On Monday I finished up at work and my friend Annelie and myself headed to The Admiral Cod in South Kensington for a media event. It was and evening of tonic pairing and good food with Franklin & Sons and The Epicurean Club for their Spring Table. My first ‘blogger’ event in as long a I could remember and it was so nice to just meet new people like the lovely Toni from Fashitetcs, find out about some amazing brands but also catch up with some old faces too.
Greeted at the door with a delightful G&T paired with lemon thyme and balsamic, a combination I would never have thought would work but woah, it was incredible. Set upstairs in a private dining room it was intimate and a great way to catch up and just chat over a drink and some canapés.
To start was smoked salmon, garnished with a gin and tonic sorbet. For someone who very much dislikes salmon this was a pleasant surprise, it was refreshing and had a cocktail to pair with it that really lifted the freshness of the dish. As we ate we were introduced to both brands too. Franklin & Sons are known for their premium selection of tonics, mixers and soft drinks and a brand I have loved for a while now and have had the pleasure of working with on a few occasions. The Epicurean club however was new to me and most people as they are a fresh young brand with good old values.
A club dedicated to helping you get more out of the countryside whenever you drink, dine, stay or book an experience with them. They celebrate the British countryside, focusing on the finest in food, comfort and culture, and offer members access to countryside activities and events all based around The Epicurean Collection of boutique countryside inns and stylish London pubs.
Next up was as a beautiful venison course, the cocktail pairing was I believe with vermouth, this was not my tipple of choice but alas I did have some of that balsamic number left which was just the thing I needed. We sat and chatted about our love of The Cross Keys in Chelsea which is also part of their collection and how they are getting resident dogs special tags as all of their collections are dog friendly.
As we eagerly awaited our pudding, we were served a delightful desert cocktail paired with watercress! Another genius match that just worked, so well done to the Franklin & Sons mixologist on this. We wolfed down our final course because next it was our turn to mix our own drinks.
I had been privy to many a tonic from Franklin, however I had never had their Cloudy Apple and Yorkshire Rhubarb with Cinnamon option. I love rhubarb gin so I was instantly drawn to this!
I added some juniper berries and lime to garnish, not as great as the professionals but great nonetheless. For an event that started at 7pm I though 2 hours max before we headed home, however it was close to 11pm when I was finally on the way back, the sign of an evening well spent I think and such a nice way to spend what would have been a standard Monday evening after a long day at work.
It was lovely to have Annelie join me for the evening, not a blogger herself it was nice to be able to show her what the community is like and it made me feel how I felt when I first started almost 5 years ago, the people there were lovely and the smaller events are sometimes the best.
The evening has inspired me to make some cocktails of my own, you can see my pomegranate, mint and lime gin cocktail on my Instagram @LemonaidLies and also keep an eye out for a post coming on Monday, it is a cocktail recipe perfect for the spring (should the weather ever reflect the season) and a bank holiday Monday.
What is your favourite drink paring? Let me know if you have any recipes for me to try!
Leave a Reply