Booze

SO. A lot has happened since we last spoke. Although some of it has been of national importance – e.g. Eurovision, Jubilee etc – the most exciting events for me have been both Brixton and booze related. Firstly, Seven (little bar in Brixton's Market Row) has brought out its summer cocktail menu and it is FINE. And secondly, I have FINALLY been to the Crown and Anchor, and its real ale selection is also FINE. And I use fine in the sense of fitness and wonder here, rather than adequateness. Much more than adequate.

Seven's pina coladaaaaah

Seven (@sevenatbrixton) had a brilliant evening of free samples from the new menu a few weeks ago, and a chum and I went along to take full appreciative advantage. We were given a Mimosa as we went in (mango-y, refreshing), and various foodstuffs involving manchego, chorizo, pepper, and bread – very tasty. Eventually we were also delivered of a sample of the Tabasco margarita, which I wish I could say I liked, but I can’t lie to you, savoury cocktails and I just don’t go together. We also bought a couple – the strawberry and balsamic daiquiri was sublime, and the Guns of Brixton was uber cool – served in a bottle full of orange flavoured smoke. I’ve been back since for a pina colada, and my flatmate tried the cucumber and elderflower martini, which I cannot recommend highly enough. Light and floaty and just beautiful. At £5 each, they are some of the best value and most lovingly produced cocktails in London, and it’s always a great atmosphere in there. Yum.

Praise be, I also got to the Crown and Anchor (@crownanchorsw9) a few weeks ago and got my ale on. I can’t even remember which was which as it was so long ago – I am a failure – but between my friend and I we tried a Revelation (Dark Star brewery), Kipling, an American pale ale, and a Hophead which was my personal fave – I like em light and hoppy. I also tried a Devon Red cider, as recommended by @liz_marvin who writes the v cool Brixtonia blog, and it was lush – thanks dude! I think the pub itself could have been a bit more atmospheric – the layout was a bit samey with loads of tables crammed in, and not a vast amount of interesting décor (you know me, I like a pub stuffed with covetable lamps and nice tables) – but the staff were very friendly, and the variety of the ale alone was enough to keep me coming back until I’ve worked my way through them all.

6.45pm. Superb.

I also got my cocktail on at Soho’s Floridita last week, at a cocktail making thing which my lovely friends Martin and boy Harry invited me to. Heading there straight after work and getting stuck straight into shaking up a daiquiri meant that by 6.30pm my evening was going VERY well. We also got marched through a torrent of cocktail-related history, including the fact that apparently Ernest Hemingway used to line up 26 of these bevs that were equivalent to 4 daiquiris each, and polish them off of an evening. Just a standard night down the pub for old Hemmers. We also messed about with a load of different rums (industrial rum bad, agricole rum good, apparently) – new favourite includes El Dorado, and new horrifying tipple, bad enough to rival grappa, is cachaca – basically produced-in-the-spare-room-in-two-weeks poor people rum. All this was followed by caipirinhas, dark and stormys (invented by a sad sailor), mojitos, mai tais, a convo about why they can’t use raw eggs in cocktails in Italy, then a cocktail that had a raw egg in it (can’t remember the name, this was towards the end of the session…), and a Mary Pickford. Productive. I was also told that I poured spirits like a man (a good thing apparently) and learned that you should get a cocktail within 8 minutes of ordering it (something to do with stirring or separating… I don’t know. Just keep an eye on the clock yeah).

And the jewel in the booze crown is the tiny leftovers cocktails my flatmate and I ‘created’ last week. Pimm’s dregs, flat soda water and gin – surprisingly delicious. We also saw the birth of the Gin and Sonic – a thrifty combo of tonic and soda water, ideal for using up those party remnants. All served up in some bargainous little punch glasses I scored at the Brixton flea market last Saturday. 

I think I need a coffee.

Brixpig x