Lilley’s Piña Colada Cider (Morrison’s) By @SpectreUK

It's a lovely sunny day outside and I have scampi and chips for dinner tonight. I used to joke with an ex-boss that whilst working at home during the lockdowns he was drinking Pina Colladas in the garden. This Lilley's Piña Colada Cider is a 3.4% in volume fusion of pineapple and coconut blended with Somerset cider. I'm hoping it's going to wash down my fishy dish a treat tonight.

I was given a Piña Colada in a restaurant once that was ordered by someone by mistake. I tasted it surreptitiously and realised that it had so much alcohol in it that if I had a second sip I'd be over the limit for driving. So, unfortunately, I gave it back. I think the waiter drank it surreptitiously after that, as he was a little bit wobbly for the rest of the meal.

On opening the bottle of this Lilley's Piña Colada Cider, there was a subtle fizz followed by a summer aroma of apple cider, pineapple and a little coconut in the background. This murky fresh lemonade coloured cider tasted funnily enough of pineapple and coconut and cider apple, there was an extra sweet hit of pineapple into the aftertaste.

Not as alcoholic as the one I was given in the restaurant, this ridiculously moreish flavoured cider was so good, I could quite drink it all night. Well, I am at home, and my car keys are resting this evening. I just need some more bottles.

Muller Light Strawberry Daiquiri Yoghurt (Iceland) By @Cinabar

I think I may have become a bit sceptical over the years and as such when I bought these Muller Light Strawberry Daiquiri Yoghurts I thought to myself oh wow, an interesting way to packaging up a regular strawberry yoghurt and market it with a summer twist. Yes I know, I should have more faith.

 

I had one of the yoghurts as a lunchtime treat, they are part of the Muller Light range so lower in calorie and it is nice to have something sweet after a sandwich which doesn’t come with too much guilt. The yoghurt is pink and looks much like a regular strawberry yoghurt but I’m pleased to say the flavour was nicely different. I could pick up on the flavour of lime which was really nice with it, it made it a little sourer but refreshing in the muggy weather. There was still plenty of strawberry and fruit too in the yoghurt. I was at first disappointed that all the flavours were the same in the multipack as many new Muller varieties come in mixed packs, but by the end of the yoghurt I was looking forward to the next one. This Muller Light Strawberry Daiquiri Yoghurt is a nice twist on a standard flavour with the cocktail element and nicely done with the added lime.

Cocktails at OSLO Hackney @oslohackney (By Fey)

East London’s Oslo has always been the ideal spot however it’s Request the Line night on Thursday’s makes it even more of w go to.

Right next to Hackney Central station the bar is spacious and modern, the perfect location for either drinks or dinner- or of course both!

We were there to try out the cocktail menu, which didn’t disappoint. Francesco, who was the perfect host showed us a menu with a wide range of cocktails, from everything from the most classic of cocktails to one’s with their very own twist.

The Oslo Spritz is one to try, which is hugely refreshing, some of the key ingredients being the pear ginger and yuzu sherbet.

We also tried the Negroni, whose distinct flavours were captured perfectly.

We both couldn’t resist the Salted Caramel Martini. A twist on the classic cocktail, which added an incredible sweetness to the coffee taste.

If you’re popping down on a Thursday, be sure to check out Request the Line, where some of London’s best DJ’s are playing the best retro classics from 9pm-2am.

Would highly recommend Oslo, which caters for every occasion- and is gives an even better incentive to head there on a Thursday!

Bloody Mary Hand Cooked Crisps (M&S) By @Cinabar

Christmas season means that there are loads of new and interesting crisps hitting the shelves, all designed to be shared during seasonal gatherings. Marks and Spencer always goes the extra mile with crisps, and I’ve already written about their Smoked Salmon, Cream Cheese, Champagne and edible glitter ones. Next up we are trying these Bloody Mary Hand Cooked Crisps. The crisps are flavoured with Worcester sauce, tomatoes and vodka, making up the ingredients of the cocktail. The vodka might sound like an odd addition in potato form, and I wasn’t sure how that would transfer to a crisp flavour, but something warming I would guess. That still isn’t the weird part about these crisps, they are made with heritage potatoes that are naturally red in colour and this means the crisps are also a deep red in colour. If you are looking for a statement in a bowl, these are them, they certainly stand out.

The tomato and the Worcestershire sauce set the main base for the flavour of these crisps. They had a good slightly spicy edge, and even a bit of a chilli buzz at the end of each bite. The flavour was quite complex, and I could pick up on different warming spices mixed in too, but that lovely tang of Worcestershire sauce made these. I think the specifics of the vodka were lost in the complexity of the taste. They are a good flavour though, not too strong, and very easy to enjoy. The dramatic colour makes them quite the party piece.

Happy Down - pre-mixed wine cocktails in funky cans (@NLi10)

Occasionally FaceBook adverts work. They show you something that you’d love to pick up and try.  Rarely do snack food companies advertise like this (it’s usually PROTEIN or FUEL based man things) but when they do I like to send them a message and see if at least they can point me in the direction of the product.

Here we see the product of one of these interactions - Happy Down, the upsettingly upside down drinks cans with adult beverages inside.

I love the patterns and logos and everything, but one of the group did say it was as upsetting as when someone opens their crisps at the bottom (which another of the group then immediately did).

First up we have Raspberry, Pommegranite and Basil. This was probably the most ‘poppy’ of the flavours and similar to the alcohol-pops that I grew up on in the 90s.  My fear of floating basil seeds never materialised, but the flavours were all there, maybe a little muddled but at least it was interesting. 

The company requested that I drink them in tall glasses with lime and so I bought one especially - and the colours do really shine here. These would be amazing for a home bar, or for a party. 

Next up we have lemon, cucumber and mint Which was my least favourite of the flavours, but it did evoke memories of Morrocan Whisky (mint tea) and was a good cocktail really but I’m no fan of cucumber.

Chester the cat enjoyed the party and didn’t even attempt to knock over any drinks.

THe final flavour was the most divisive, being lychee, guava and chilli.  The flavour wasn’t really recognisable, but the chilli vapours preceded every sip.  I enjoyed it but you really couldn’t drink this all night.

Overall these were a hit, with people wanting to try them and me managing to finish most of the cans through the night.  I’m not sure I’d buy a 4 pack of any of the flavours, but I’d happily drink the non-cucumber ones again.  They are solid sipping cocktails and with a bit of inventiveness you could easily add some more pizazz to the drink and serve in pitchers as if you made it yourself.  Perfect then for a sleepy games night, but maybe not distinct or special enough to be someone’s first drink of choice.

Belleveue Tea - Green Tea and Earl Grey Mocktails (by @NLi10)

PR companies like to send tea. It's easy to post, and it's light. Unfortunately it's almost impossible to review without resorting to wine-taster cliches and directly comparing it to the tea you already love. This presents a problem which Bellevue Tea have neatly sidestepped by inviting us to make tea based mock-tails.

Non alcoholic cocktails are great. Their muddled flavours and often fruity base means you get all the best bits of drinking cocktails without the watered down spirits - you think the price is due to the alcohol, but it's really due to the queues at the bar using the blender makes.

We were sent three varieties. Decaf tea tasted great and will be going to work for use as my afternoon tea once the decaf PG runs low. The green isn't quite to my taste (I drink a Jasmine green import tea) but it's a good one, and I'll be sharing this with colleagues who like their green without the floral notes. The earl grey is probably my favourite, the flavour is a shade different to the Wittards that is in my caddy at the moment. Without having two cups side by side I'd struggle to tell them apart - which is a kind of complement. Told you tea bags are hard to review!

Here we have a dodgy screen grab of the cocktails menu (sorry - mocktails) that we shall be working on. You may have noticed the fruit purchases earlier.

First up we go green. Our lovely Blend Active comes out of the cupboard as the weather gets warmer, and the Edge of Belgravia knives make chopping and selecting the best bits to go in a breeze. Sometimes I think my whole kitchen came in little brown boxes through the post...

And boom - we have our cucumber juice (with bits because that's where the nutrition hides) to strain into the tea.

One tidy slice of cucumber and a few drops of lemon...

... Mix in the cucumber juice and we have a surprisingly professional looking drink.

That tastes like cucumber water. I added more lemon and the flavour perked up a bit, but it still didn't taste right. It was then I spotted that the teabags on the poster were lemon and ginger, and ours were plain green. Oops. I added even more lemon and a dash of ginger.

Much to my surprise this did actually fill in the flavour curve nicely and it became a (weakly flavoured) refreshingly light drink. Regular readers will know I like my flavours large and strong and for me I think I should have brewed the tea a lot more before mixing it in - as I made it in a glass I let the water cool a little first. So for the second one I brewed my Earl Grey properly.

We have a substitution here, the agave syrup that I have on my Weetabix is basically honey so I went for that. Lemons were chopped and peeled with one whole slice going in the blender for texture.  Note the hot earl grey brewing away nicely.

Also makes it look like lemon and honey in the picture too.

I got carried away and sliced the lemon so thinly it didn't stand up very well...

I put the tea into the blender with the lemons and agave and produced a drink that I'd have happily paid money for in a cafe. Sure - it was probably a bit too lemony (!) but it's certainly a spohisticated little number.  I'd have never thought of just grabbing a lemon, a tea bag and my blender to make a summer drink. I'm not sure why - I have a Happy Lemon loyalty card now - but I always assumed it would be more effort.

I'm sure I'll be cracking this out for those inevitable summer nights where my house is filled with my partners girly friends before they head out and I'm sure I could make a lovely Lady Grey pitcher for them to sample with these ideas.

Once I manage to get the strengths right anyway! 🍋🍋🍋☕️

A Dark Rose ‘Choctail’ at The Trading House, London [By Fey]

Introducing Fey, who has been taste testing a cocktail for the upcoming London Cocktail Week /
National Chocolate Week at The Trading House, 89-91 Gresham Street, London…

When I heard the name of the new cocktail being launched by The Trading House, London was 'A Dark Rose Choctail' I was expecting it to be sickly sweet- even from someone with a relentless sweet tooth.

I'm happy to say that I was very pleasantly surprised. The cocktail had the perfect amount of sweetness without being overwhelming. It was milky, which made it a great comfort cocktail but the taste of rose was prominent enough to give it an edge. Overall it's a great alternative for Bailey's lovers.

I'd definitely recommend heading to the Trading House for cocktail week. It's in the heart of the City of London and whilst it definitely had a Tuesday nigh buzz it was still spacious and the staff were friendly and attentive throughout. I think the cocktail would be great after one of dishes from the home comforts menu for a cosy evening.

By Fey

POM Summer Cocktails [by @NLi10]

A good while ago I was asked whether I'd like to review POM Wonderful and use it to make cocktails and to make a video.  I of course agreed as I love the stuff.  After a while the kit and vouchers came through and the hunt for somewhere that sold the right bottles began.  After a delay I found them both in Sainsbury's by where I play cards on a Tuesday and so then I took these home and planned what to do.

The two large bottles are great, I could drink them neat, but this seemed to defeat the idea of the whole thing.  Here is the kit.

Lots of nice things, plastic glasses, a shaker/strainer and a pummelling stick.  I didn't picture the recipe guide that came with it as I'd stuck this in my shopping bag to get some of the essentials.

The main things I got were Blueberries and Apples and Ginger Ale.  There were odd things like a nail of ginger that I didn't know what to do about, and lemon/lime juice which we already had (pancakes!) and I figured that I'd manage somehow.

With all this set out and ready to go I really wasn't sure about the video aspect - I've tried to do video recipies reviews before and they all go horribly wrong and don't tend to get many views.  I came up with a nice mid-range solution - I did a Vine video.  These are videos that are 7 seconds long and go on their own specific site like Twitter.  I made some heart shaped ice-cubes and videoed away.

This seemed to work - the short video didn't get in the way of the making and there was no muffins to burn.

I made the Apple & Ginger and Pom which involved apples and lime and POM juice shook and blended with ginger ale and then strained into a glass with ice.  I gave the result to my partner.

She approved and so I made a second drink for me.  This was similar, but using blueberries as well as using the blueberry version of the POM. 

This was just as straightforward and I put all the bits of apple in from the shaker instead of adding new bits as garnish.  I also used the last of the heart ice cubes .  The veggie sausages were separate.

I think that large You Tube videos telling you how to make a cocktail are a lot less fun and immediate than cocktails should be.  The little video gives you all the info and only takes a second (well 7) to watch - if I've embedded it correctly.

Since this I have worked my way through the rest of the ginger ale and POM as the combination really does work very well, but without all the extra bits and pieces and measuring. Taste really is the key here, and they are certainly a refreshing way to enjoy mixing things up a bit.