Black House - cocktails!!

Last Thursday we were invited to Blackhouse to try out their new cocktail master classes.  They are aiming at the corporate/upmarket hen party market, using their experienced bar tenders to teach a group one or two cocktails from their menu, before giving you the opportunity to make one yourself.

On arrival we were given a glass of prosecco and some canapes whilst things were being set up.  The  cocktails de jour were the pornstar martini and the smokey old fashioned.

Starting with the pornstar martini (I cringe every time I write that), believe me the cocktail itself is better than the name suggests!  They did not invent it so don't blame the Blackhouse bartenders: it is actually a relatively recent concoction, developed by Douglas Ankra at the London Lab Academy in the 1990s.

Made with Grey Goose vodka, Passoa (french passion fruit liqueur), pineapple juice, vanilla and lime (see, I did pay attention!), it is shaken over ice and and served with a half a caramelised passion fruit floated on the top of the drink and a prosecco chaser.  It's fairly sweet and very easy to drink but I thought my effort was pretty special!

The other drink was the smokey old fashioned, adapted from the prohibition era traditional old fashioned.  It is a Blackhouse invention, mixing Woodford Reserve bourbon with maple syrup, bitters and a splash of water.  The whole drink is then smoked with applewood oak chips and left to steep in the smoke - a minute for those who prefer the sugar and a bit longer for those who prefer the smoke!  It's a proper show boat cocktail (Joe and I very much want the smoker now!), served with the conical flask and crystal glass, and the cocktail was pretty tasty too.

Overall the event was great and thoroughly recommended to anyone looking for a fun start to an evening.  The barmen did say that the group can choose the cocktails they make - if they've got the ingredients it can be done.  Thanks to Emma and everyone else at Blackhouse, we had a great time.  We will be back to try the food so watch this space for a full review.

Mmm...prosecco

The smoking process

How your smokey old fashioned will be served

Emma, choosing the winner of the cocktail competition - neither Joe nor I were successful.  It was a fix.

Me and Emma, our fantastic host