Drink

All Bar One on Newhall Street was the venue for a cocktail masterclass.  We arrived to find out that we were going to be making Mojitos, French Martinis and Disaronno Sour.  I loved the combination of something I hadn’t tried before (French Martini) with one of my favourites (Mojito).

First up was a Mojito, which is one of my favourite cocktails to order whenever I’m at a cocktail bar. I was interested to see how this was done because whilst I have often drunk them, I’d never made one before.  I’d kind of assumed that with most cocktails you put the ingredients together and give them a bit of a shake, but it seems there is more to it than this.  I think I’ll enjoy my mojitos more now that I know how they are made.  I liked that it was explained how to make it less sweet and a bit more sour because I prefer a drier taste for my drinks.

Next up was a new one to me: French Martini.  This is quite a sweet cocktail with its mix of Ciroc Pineapple, Chambord and pineapple juice, but it was very nice.  I think I’d just have one of these in an evening as I think I’d find a second one a bit sweet for my taste buds.

Our last cocktail was a Disaronno Sour.  I think this might actually be a new favourite for me.  It’s got that lovely Disaronno taste and it isn’t too sweet.

I’d very much recommend a cocktail masterclass at All Bar One, Newhall Street, Birmingham. We had friendly, fun instruction and got to drink our creations.  I think it would be a perfect way to celebrate a birthday or just have a get together with a group of friends.

Last week we went to the opening of the Birmingham branch of Be At One which has opened up on Piccadilly Arcade (it’s not really in the arcade as such, but it does extend beneath it I guess and the enterance is just opposite New Street Station). Be At One started up in Battersea Rise at the end of May 1998 and has proved a big success with Be At Ones popping up all over England (and even into Wales).

We did like the wide ranging menu and the fact that  you could choose just the sort of drink you wanted.  There was so much choice and I would imagine most people would find their favourite on the list. You can choose by the main spirit used, by the type of glass, etc. The menu contains about 100 different drinks, so there should be something for everyone.  I’m amazed how the staff managed to create so many cocktails, seemingly without using any guides or crib notes.  Hubby and I tried a range of cocktails from the menu and thoroughly enjoyed them all.

On the downside, the service was a little slow, not because the staff weren’t working hard, in fact you can see how fast they are working from the blurred hands in the picture below.  I think on a less busy night, it would be less of an issue.  Also there are seats around the bar, which is great when it’s quite quiet and it made the bar look inviting, but they get in the way a bit if the bar is busy and people want to get served.  Also, there was rather a lot of ice left in some cases – the picture above is of a finished drink – now, obviously with a tall drink like this you expect a lot of ice to be left behind and you want that ice there so it’s good and cold, but I think one or two of the drinks went a little overboard.

I love the way that Be At One have made use of this fairly unpromising basement space and it’s great to see businesses sprouting up near Grand Central, which is providing a new focus for the city.  The bar is a great place to hang out and I think we’d look to visit again perhaps before or after dinner at a restaurant.

My favourites for the evening?  I think the winner was the Battersea Pimms with the Cointreau Fizz running it a close second.