of offering assistance for the long term rather than aid for the short term. Find Your Feet were holding this Masterclass, with recipe demonstrations by Indian food luminaries Dhruv Baker, Vivek Singh himself and Anjum Anand to launch their "Curry For Change" initiative; a fundraising campaign where we, the great British public can enjoy and indulge our curry obsessions and help people at the same time. Either by eating at one of the Curry For Change partner restaurants, shopping with a partner company or holding your own Indian food dinner party, you could help raise money for Find Your Feet. The money is then spent on giving poor, remote rural communities much needed education and empowerment to help them look after themselves, their community and increase their farming potential to allow them to feed themselves. 

I previously wrote about the Masterclass here: http://snigskitchen.blogspot.co.uk/2013/06/curry-for-change-indian-cooking.html

I have also, with the very kind permission of Find Your Feet, featured the three recipes I was taught at the Masterclass. The starter, Dhruv Baker's Prawn Malaba Curry can be found here: http://snigskitchen.blogspot.co.uk/2013/07/dhruv-bakers-prawn-malaba-curry-recipe.html

The main course, Vivek Singh's Roast Saddle of Lamb can be found here: http://snigskitchen.blogspot.co.uk/2013/07/vivek-singhs-roast-saddle-of-lamb-with.html

Anjum Anand's Pomegranate Souffle can be found here: http://snigskitchen.blogspot.co.uk/2013/07/anjum-anands-pomegranate-souffle-with.html

The Masterclass was a delight, not just because I learned so much from Vivek, Anjum and Dhruv, but also because I got to meet so many food enthusiasts and fellow bloggers. We had a fantastic time chatting and swapping notes. This chat was further assisted by some delectable canapes and glasses Vivek Singh's Cinnamon Kitchen Lychee and Goji Bellini. I am a sucker for a sparkling wine cocktail, they really are one of my very favourite things, and perhaps on the evening I had one Bellini too many. But how was I to resist such fruity perfection?

Chef Vivek Singh and his Cinnamon Kitchen team looked after me superbly at the Masterclass, but their kindness did not end there. They have agreed to share the recipe of the Lychee and Goji Bellini with me and my readers. Thanks to everyone at Cinnamon Kitchen - I really appreciate it, and will be making this on balmy Summer nights.

I hope you will give it a try too!

Lychee & Goji Bellini

This is a modern, summery take on the classic Italian Bellini.

Delicately light and floral, lychee pairs perfectly with the Fair Goji Liqueur which is packed with vibrant red fruit flavours and a depth of richer herbal notes. The elegant, crisp Prosecco is dry enough to balance the drink and prevent it being overly sweet.

The Fair Goji Liqueur is made from goji berries which are organically grown and Fair Trade Certified. They are sourced directly from a co-op of 300 farmers in the Tibet region of the Himalayas. The sugar used in Fair Goji Liqueur is also organic and Fair Trade Certified, coming from a co-op of 800 independent farmers in Malawi.

The drink is sold exclusively at Cinnamon Kitchen for £8.95 a pop.

Lychee & Goji Bellini 

(Serves 1)

Ingredients:

20ml fresh lychee juice

10ml sugar syrup

8ml Fair Goji Liqueur

100ml Villa Doral Prosecco

Served in a champagne flute

I would like to thank Cinnamon Kitchen and Chef Vivek Singh for letting me share this recipe with you.

Red Wine Cocktails - Ruby Renaissance By Andrew Brady

Now that we are into the month of May, some of us are starting to think about the Summer. Summer is a time when it's great to eat and drink al fresco. We eat less stodgy food, leaving behind stews and casseroles, and begin enjoying salads and barbeques. And we think about drinking lighter and often longer drinks; Pimm's with strawberries and mint, Sangria, and Summer fruit punches. 

Gallo wines are trying to meet that need for lighter, brighter Summer drinking with their Summer Red wine. Designed to be enjoyed chilled, it is a world away from the heavy reds of Winter. I was sent a sample, and asked if I would come up with a Summery Red wine cocktail.

It was a challenge. Red wine has a distinctive taste and either ends up being the dominant taste of the drink or needs something very strong to counteract it. 

Spain appears to be one of the places where there are plenty of ideas for how to mix red wine. Many of you, when travelling around Spain may have tried Kalimotxo, the famous cocktail served in a tall glass made of a 50:50 mix of red wine and coca-cola. It's not subtle, although many swear by it as a Summery drink. 

Tinto Verano, popular in Andalucia (in the south) is 1 part red wine with 1 part Casera (a less sweet type of lemonade than say, Sprite or 7up), served with ice and lemon. And of course, there is Sangria, which is somewhat ubiquitous, although always enjoyable in the sunshine. (I found an interesting and original iced Sangria slushie-type pudding idea here: http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/sangria-ice-10000001634829/) 

There are other ideas, based on Spritzers, Bucks Fizz (orange juice or a combination of orange and lemon), or mulled wine. However, I was not really happy with any of them. So I realised I had to call in an expert. 

Andrew Brady, is an English Mixologist par excellence, specialising in cutting-edge "Molecular" cocktails. Combining high quality spirits, freshly squeezed fruit juices, natural ingredients, they seek to combine flavours in daring and innovative ways. Adding unexpected ingredients such as the juices of grilled fruits, spices, chillies, fruit foams and liquid nitrogen gives another delicious twist.

Andrew Brady, Molecular Mixology Master

Originally from the Wirral, England, Andrew has worked in cocktail bars in Chester, Glasgow, and Nottingham. Now he travels the world as a master Mixologist, making noted specialist Junior Merino's "Liquid Chef" cocktail recipes, on Celebrity Cruise's luxury ships. 

Quick aside: Junior Merino is a Mexican born cocktail guru, an inductee of the Court of Master Sommeliers' Guild of Sommeliers, the winner of the International Bar Show's best cocktail competition in 2005, and cocktail consultant to Mexican Airlines, Celebrity Cruises, and 10 international restaurants and hotels, including The Modern in New York.

Back to Andrew: Andrew's passion is inventing his own Molecular cocktail creations, for which he has undeniable and considerable talent, as you will discover.

Andrew's flavour palette is vibrant and highly varied. Some of his creations have involved some strange, unlikely and highly innovative ingredients such as smoked apple, dry ice (frozen carbon dioxide), liquid nitrogen and bacon. Difficult to blend liquers such as Grand Marnier only seem to provide him with a challenge to meet. Grand Marnier is notorious, it's very distinctive signature flavour makes it difficult to blend with other tastes. He is hugely knowledgeable about classic cocktails and historical combinations, which he uses as his inspiration. 

I asked Andrew to help me invent a red wine cocktail. He immediately agreed, but was clear that he didn't want to do something which has been done before. He was determined to come up with something different and special. He experimented with a few combinations before settling on the cocktail recipe he was happy to share with readers of Snig's Kitchen. As ever, professionalism, care for his craft and a passion for perfection were apparent.

The resulting cocktail is called Ruby Renaissance. There are two variants, with the first being slightly sweeter and the second a little drier with a subtle bitter touch as a result of the addition of Aperol. We had 5 people try both versions to unanimously positive feedback. The Aperol version was considered to be a great aperitif cocktail, the sweeter version perfect for drinking in the sunshine, perhaps at a Barbeque party.

I would like to thank Andrew for his skill, patience and dedication. I hope you will give Ruby Renaissance a try!

Ruby Renaissance by Andrew Brady

(All measures are in fluid ounces)

1 fluid ounce = 28.4 ml

2oz Red wine, preferably a light red, such as Gallo's Summer Red or a Pinot Noir

1oz Vodka

1oz St Germain Elderflower Liquer

3/4oz Rose essence (preferably Dainzu brand or Monin)

1/2oz freshly squeezed lemon juice

2 rose petals for garnish

Variation: 1/2oz Aperol

Pour all the fluid ingredients into a cocktail shaker and shake liberally. 

Take a tall glass and fill the bottom with ice. Pour the shaken fluid over the ice. 

Top with the rose petals. 

Ruby Renaissance

Serve and enjoy immediately.

I would like to thank Gallo Wine for sending me a bottle to experiment with.

Obviously, and most importantly, I would like to thank Andrew Brady for his time, care and attention in developing this original cocktail recipe.

 

How to make the original Bellini (peach Bellini)

I have already posted on the subject of my experiments with various fruits suitable for making Bellini cocktails. Find my post here:

http://snigskitchen.blogspot.com/2011/07/passionfruit-bellini.html

Having visited our local Majestic Wine Warehouse, we discovered they have a nice selection of Prosecco wines which are of very good quality for a reasonable price of £8-9. Of course, we could choose to enjoy the Prosecco just the way it is, but during a rare last bit of sunshine just before the sun chooses to disappear for 6 months, we thought it was a good time to have a last blast of Bellinis.

So this time, rather than the ready mixed stuff available in bars and grocers in Venice, we thought we’d make them ourselves from scratch. I’d seen Jamie Oliver make Bellinis during his series on Italian food. He found some very light coloured, flat shaped peaches which were so ripe, he was able to squeeze the juice out with his hands (using a chopping board to apply the pressure). Sadly, such peaches are not available in British supermarkets, so we looked for something ripe which we could puree with a juicer.

Here’s what we did....

 First peel and stone your peaches. These peaches didn’t want to give up their stones easily, so I had to chop around the stones, which is the reason they are cut up in small chunks. It is probably not necessary to do this.

 Then put through an electric juicer or liquidiser. My juicer is very powerful and mushed the small quantity of fruit so quickly that it didn’t take all the juice out. So I put the pulp back through the machine to get as much juice as possible.

It would appear that my previous post is incorrect in stating that the Bellini is served in a

‘Collins’ type glass. That is the impression I had from my previous research. It would appear that a Champagne flute (which I had in any event used, since I don’t have any glasses of the ‘Collins’ shape and size) is correct.

We put 3 tablespoons of peach puree in each (small) Champagne glass and then topped up with Prosecco. You need to add the fizzy wine slowly or it will bubble up over the top of the glass.

The result could have been better if we had access to riper, softer peaches. Ours were a little bland. Had we known in advance, we could have added a little peach schnapps or peach nectar to beef up the flavour. Perhaps we could have used peaches which were not ‘white’ peaches (although the traditional recipe calls for them, we are not in Italy with access to sweet, juicy, ultra ripe fruits).

That is not to say they were a failure. We did enjoy them, as a little drop of fizzy and a little bit of decadence is always a good thing!