The Bloody Mary is renowned as a hangover cure in a hair of the dog, let’s keep on the sauce kind of a way!
This is both a popular and potent classic cocktail with vodka being just one of 5 spirits that make up the toxic mix of alcohol.
It’s a classic that has caused a zillion number of smirks, giggles or outright fits of laughter when ordered at any bar on the planet and if you don’t find it vaguely amusing then you must be lacking a sense of humour! It is a simple enough cocktail consisting of just 2 spirits and a bit of juice but sometimes simplicity is needed in life and indulging in good old sex on the beach is what’s required! Tee. Hee. Hee.
A Cosmopolitan cocktail adopts just that in attitude by mixing alcohol with alcohol and topping up with just a dash of juice. If you want to intoxify your guests then this is the one to serve up! Short and strong, small sips are recommended to avoid peaking too early in a room spinning, dizzy head, hazy eyes drunken disaster!
Warming heat of vodka plus silky smooth chocolate equals heavenly, boozy simplicity in a glass.
Vodka has been sipped, downed and applied across the globe for centuries. Originating in Eastern Europe towards the end of the 9th century the name is derived from the Russian word ‘voda’ meaning water. It was primarily used for medicinal purposes and as an ingredient in gun powder during the Middle Ages but during the 14th century became an established drink in Russia and by the middle of the 16th century was recognised as the national drink of Poland and Finland. But what is vodka made from?
Whether it’s a Friday night, a Monday night or a Sunday afternoon this place is pumping and loud, loud, LOUD! The staff are hyped, the music is deafening and the cocktails are flowing each and every day of the week.
London cocktail week was a great opportunity to try out bars and cocktails that you hadn’t yet got around to checking out or test driving and it also provided a perfect excuse (if you needed one) to get out and about a few nights in a row to squeeze in as many £4 discounted drinks as you could in one week!
Vodka is a neutral spirit that tends not to have a distinctive flavour or taste in its untampered form. Vodka is generally not aged and can be made using a range of accessible materials and ingredients such as potatoes, grains, sugars, fruit and most things that are capable of being fermented. This makes it a spirit that is easy to produce in a relatively short space of time.
Lab Soho is a lively, friendly cocktail bar with an edge of sticky about the place like it needs a good clean. You could argue that this adds to the character and appeal depending on what you look for in a bar. The cocktail range is vast and they taste fairly decent too but be prepared to wait if it’s busy and potentially then be faced with a glass full of crushed ice.
Opium is a hidden gem amongst the back to back bustling restaurants of Gerrard Street.
The Brand:
Smirnoff is by far and away the biggest producer of vodka in the world today. It outstrips the nearest competitor (Absolut) by 50%.
London cocktail week was a great opportunity to try out bars and cocktails that you hadn’t yet got around to checking out or test driving and it also provided a perfect excuse (if you needed one) to get out and about a few nights in a row to squeeze in as many £4 discounted drinks as you could in one week!
Vodka and Ice Tea and Iced Tea Vodka are two very different things. One is basically a cocktail while the other is a vodka infusion. Really the latter is just tea flavoured vodka that has been either artificially flavoured or infused using tea leaves. Brands of tea flavoured vodka are detailed below.