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.

Chicken Cordon Bleu and a bubbly

The first time i had Chicken Cordon Blue was back in Nottingham where you get these ready-to-bake meal kits at Tesco and i was still new to the whole cooking scene (not any better now) so we were feasting on a lot of these ready made meals. It was absolutely tasty and not expensive at all. After we moved to London, things changed. We do not have a Tesco nearby and the other super markets do not have a huge choice of ready meals. Who wants to have pulao and chicken tikka masala or chinese grub from the supermarket?

So my craving for the Chicken Cordon Bleu forced me to try it at home since i didn't have a choice. I must say im very impressed with the outcome. Although it wasn't the easiest of things to make, i was unbelievable proud of myself for attempting it. It tasted out of this world. Paired it with a Champagne cocktail and i couldn't ask for more.

Boneless, skinless chicken breasts- 2 medium size

Paprika- 1 tsp

Pepper- 1 tsp, freshly ground

Salt- to taste

Chicken stock- 1/4 cup

Butter- 2 tsp

Garlic paste- 1/4 tsp

Dry bread crumbs- 1/4 cup

Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese- 1 tbs

Bacon strips/ Proscuitto ham- 2

Philadelphia cream cheese- 4 tbs

Cheddar cheese- 2 tsp (optional)

Preheat the oven to 200C.

Heat the chicken stock in the microwave on high for about 10 to 15 seconds and stir in the butter and garlic paste.

Mix the breadcrumbs with the parmigiano reggiano cheese and keep ready.

Place the chicken breasts in a zip-lock bag and pound them to about 1/4 inch thickness using a mallet or something heavy as for that matter. Rub the paprika, pepper and salt on both sides of the chicken. Mix the cream cheese and shredded cheddar and rub generously on the chicken breasts and top with one of the bacon slices. Roll up each breast, dip in the chicken stock, cover with bread crumbs and place on a baking dish (seam side down). Bake for 30 to 45 minutes or till juices run clear. Serve with a salad or eat as is.

Notes: The chicken stock can be replaced with beaten egg. Its just to hold the breadcrumbs together.

The cream cheese can be replaced with any other cheese..mozzarella or just cheddar

Cooking times vary..but on average it should be about 30 minutes. I kept it a little longer because i thought the bacon wasn't cooked.

Champagne cocktail

serves: 2

Gin- 100ml

Lemon juice- 25ml

Sugar- 2 tsp

Champagne/Prosecco

Place a handful of ice cubes in a cocktail shaker, pour in the gin, lemon juice and sugar. Shake well. Pour into a champagne flute, top with champagne/ prosecco and stir gently.