Northbank in BLOOM

I was blessed with visiting Northbank Restaurant today in the bright sunshine. The views are stunning and expansive with the Tate Modern right opposite - across the Thames of course. The restaurant is tucked in at the North side of the Millenium Bridge and has a suberb food and drink offering. Check out their website at http://www.northbankrestaurant.com/ just in case you need convincing.

I met up with Graham Scott the head bar tender who created a fantasticly simple yet extremely tasty new BLOOM cocktail.

Northbank in BLOOM
25ml BLOOM Gin

10ml Coconut Syrup

30ml Pineapple Juice

Shake all ingredients over ice and strain into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with a fresh raspberry.

As I said very simple to make and yet tastes really great, sometimes back to basics does work!

BLOOM Cocktail - 'BLOOMsbury Set' by Tristan Lobb @ Vanilla

Vanilla is the sort of place I think you should take a first date. Tucked away in Great Titchfield Street it's unlikely your muse would've been here before. Inside, the decor is uber cool white, everywhere - the walls, drapes, curtains, tables, chairs - I did say everywhere! with cristal drop chandeliers tastefully floating above the tables and bar. The lighting tone can be changed at the flick of a switch - check out the gallery pictures at http://www.vanillalondon.co.uk/

Matt Destandau is the General Manager and Tristan Lobb is the Head Bar Tender. Both are really great guys and I'm certain they'd spoil you rotten if you let them know you're on that first date!

Tristan really worked on this BLOOM recipe and it's well worth the wait! There's another recipe in the pipeline too....

BLOOMsbury Set
I should say that Tristan did want to call this cocktail
'London in BLOOM' - which is perfect but sadly the name has already been taken.

2.0 BLOOM Gin
0.75 Grapfruit Juice
0.50 Chamomile and Honey Syrup (Homemade)
0.50 Egg White

Shake all ingredients over ice and fine strain into a chilled Martini glass. Garnish with an edible flower - in this instance a purple pansy.

I love this cocktail because the BLOOM really shines through! Initially a big hit of floral and chamomile, the grapefruit and the honey balance the drink out perfectly and the egg white provides a lovely mouthfeel. Overall a perfectly constructed and well blanced drink that's actually really easy to make! Assuming you can make the odd syrup....

BLOOM Cocktail - Thriller In Perilla by Oskar Kinberg @ The Cuckoo Club

Thriller in Perilla

50ml BLOOM Gin

15ml Creme de Violette

20ml Lemon Juice

2 Dashes Grapefruit Bitters

3 Bar Spoons Sugar

3 Perilla/Shiso Leaves

Whisk with crushed ice in a Julep Cup

Garnish with a straw and Perilla/Shiso leaf

Shiso is Japanese for Perilla and the herb is often known as Japanese Basil or 'The Beefsteak Plant'. The flavour is quite distinct - it's a bit like a cross between mint and fennel. You can see on the bar a Perilla leaf which Oskar was showing me.....

Innovation truly at it's best!