Mixing it up with Sarah Mitchell @ Vanquish

With so many BLOOM events coming up it was really great to get Sarah into the Vanquish Office to spend some quality time mixing up some BLOOM drinks. We had a rough idea of what we wanted to create and I'd done the shopping - fresh red grapefruits, limes and lemons, Grapefruit bitters, Rhubarb bitters, Peach bitters, Orange bitters......Elderflower cordial and finally some Lillet Blanc. The whole thing was actually quite simple - we'd already discussed which martini would work - BLOOM and Lillet Blanc with a fresh grapefruit zest. We made it and it conquered - job done!

The next plan was a summer punch - this wasn't quite as simple but only because we loved each one we made. You'll have to come to the Juniper Society @ Graphic Bar on 26th July, 7pm to find out which one we finally chose - you can also meet Joanne Moore BLOOMs Master Distiller. Meanwhile, as a hint, we tried several of the Boudier range of Bernard Loiseau liqueurs and opted to use the Creme de Peches & Fleur d'Hibiscus one - delicious......

See you on the 26th!

BLOOM London Diary

13th and 14th July - Imbibe 2010 - stand C82 - Earls Court Two

Big things are expected from this inaugural event from Imbibe.

13th July - The Bartender Loves You @ McQueen, Shoreditch

An industry networking night - this evening we have a special offer on that fabulous BLOOM Martini and a very 'special' free cocktail.

23rd July - Gerry's, Old Compton Street - 1pm - 5.30pm

BLOOM will be available for sampling and we have a very special offer of the fantastic bespoke BLOOM glass for each purchase of BLOOM.

26th July - The Juniper Society - Graphic Bar, Golden Square - 7pm

Meet Joanne Moore - BLOOM's Master Distiller - find out all about the inspiration and production of BLOOM as well as meet some lovely like minded people and try some really great cocktails!

BLOOM Gin - Tonic Test at Graphic

It was great to finally catch up with Sarah Mitchell (now the new Bar Manager) at Graphic last night, both Sarah and the bar are firm favourites of mine. It was Monday so I suspected some Gin thing or another might be occuring. As it was I wandered in to the the aftermath of a Harpers blind Gin tasting - about 50 were tasted in total apparently - by various Star Tenders. So more great catching up with Esther Medina, Tom Foxwell, Joe Stokoe, Roberto Fiorillo, JJ Goodman...... I also met the last (allegedly) in the long line of a great family of bartenders - Mike Nicolian - who's now working at Graphic!

Tonic Test:
Gin's most common serve is with tonic and it's vital that the characteristics of the Gin are complimented by the tonic not lost by it. You could have the best Gin in the world but mix it with (crap) the wrong tonic and it's a waste of Good Spirit.
We sampled 3 Tonics each with 1 part Gin to 2 parts Tonic with no ice or garnish which masks the taste.
BLOOM and Schweppes Tonic - Although Bloom is delicate it's not without its wonderful charm and we want this to shine through. We all (Sarah, Esther, Mike and myself) found this combination far too sweet. I've tried BLOOM with Schweppes Tonic before and thought it very tasty and very sherberty but it did have ice and lemon in it. So this was very interesting to see how well they actually fitted together - too sweet.
BLOOM and Fever Tree Tonic - This worked really well, much drier than the first and the floral and citrus notes of BLOOM were clearly present. The tonic wasn't too sweet or bitter and tasted fresh and clean. By far mine and everyone elses, favoured combination.
BLOOM and Fentimans Tonic - I love the Fentimans range and had previously tried the tonic but in isolation - no Gin. This combination however did not taste like Gin and Tonic at all, it tasted like Fentimans. In fact we wondered what Gin would be able to cut through such a massive flavour profile in the tonic - Junipero perhaps? Plymouth Navy maybe?
The Final Twist - For BLOOM it's got to be Lime, we tried lemon as well but we prefered the punchiness of the lime combined with the uplifted floral notes of BLOOM.

Soooo, I'll have a BLOOM Gin with Fever Tree Tonic and a Lime Twist please!