The Hide Bar - Newsletter

 

Number 24, February2009

Welcome to our new-look email newsletter (or just welcome if you're reading this on-line, as it's not quite so new). We thought we'd spruce it up a bit for the new year, try to show off a little - it's what you deserve after all.

We hope you're enjoying the year so far. It's easy to be pulled in by all the press around the recession, but you're still lovely, we're still lovely, the drinks are still lovely, so what's there to complain about!

With that in mind, we have an overwhelmingly positive newsletter this month, from great tastings, to delicious Valentine's offerings. On top of that, February is the shortest month of the year so, if you're paid monthly, you're getting almost 10% more per hour than you did in January - or doing 10% less work for your money,  whichever way you prefer to look at it. Things are getting warmer (or at least wetter), the days are getting longer (slowly), and there are still plenty of bargains to be had in the shops.

So, without further ado, here's to February!

 Cheers!

 

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Tuesday Tastings
We hold our tastings every other Tuesday, with a charge of £10 per person.

Tastings start at 7pm and last around 2 hours. They are a mixture of tasting, talk from one of us, a winemaker, spirit producer or expert of some kind, general chat, plus a little bit of food to pair with the tastings.

They are held in our back room, so we are limited to 25 participants on a first-come basis. We can take reservations for the tasting, but due to no-show bookings, we need to take payment in advance. Please let us know if you would like a table in the bar afterwards as well.

Click here to reserve space at a tasting

Tuesday 10th February, 7pm
The Macallan
One of the finest single malts, this Speyside whisky has been traditionally aged in sherry casks, but has now added a bourbon range as well. Our man from The Macallan will be showing us some of both of these (including the fabulous Fine Oak 15 Year Old), as well as giving you the chance to see how the wood gives flavour by tasting the unaged New Make spirit. Macallan are very proud of this New Make spirit, as they use particularly small copper stills and use a tiny cut (around 16%) of the spirit to fill their barrels.

Tuesday 24th February, 7pm
El Dorado Rum
El Dorado is a rich demerera rum from Guyana. It also happens to be one of our favourite rums, brilliant in a daiquiri or treacle, rich in a mojito or syrupy in an old fashioned. The 3 year old is a great light rum, with aromas of coconut, while at the other end, the 15 year old is wonderfully heavy demerara sugar. Our El Dorado representative will tell you a bit about the brand, while we'll help make a cocktail or two.

Tuesday 10th March, 7pm
Champagne Ayala & Bollinger
The most popular tasting we have ever held is back with a vengeance! Not only will we be tasting some of the fantastic products offered by Champagne Ayala, we will also be tasting some of their parent company's fabulous Bollinger. More information to come in the next newsletter, but this is one that will definitely need to be booked in advance!

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DIGESTIVE - Cocktails for Valentines

Whether you're looking for the perfect aperitif, an all-night cocktail, or perhaps that final number to 'see where the evening leads you', there's a drink that suits you. Valentines is traditionally a push-the-boat out night for drinks. If you're paired up, that might involve the Champagne introduction, nice bottle of juicy red over dinner and a little something afterwards. If you're single, you might be out on the town looking for similar minded individuals with whom to share a drink and a chat, or possibly drinking away the night with a group of friends, trying to ignore the over-abundance of fluffy marketing slogans and smooching lovers.

This is our guide to some cocktails for Valentine's. Whatever your opinion on the subject we hope this will give you a few suitable, or perhaps unsuitable, ideas.

Young love
You've plucked up the courage to ask the girl from the gym out and she said 'yes' even though you were wearing a pair of 10 year old rugby socks and smelt slightly of feral lumberjack at the time. The first couple of dates went well and neither of you have been too keen, although thinking about it, you really ought to increase that text-message bundle with your service provider.
Or
It date four, he's seen you without make-up once and even commented on how good you looked, you've got on those fantastic heels (reduced by 40% in the Selfridge's sale) and for once your complexion is perfect. He doesn't stand a chance.

Love is in the air, and whatever you're drinking, it's going to taste good. Best not have too many though, or things could start going awry. We'd recommend something not too strong, but a little suggestive. The Metropole would be an interesting alternative to the Cosmopolitan - 35ml Cognac, 35ml dry Vermouth, dash of orange and Peychaud's Bitters, stirred and served 'up' with a cherry. Dry and brooding with a hint of fruit and lovely rich colour. Alternatively, and with a little less subtlety, we'd suggest the Maiden's Prayer. 30ml London Dry Gin, 15ml Cointreau, 15ml fresh lemon juice and 15ml fresh orange juice, shaken and also served 'up'.


Romance
Living together, marriage or kids have got in the way of everyday romance, but when you get an excuse, you know just what the other wants. Valentine's is the best excuse and you've got the venue booked, planned the drink beforehand (and afterwards), thought about where you'd really like to go and even booked the taxi. Ok, perhaps not quite, but you're getting there. Flowers and chocolates for one, bottle of wine (and chocolates) for the other - or just chocolates all round. The best part is that it's Saturday, so you're not shattered from work and not even thinking about work.
This calls for a relaxed drink. Something you can really savour. The traditional Champagne Cocktail really comes into its own here. Originally designed to make poor Champagne taste better, and get your guests more intoxicated without having to open too many more bottles of the good stuff, it's now a refined, silky way to start the evening. With a dry, rich Cognac or Armagnac and a decent Champagne, it's more than the sum of its parts. Soak a sugar cube in Angostura Bitters, cover in a flute with 20ml Brandy and top with Champagne. Alternatively, how about a Honeysuckle? Dissolve a teaspoon of honey in a teaspoon of hot water, add 50ml good rum and 15ml fresh lemon juice and shake hard before serving 'up'. Lighter and more refreshing than a Daiquiri, it makes a great aperitif. Later on in the night, we'd have to go with the Tequila Old-Fashioned. A rich reposado (our house, Ocho, does the trick), stirred over ice with a little agave syrup and some bitters, topped off with a citrus twist and a suitably large chunk of chocolate. It's Valentine's - you have to have some chocolate!

With friends
Valentine's? Who needs Valentine's when you've got friends. Ignore the sickly fluff and hype surrounding the marketing professional's dream day and have some cheerfully named drinks with a large chunk of irony.
The original Knickerbocker for example. Before you think we're just being crass for the sake of it and dishing out bad drink suggestions, The Knickerbocker was one of the first ever cocktails, recorded by Jerry Thomas in 1862. It's also mostly rum, so what's not to like? 60ml good aged rum (not too sweet), 15ml home-made raspberry syrup (or 5ml bought and 5 muddled raspberries failing that), 5ml Orange Curacao (such as Cointreau), 15ml fresh lime juice. Shake hard and pour into a rocks glass, ice, lime wedges and all. Garnish with some fruit - whatever you like.
Moving up the list of inappropriate drink names, we have Between The Sheets. Another classic, this time from the 1920s, it certainly hits the spot. 20ml each of Cognac, light rum and Cointreau pack the punch, while 15ml fresh lemon juice adds the bite. Shake hard and strain into a cocktail glass and garnish with a lemon twist.
Finally (and most definitely with tongue in cheek), we have a drink from legendary cocktailian David Wondrich. I looked up some of his work to see what he had to say on the subject of titillating names and fancy drinks, and this was his effort. Needless to say, being the professional he is, it actually tastes pretty good! There are two names for this drink, but the one he proudly uses is the Hot Pink Handgun. 50ml Cognac, 5ml Orgeat, 15ml fresh lemon juice, 6 raspberries, 15ml egg white, 5ml simple syrup. Shake once without ice to froth the egg white, then again with ice, hard to break the fruit. Double strain into a chilled cocktail glass. It's a deliciously pale pink and creamy drink. Garnishing it would be one step too far.

Drinking to forget
Ok, so for some reason (best not mentioned), you're not altogether happy with the idea of Valentine's Day. Perhaps sitting at home might not be the best course of action, but you certainly don't want to be drinking bubbles or pink things as they just doesn't seem to fit the situation at the moment. That doesn't mean you can treat yourself to a cocktail or two though, and there are some pretty appropriate ones out there.
For a swift and to-the-point start to the evening, there's the Boiler Maker. A nice malty beer (Brooklyn or Meantime Union are ideal), served with a shot of sweet Buffalo Trace bourbon on the side. If you're sticking to lighter things, then the Dutch equivalent, the kopstoot or 'head bang' involves a lighter beer (Meantime Helles or perhaps the Dutch Vedett) with a shot of chilled Genever on the side (Bols Genever works very well). If that's a little too aggressive (and obviously we like to encourage you to drink responsibly), you could go for a Whisky Sour. Your choice of whisky, balanced with fresh lemon juice, sugar syrup and egg white, double shaken and strained over rocks. Not that there's anything to be sour about. If whisky isn't your thing, how about a Petit Punch. Abbreviated to a Ti' Punch, this is the French answer to the Daiquiri, made with rhum agricole, sugar cane syrup, a couple of squeezed lime wedges and a few cubes of ice. Simple, but delicious!

To absent friends
Occasionally there might not be the opportunity to share a drink with the person you'd like to on Valentine's Day, so we have a couple of suggestions for something to share across the water (or fence, or hill, or whatever form of obstacle you're facing). These two offerings are ideally drunk together, even if you're apart, so get on the phone and make them order one of these for breakfast if that's how the timings work out!
Firstly the Aviation. Another of the classics, this is a great drink, whatever the time of day! It's best to chill the ingredients, for an icy, refreshingly tart drink. 50ml London Dry Gin, 10ml Maraschino liqueur, 15ml fresh lemon juice and a dash of Creme de Violette liqueur, shake hard and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a cherry if you like.
Finally, we give you the Poet's Dream. Another of those Martini variations, it should also be served very cold and makes a great toast. 50ml London Dry Gin, 20ml dry Vermouth, 5ml Benedictine, 2 dashes orange bitters, stirred over ice and strained 'up' with a twist of lemon peel. Best drunk whilst reading the exchanged poetry of your Valentine. Or maybe if you wake up on Valentine's Day without cards and dreading the day ahead!

pm.

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OTHER STUFF

Our back room is available for hire, and we’d love to hold tailored wine tastings or cocktail classes for you. Just get in touch and let us know what you’d like to do. We have a price list of some of our more popular tastings, available from the website at www.thehidebar.com/parties.htm.

Likewise please get in touch if you have any comments and suggestions, please email everyone@thehidebar.com. You can also sign up to keep in touch at ‘people who like to drink at The Hide Bar’ on Facebook.

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The Hide
39-45 Bermondsey Street , London . SE1 3XF
t: 0207 403 6655; f: 0207 117 4173
www.thehidebar.com; everyone@thehidebar.com

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