Monday 11 January 2010

Cocktails at Browns

We had amazing cocktails at Brows Bar & Brasserie last night after a movie. I just had to pen this down before i forgot what it was like. I am a total sucker for cocktails and gin is my new found love. My dad is an ardent gin fan, my husband followed and now its me. I had mentioned Browns on my other blog...about the food...which is not out-of-this-world. There is not much of a variety when it comes to British food anyways! But what i had on New Years Eve..the Guinea Fowl with a coq au vin sauce was awesome. Ro's steak was just about average. So ya basically, food is average, but their selection of cocktails are gorgeous. Like i mentioned before I am in love with gin variations and so i opted for all gin cocktails except for the Cosmopolitan which is a personal favourite. It is so so Carrie Bradshaw-like..the drink i mean :)
Also, they had an offer on all their Signature Cocktails..so we kinda went ahead and tried quite a few of them. I know i don't have UK readers, but I'm gonna go ahead and suggest a few. Ro's Mango & Passion Fruit Julep was full of crushed ice and whisky based (not a fan) whereas my Cucumber & Elderflower (I know!) was smooth..again gin based. Ro however thought it tasted like raita (exaggeration to the core) because there were cucumber slices muddled and topped with the cocktail mix. The Martini's however were mind blowing...both mine and Ro's. The Berry & Pomegranate Martini (very berrylicious, and yes i ordered that) and Ro's Apple & Lychee are totally crowd pullers..at least for us it was! But it was the Grapefruit Cosmo that did the trick for me. I have had Cosmopolitans at a lot of places and i kinda judge a place by the quality of the Cosmo there..yeah weird! So ya, i think i like cocktails at Browns and they are very generous with the mix, unlike some other places (Adams Ribs in Picadilly Circus) where its diluted and not served cold (i could go on with my issues). Oh and Ro also had a very girly Brown Eyes Blue which was intriguing with the blue colour an all. He was embarrassed :)
Here are a few cocktails I tried at home. I don't have fancy stirrers and glasses so it doesn't look too tempting, but they turned out pretty good for a first timer like me....the preparation i mean. Hmm i should probably do a bar tending course ;)

Peach Fizz
Peach Schnapps-60ml
Caster sugar- 2 tsp
Lemon juice- 30ml
Orange Juice- 30ml
Soda water- a small can
Ice cubes- as desired
Shake with cubed ice and strain into an ice-filled highball glass. Top with soda water.

Champagne Cocktail (serves 2)
Gin- 100ml
Lemon juice- 25ml
Sugar- 2tsp
Any Champagne/Prosecco- to top
Shake well ice cubes, gin, lemon juice and sugar and pour into a Champagne flute. Top with Champagne/ Prosecco and stir gently.

Fuzzy Naval (serves 2)
Peach Schnapps- 500ml
Orange juice- 100ml
Ice cubes- as required
Fill the glasses with ice cubes and pour the peach schnapps. Generously top it with orange juice and stir. You can also have a sugary or salty rim.

Sangria (serves 4)
Red wine- 1 cup
Rose wine- 2 cups
Orange juice- 1/2 cup
Gin/ Rum- 60ml (or even less)
Apple- 1, sliced into small cubes
Apricot- 3, "
(pears, oranges etc. etc. can be added)
Sugar- 3tbsp
Lime juice- 1/2 cup
Ice cubes- as required
Mix all this together in a punch bowl. Fill ice cubes in a tall glass and top with Sangria. Serves as a great party drink, especially in Summer.

3 comments:

Jane said...

Wish you were next door di :D

Sushma Mallya said...

Thats very colourful drinks,loved the peach fizz the most...looks too good...Thanks for dropping by and leaving a lovely comment...hope to c u around more often,do keep in touch..

My Kitchen Antics said...

jane..ya then id not make a thing hoping i can drop in at urs and borrow what you make..but yeah living next door to a good friend is my biggest dream :)
Sushma..thanks for that...it tasted good too.