Wednesday 24 June 2015

Cocktail win!

Lucky lucky me won a competition. I don't win competitions (since then I've won two other competitions lol) but this one was one to put a massive smile on my face.

I'm a huge cocktail fan and through a like and share on Facebook through Independent Sheffield, I won one of each of the new cocktails on the menu at The Wick at Both Ends.

"Oh I bet you've only won 4" says hubby. But then the list came through. 11! 11 lovely cocktails to try. 

I won the competition in April but it was only this last weekend that I got chance to try them. Myself and husband hit town with my friend L to work our way through the list, before my friend P came to complete the list. Now I must add here that it was strongly advised that I alone should not drink all 11 in one evening. I could come over various visits or share with friends. But the 4 of us did manage all 11 in one evening.

The list:

So how to tackle the list? As the first to arrive I hadn't given this much though so plumped right into the middle of the list and ordered a The Beet Goes On. With beetroot, whisky, lemon, sugar and egg white this is definitely a unique cocktail and one you should definitely try but only if you like beetroot juice. The warm smoky undertones from the whisky were a nice highlight to this drink. A great start, I really enjoyed this cocktail. It was definitely the most refreshing of the night too.


What next? Hubby and L got in on this round and we ordered 3. 

Sloe Down Dear. Hubby had his eyes on this one. Sloe gin, blackberry liqueur, Apple and cranberry juices with lime and fresh mint. This was one of our favourites. Fruity without being overly fruity, a nice refreshing easy drinking cocktail 


I chose the Purple Haze. Tequila, absinthe, vimto, mint and lemon. A mojito with a twist. This was like vimto on steroids 


L had the Vanilla and Black Pepper Spiced Julep. Without a doubt the strongest cocktail we had that evening. Buffalo trace, black pepper, mint, vanilla syrup and lime. Corrr that's strong!


Next round!

PiƱa Colada for hubby. Who doesn't like this drink?! Very very creamy, very very tasty 


For me an Absinthe Minded. Absinthe, cherry heering, cherry syrup, lemon and sugar. I watched this being made and not happy with the straw taste test, the girl making it adjusted it accordingly. This reminded me a bit of a cherry bakewell with a marzipan top. And the little cherries on top were yummy


A big gin fan, L had a Negroni Rose. Gin, St Germain, Lillet Blanc and Campari. Bitter sweet tasting, refreshing. This was one of L's favourite 


Next round and my friend P arrived. The last 4 cocktails. I decided I should have the most expensive on the list so had the Boheminan Like Me. Pampero, Myers dark rum, absinthe, Mozart liqueur, hibiscus, chocolate bitters, green chartreuse and a chocolate and absinthe truffle. I was expecting this to be sickly but it wasn't at all. Very strong tasting, can't liken it to anything. A really unique tasting drink. 


Hubby had the Dandelion & Burdock Old Fashioned. Tequila, dandelion and burdock bitters, grapefruit and chai tea syrup, this was his favourite. Tasting a bit like brandy with a kick of that unique dandelion and burdock taste. 


The final drink for L, very creamy and rich but delicious tasting was the Rhubarb & Custard. Vodka, rhubarb and apple with custard, strawberry and popping candy. A sweetie in drink form. 


And the last drink, maybe the creamiest of the night was the Custard C.R.E.A.M
Vanilla vodka, caramel, half & half and biscuit mix with lots of cream and a custard cream on top. Definitely one not to drink if you're on a calorie controlled diet. 

What a way to finish off the list!


A huge thank you once again to The Wick At Both Ends and Independent Sheffield. We had a fab time working through the list. It surely was an amazing prize to win. I can't wait to go back to sample the other cocktails on the menu 

Saturday 20 June 2015

Cornflake tart

A request I was not going to say no to, particularly as I would get a chance to try some of this school dinner classic. Who doesn't remember eating cornflake tart?

Easy to make with just a few ingredients, this chewy syrupy tart is a delight for all. You can cheat and buy the pastry to make this recipe even easier but this is a really simple recipe to make with super tasty results.

Ingredients:
220g plain flour
100g cubed butter (fridge cold)
1 egg
--
110g golden syrup
30g sugar
80g fridge cold butter
100g cornflakes
110g jam

To make the pastry, put the flour and butter in a food processor and pulse until it resembles crumble/breadcrumbs. Add the egg and a little water and mix together until it starts to form a dough. Don't let it get too sticky so careful with the water. Bring together in clingfilm and chill for 20 minutes 

Preheat oven to 200/180c fan and roll out the pastry. Line a 23cm tin and prick the base with a fork. If you having baking beans, line the tart with baking paper and fill with the beans. Bake for 15 minutes, remove the beans and paper and bake for another 5-8 minutes until the base is golden.

While the tart case is baking, melt the butter, sugar and golden syrup in a large pan then take off the heat and stir in the cornflakes. 

When the tart case is cooked, spread the jam across the base of the tart then spoon on the cornflake mix and pat down so it's flat on top.



Bake for 5 more minutes until the mixture is set. Devour!