Good deeds never go unpunished...

You may remember that I've posted previously, detailing the exploits of Mr Ajax Kentish and his Help.A.Bartender mission. 

To remind you, or if you haven't heard;

Elias Vlahos was involved in a terrible motorcycle accident. He sustained massive injuries and, as a result, was left requiring extensive surgery and treatments. In order to pay for those treatments, Elias has sold his worldly possessions to be able to go back to leading a normal life (or at least as normal as any other bartender could have), but he still needs in the region of €30-50,000 to receive the surgery he requires. Enter Ajax Kentish. Stepping up for his friend Elias, Ajax has pledged to cycle from Athens to London in under 1 month to raise money for Elias. This is a noble act for a very worthy cause, one which I feel compelled to help out with, in any way I can. Unfortunately I can’t take up the adventure of cycling through Europe to raise the funds needed, however, I can put myself through something equally as tough on my body...

Further developments are in the works but to date, Ajax has  sercured some very prominent sponsors for his greek odyssey. Head over to Help.A.Bartender for the latest updates.

From our end, up in Aberdeen, there are a few irons in the fire but confirmed yesterday was my contribution to the cause:

For 1 month(28 days), I will undertake a SPONSORED FAST to help raise funds and awareness for Elias. 

To clarify; 

I WILL NOT eat solid food.

I WILL NOT drink alcohol 

and 

I will ONLY receive sustenance via liquid supplements (water, vitamin drinks and protein drinks as I'm not about to walk around work with an I.V. line in my arm). 

The reasoning behind this being that when Elias was in hospital, he was fed intravenously and in this way, I will (to a very small extent) be able to put myself through some of the rigors Elias’ body went through during his recuperation.

If you would like to sponsor me in this venture, please get in touch. I will begin on the 4th of June and finish on the 1st of July. I will have sponsorship forms in 99 Bar & Kitchen, my tips will go as donations, you can get hold of me via Facebook, Twitter etc. You may donate straight away (preferred) or I can collect any and all donations after the fast has been completed. 

My thanks for your support, in advance.

Competition Breeds...

Monday 13^th February 8.30am – It’s D Day...well, K day. I'm up early as seems to be a theme of the last few days but it's all been in aid of this juncture. 

The setting - Hotel Pelirocco: A quaint boutique hotel on Brighton beachfront. I'm in the Sputnik room, a sci-fi themed room with fibre-optic lighting, and for once I slept comfortably (the last few nights have proven a chore to relax). As I throw on some clothes to go eat, my mind starts racing to the events of the day. The main event, of course, is the semi final of the UK Kraken Hunter competition. Originally, this day was intended to be the final but due to a mass of high quality entries, it had to be altered to accommodate. This in itself is a double edged sword, it inspires great trepidation to learn that you must face more competitors (and in a semi) but it also inspires great confidence in that your entry was chosen to be counted there amongst the 10 very best. 

After breakfast and a short walk to clear my head (having been sat in the bar with Danielle Young from the Marblehead team running the competition, drinking straight Kraken the night before) I return to my room to prepare for the day ahead. With my yarai washed, goblets shined, blazer mugs cleaned and prepared (practicing in your room until you pass out from the exhaustion of the last few days will leave them in need of a wash), I make my way to the bar.

11.20am - I'm in the bar and I type desperately to get a few words down before people start arriving. Too late. Two competitors arrive and I instantly feel out of my depth. I’m treading unknown waters. The two look like members of Gallows. Skinny jeans, retro glasses, tunnels and handlebar moustaches abound. In short, they look the part. The duo are Joe Gunner and Adam Wilson. Meanwhile, across the room, just little old me in my black kilt (yeah, you read that right). I take deep breaths to calm the nerves. The rest of the competitors arrive sporadically and soon the list is completed, and the crew hail from some rather famous, albeit daunting berths:

Joe Gunner - Portobello Star, London

Adam Wilson - Mojo, Leeds 

Dan Bovey - Sahara Bar, Reading (if you think his name seems familiar, google Bacardi Legacy)

Ajax Kentish - Hawksmoor Guildhall, London

Mike Stringer - Flip-It Cocktail consultancy. 

Sarah Mitchell - London Cocktail Club, Shaftsbury Avenue

Alexis Gotts - Old No. 7 Bar & DQ Nightclub, Sheffield.

Kate Rose - Be At One, Shoreditch. 

Sophia Sansford - Jesmond Dene House, Newcastle.

Wish me luck... I'm up second. Through our chatting, we learn that the order of the day is to be a mixture of blazers, beer cocktails (London’s current trend/fad), calamari rings, squid ink and condensed milk. Although, I must stress, not all in the same drink.

1.10pm - ...and it's all over. Well, for my part anyway. It's a surreal set of occurrences, which transpire to prevent your blazed drink (which has worked fine every night leading up to this day) from lighting properly. Combine this with the fact that there are 2 other blazed drinks today by hugely accomplished bartenders and you'll forgive me for thinking I was on course for disaster. On a personal note, I'm happy with the fact that I calmly and collectively apologised to the judges then restarted. Thankfully, the second time, my drink blazed beautifully. Commented on by one of the judges as being served at "the perfect temperature". Needless to say, I'm hopeful after such a comment. 

The Demon In The Dark:

60ml The Kraken Black Spiced Rum

25(ish)ml of boiling water

2 Demerara  sugar cubes 

Nutmeg

Cinnamon

Bob's Peppermint bitters.

Fire

At it's heart, this drink is a Bumbo (as discussed in my last Corpse & Cocktail post) which is then set ablaze: Firstly heat up your blazer mugs with some boiled water then after grating some Cinnamon and Nutmeg into a goblet, fill a mixing glass with water and place the goblet inside. Place the spoon above the goblet with two sugar cubes. Saturate the sugar with a few drops of Bob's Peppermint bitters. Then comes the fun part. Dump all but around 25ml of the water from the blazer mugs. Add The Kraken to one of the mugs and set it on fire. VERY carefully, pour the flaming rum back and forth from mug to mug each time increasing the distance between the two in order to get that famous blue strand of flames. After 4 or 5 good pours, pour the rum over sugar cubes. It's essential that you do this whilst the flames are still burning; this allows the sugar to caramelise. After the sugar has been broken down, give it a little stir with the spoon to combine everything fully. Remove the goblet from the mixing glass and enjoy. 

After my drink was made, I was whisked away to allow Adam to prep and have my "moody" portrait taken. I only wish I could have a copy of the pictures but we don't get to see them until Imbibe prints them. So with massive blunderbuss in hand and my goblet in the other, I growled like the photographer had just stolen my drink. Job done. It's hard to be moody though, when you're half filled with rum and enjoying the company. The other problem with having the photo shoot after your entry is that you miss the other drinks. Bah! 

With the rest of the drinks, made, judged and consumed. We made our way out to sample the delights of a rock’n’roll town such as Brighton can only offer. The details of which, however, stay with the hopeful inductees of the Black Ink Society. At very least, I've spent the day with 9 great bartenders and to make an understatement, it's nothing like our scene in Aberdeen. No one cares who wins because they enter so many different competitions. This has its good points and bad points. On one hand, it lends a very informal and relaxed atmosphere to the proceedings but on the other hand I feel like I'm the only one here who actually drinks The Kraken. 

…

If nothing else, each and every competitor was there simply to make his or her drink and have fun. No agendas and no ulterior plans. It genuinely felt like a meeting of artists that I'd been lucky enough to infiltrate. I only hope that I open Imbibe over the coming months and see my Kraken Portrait, I'll know then if I've done our small corner of the world (and indeed myself) justice. 

Lets hope competition breeds success...

Jody

Last Word Competition

Chartreuse have launched a competition in the UK to find the best twist on the classic cocktail – The Last Word.

For every great classic cocktail in the world there are dozens of twists on it floating around from the sublime Tommy’s Margarita to the not so sublime Frozen Banana Daiquiri. For Chartreuse the iconic cocktail is The Last Word (find out all about The Last Word in an article by Chartreuse Ambassador Matt Dakers here) and they are tasking UK bartenders with finding the next great twist.

There are some big shoes to fill with the most famous twist being The Last Ward by the one and only Phil Ward from New York (he swaps the gin and lime juice for rye and lemon juice). However such and iconic drink with such a rich history is perfect for you to have a play with.

The first round was concentrated in Islington with Zilouf’s, Stuart Binks taking the honours with his ‘monsieur, I beg your pardon’ – watch a video of him making it here.

The Aberdeen leg of the competition takes place over the month of February in your own bars.  To enter:

- Decide within your bar which bartender's original and unique recipe the team will get behind and push over the month.
- By any means neccesary, promote this cocktail to your guests during the month of February - Facebook, Twitter and point-of-sale are just some of the channels (this is NOT a sales/volume-based competition).
- Points will be awarded for the following: drink recipe and mystery shopper.  The point system is not disclosed.
- Drinks may be added to the cocktail menu for The Green Lounge at Orchid on Thursday 23rd February (doors 8pm).
- Any questions, email gomes@10dollarshake.com.
- Results will be announced at the end of February 2012.  All bars are welcome to enter.

The competition will be growing in the coming months with some fantastic prizes up for grabs (and a feature in Bar Life UK).  If you think you can have the last word send your recipes (and good quality photo) to gomes@10dollarshake.com by Friday 27th January.

Good luck!

The Easter Egg Cup (sponsored by Caorunn Gin)

Sunday past saw the inaugural Easter Egg Cup cocktail competition at The Corpse & Cocktail, featuring both a singles round and a team challenge.

In the singles, bartenders were challenged to come up with an innovative cocktail inspired by one of Caorunn's 5 Celtic botanicals (rowan berry, Coul Blush apple, bog myrtle, dandelion and heather).  From all the entrants, 4 'wildcards' were asked to join 4 'invited' bartenders.  The 8 were then asked to make a short video of themselves introducing and creating their drink, followed by a still photograph.  The photos were then uploaded to Facebook to be voted on.  Almost 600 votes later, the final proceeded to take place.

Each bartender made a superb effort with techniques and ingredients such as scented scrolls, Islay new make spirit, whey and infused teas/syrups.

For the team challenge, the 8 bartenders were split into East and West teams, based on the geography of their bars.  A speed round and bad product challenge ensued, resulting in Team West being victorious.

After the team challenge, it was time for the singles awards.  3rd place went to independent consultant Milo Smith for his drink Druids Cure featuring Caorunn, Port, white grapefruit, heather honey, whey and a dandelion/raspberry syrup.  2nd place was awarded to Bobby Patience of highly-rated bar Dusk for Symphony No. 11, his take on the classic martini featuring bog myrtle-infused Noilly Prat served with a dandelion-scented scroll and a rowan berry-sweetened tincture.

Overall winner was 99's Mike McGinty with his drink Haugh's of Cromdale, heavily influenced by the red apple in Caorunn.  The drink was created with Calvados, dessert wine, lemon juice, Pink Lady syrup, muddled red apple and of course Caorunn, all shaken together in a heather-smoked Boston shaker.

Judges were Ervin Trykowski (Caorunn Brand Ambassador), Adrian Gomes (10 Dollar Shake) and Chris Tonner (Executive Chef of La Stella / The Courtyard restaurants).

For photos of the event, please check out The Corpse & Cocktails Facebook page.

Hogmanay 2010 @ 99.