London Cocktail Week : Wednesday - Rhuby Cocktail Competition

Rosie Paterson, Voodoo Rooms

Rhuby Liqueur. From Rhubarb.

Its pink. For girls.

And so was the cocktail competition – Pink Your Drink - with the aim to support Breast Cancer Awareness as well as female bartenders.

So it was that I popped into the LCC Shaftsbury Avenue (with its female manager Sarah) to witness my first ever all female cocktail competition. And my, wasn’t it pink! From the hair and make up to the clothes to the Rhuby with prosecco drink. But despite the support that the girls had for each other they were also in it to win it.

The seven finalists from across the UK had a tough job on their hands with just minutes to make two cocktails as well as putting a Rhuby twist on a classic – chosen from a hat before their turn “on stage” – all the while entertaining the judges and crowd.

There were great drinks and even better stories playing on family ties and holidays but in the end the winner – by 0.5 points – was Naomi Fletcher from Hawksmoor with:

Flip It Twice

50ml Rhuby Liqueur
25ml Arette Blanco tequila
10ml Vanilla syrup
2 dashes Angostura Bitters
1 Whole egg
Small piece of lemon zest

Combine all the ingredients in a Boston tin and dry-shake first without ice, then again with ice. Double-strain into a chilled Sours glass and serve straight up. Garnish with grated nutmeg.

What struck me more about this competition than any other I have attended was the camaraderie. As the girls awaited their turn, chewing nails and running through supplies, the others were all there offering support, encouragement and friendship. Frankly, this is lacking at other events where bars form cliques around their contender. I wonder why no one thought of this before…?

Oh and the Rhuby liqueur itself? Ridiculously heavy yet beautiful bottle. Tasty surprisingly balanced drink. Look forward to playing with it soon.

Hawksmoor Spitalfelds - Downstairs 20/20

Location: Commercial Street

Website: http://www.thehawksmoor.co.uk/locations/spitalfields

Visit: Monday evening - soft launch

To Note? Restaurant upstairs bar downstairs

Score

Ambiance 5/5

Design 5/5

Drinks 5/5

Staff 5/5

Extra LBS star: It got 20/20 - it doesn't need it!

I am writing this from the point of view of someone who has never actually been to Hawksmoor before – and I LOVED it. We descended to what was previously a store room and entered through a heavy steel door to a sleek world of green leather banquettes, high tables and stools and aged mirrors to reflect the gentle candle light.

Although we were the only two in our area on arrival it soon filled up though the atmosphere remained intimate. Perhaps this was to do with the service. Now I know that although this was a “soft launch” this is not a brand new company or team however it was flawless throughout from the water on arrival to the waitress who was happy to explain the menu (and some of it needed explaining – Bermondsey Friar anyone?) finishing with the bar man who promised a “party in the mouth” with our last cocktail! I would genuinely like to thank the staff for being awesome at every point during the evening – and especially as we outstayed our time slot by 45 minutes. (Time slots are also only for the soft launch period.)

So, the cocktails. Their Ginger Brew which has been with them from the start was so fresh and full of flavour, the Old Fashioned blew my socks off and the Manila Julep was outstanding – even if under all that ice it disappeared very quickly. The prices vary wildly from £7.50 to £11 but it is good to know that each month the list will change and the Desert Island Drinks Section will feature five favourites from different barmen.

As for the food I had high expectations and really was not disappointed. Hawksmoor have pointed out this is a bar – there are no steaks here people! – but the single page of food offers more than enough choice. Starting with spiced up lamb in lettuce leaves, the cheeseburger was declared perfectly cooked, a chilli cheese hot dog hit the spot and accompanying triple cooked chips and coleslaw (which our waitress kindly agreed to request spiced up) were fabulous. And even better was all this left room to share a lemon meringue pie which had a perfectly thin crispy base, an oozing liquid centre and delightfully chewy meringue on top. Yum!

So three cocktails and plenty of food for two would come to (outside soft launch prices) around £70 including service which I really do not think is an issue for this quality of food and drink, this environment and for London full stop.

The crowd was mixed and will inevitably get some business from the nearby city institutes but like its upstairs restaurant it remains unpretentious and a really enjoyable place to spend an evening. I am already looking forward to the next visit – there is a chocolate malt cake with my name on it!