There is possibly no single spirit more synonymous with a cult classic cocktail than Drambuie to the Rusty Nail. Drambuie is a honeyed, herbal Scotch Whiskey Liqueur, dating back to Bonnie Prince Charlie. It shot to prominence with the Rat Pack in the 1960s and their thirst for the cocktail.

Not sure how this isn’t a thing? Claiming primacy here (cc. Simon Difford) - “cheers” to Ian and “you’re most welcome” to the rest of you…

It’s Martini Summer! Crushable drinks need no longer apply.

Blended Irish Whiskey for the base, crème de banane (use a nice one, please!) for the maraschino, lemon in for lime and Green Chartreuse to tie it all together on the nose.

Wind back 12 months and, you’ll no doubt recall, the steep second wave of corona was receding with a relaunch date for hospitality on the horizon. At the time we saw this more as a ‘grand opening’ mark II than a restart. Everyone had been through so much and the world-at-large was altogether so different it felt more like a new beginning than picking up where we had left off. With that came more challenges than opportunities: would our audience be the same, how had the area changed, people’s habits would have inevitably shifted, what would people be willing to spend when going out?

The shifting sands of the dune-scape that is COVID Britain 2020 have forced us to tweak our quarterly/seasonal menu programme. One of the biggest challenges has been to draw up a reactive weekly offering (see what we got a lot of and make it into something) to best manage back-of-house operations. Because, when you live in constant fear of being closed again, the last thing you want is a load of literal liquid assets.

Useful notes on something that applies to putting together any cocktail or drink to dazzle (could equally apply to making wine or beer-making for instance, although that isn’t done in a ‘live’ environment as of a bartender mixing a drink on the spot at the bar). Think of any such drink to draw delight from as needing three parts: the base, the body and the perfume…

Entering party season presents a plethora of choices for eager hosts. Once you’ve pegged your canapé menu (or opted for this writers safe bet: a big bowl of chilli, guac and steamed rice) and scored your mates to DJ, your attention should turn to the drinks offering. Beyond bottled beers in a bucket and everything you have left over on the dusty spirits shelf, why not think about a modern spin on a punch?

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Our most popular serve this winter has been our dessert cocktail offering, synonymous with the alias of its’ creator. You’ll all know Anna as Anna but, by day, she sun-lights (sic?) as recording artist and producer Chloé Martini. Anna’s favourite drink was a Last Word, her favourite spirit Green Chartreuse. She’s worked here on her own version using pine and plum for this menu; more of a pallete-cleansing ‘Stinger-esque’ night-cap than an out-and-out sweet finisher. It was reasoned, as well, that this seasons’ CBD offering would be with this serve, just the tonic before cosying up in bed for a night of lucid dreams. It’s the first drink she’s made for us and certainly won’t be the last! Suffice to say her favourite drink now is a Chloé Martini.