A cocktail masterclass with 155 Bar & Kitchen and About Time Magazine

Earlier this month I was invited to a cocktail-making masterclass at an exciting new venue, 155 Bar & Kitchen at Clerkenwell London, organised by the lovely ladies at About Time Mag.

I'll be honest, that evening I'd been feeling somewhat tired, slightly under-the-weather and not really in the mood for cocktails. (It's a rare state for me, it has to be said.) "I just won't really drink," I'd said to myself. PAH!

However all that changed as soon as I walked into the swanky East London restaurant and was handed the first of many cocktails of the evening: the Lavender Refresher

Lavender Refresher

25ml Chase Gin, 25ml Cranberry juice, 15ml lemon juice and 25ml homemade lavender syrup

Served in a copper mug with a lavender garnish

It was SO delicious, and suddenly got me into the mindset of the evening. Before the masterclass began, I was given a tour of the snazzy venue.

Clerkenwell London is so much more than just its bar and kitchen - it's also a spa and shop, showcasing niche and established designers, creatives and artisans, in homewares, fashion, jewellery, stationery, art, music and literature. It struck me as totally unique and really cool.

After a welcome from the About Time babes that are Jelly and Alicia, it was time for the masterclass to begin.

First up, we were shown how to make the Buffalo Berry, which was a bit like a strawberry mojito:

Buffalo Berry

50ml Buffalo Trace, 15ml Lemon juice, 1& ½ fresh strawberries, 1 spoon apricot jam and 6 basil leaves

Served in a jam jar garnished with 2 basil leaves and a ½ strawberry

I really liked that one too.

Fortunately, the organisers had realised that an evening of strong alcoholic beverages and zero food would not end well so fed us tasty canapés with each cocktail, phew.

It was lovely to sip and munch and mingle with the other fabulous bloggers at the event.

Next up was Catch the Cherry.

Catch the Cherry

25ml Tequila Casco Viejo Blanco, 15ml Cherry Heering, 15ml Drambuie, 35ml apple juice, bar spoon rosemary tincture and 10ml fresh lime juice

Cherry garnish and rosemary

I'm a big cherry fan so unsurprisingly enjoyed this one too. (Might I point out that I was not in fact finishing each of these cocktails, otherwise I really would have ended up on the floor.)

Out came more nibbles...

...before we moved on to cocktail number four: the Black Cow Martini:

Black Cow martini

Black Cow Martini Stirred down with white Regal Rouge vermouth served on a Lovosh cracker and Black Cow cheese

And yes, it was served with cheese and a cracker. For sure. To be perfectly honest this one was too strong for me. I need me some fruit and sugar in the mix.

However, in my opinion the best cocktail was very much saved till last (and when you read the ingredients you probably won't be surprised that it was my fave.) Enter, the Pinkster Bakewell Tart.

Pinkster Bakewell tart

25ml Pinkster gin, 15ml Raspberry liqueur, 15ml Amaretto and 50ml apple juice, with almond cream floated on top

It was so ludicrously delicious! More of a pudding than a cocktail really, it was creamy and sweet and too tasty to drink slowly. Yeah, I did finish that one.

As the evening wound up, the slightly merry bloggers were each given some goodies to take home in the shape of tin cocktail mugs and measuring cups, which was a lovely treat indeed (as if the whole evening hadn't been enough.)

I do feel very privileged to be invited to fun events like these so big thanks to About Time and 155 Bar & Kitchen. I thought it was a fabulous place and will 100% be going back.