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Japanese Spirit at Mizuwari

March 18, 2013 in Reviews

I love me a good drinking den. And, let’s be honest, London is pretty full of top-end joints to hunker down of an eve and do just that – drink. I have no doubt many other cities in this fine country have much to offer too, of course, but my experience is with the capital and, thus far, I can’t complain.

One of the newest whisky spots on the block is Mizuwari – a Japanese themed bar on Old Compton Street in the downstairs section of Izakaya restaurant, Bincho, that’s filled with cocktails and drams galore.

As a big fan of Japanese whisky, the news of its opening was thrilling to my ears. Unfortunately, many other people felt the same so on opening night the small space was so rammed that getting a good look at its interiors or experiencing it in full was not possible.

Cocktail at BinchoI have since had the chance to go back and can say that it is a place I will be adding to my “Soho bars of best repute” list.

The bar is what one might call intimate – petite round tables and shared benches with individual lamps that can be dimmed dot the dark-wood floored and mahogany walled room, while behind the bar are rows of Japanese whisky.

The place was developed in partnership with Suntory, so all of the cocktails on the list feature whiskies from the company’s brands (think: Hakushu, Hibiki and Yamazaki).

However, when it comes to single drams, the menu is much more extensive and includes more than a dozen options from the Nikka range, various Ichiro’s Malts and a jaw-dropping selection of Karuizawas, which given their rarity and the fact this is a central London bar, are really rather reasonably priced (from £8.50-£12).

Locked cage at BinchoWhat I like about the space is that it will hopefully appeal to a wide range of drinker – not just the seasoned whisky lover. I could easily imagine bringing my non-whisky drinking girlfriends and winning them over with the feisty Rissun cocktail (Yamazaki 12, plum liqueur and ginger) or the silky smooth Seimei (Hibiki 12, maraschino liqueur, absinthe and lemon zest).

If you want to get fully into the spirit of Japanese tradition, then you can also purchase a bottle of whisky (such as the Yamazaki 12) to store in a locked cage behind the bar, as is done in drinking dens in the east. Your name will be left on it and you can access it any time you’re in the area. Okay – it’s a bit of a mark-up from shop price (£88 instead of £43 for the Yamazaki 12) but if you’re going out frequently in the area, it makes a good investment compared to buying individual drams each time.

Now, I won’t pretend this place is cheap. It’s not. A cocktail will hit your wallet for around £10 minimum but as a special treat it is well worthwhile. And, if you come on a Monday, the fabulous restaurant upstairs features all of its skewers of charcoal grilled meat for £1 each, so you can make a night of it for a fairly reasonable price.

In short, I’m hoping this will help raise the profile once more for the wonderful drink that is Japanese whisky. If you’ve not had the chance to try many yet and are in London, this will surely be the new place to go.

Photos provided by the team behind Mizuwari.

For more details, visit: bincho.co.uk/whisky-joint

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Chivas cocktail warmth for snowy days

January 22, 2013 in Events

With the freezing weather hitting the UK of late, it inevitably increases the desire that I and (I’d guess) many others have in enjoying an extra dram or two to stay warm.

But, as I’ve discovered lately through my tasting of more blended whiskies, this cold weather does not only have to mean it’s time to do some drammage to your single malt collection. For whisky can be had in many forms – and the form I discovered on a snowy day of late was in using this seductive drink to make delicious cocktails that helped to keep my blood stream moving fast enough to shut out the chills.

On the top floor of China Town’s new Opium Cocktail and Dim Sum Parlour (a fab little joint put together by bar superstar Dre Masso), I joined two of the super cool chaps (Niran from Yin & Yang and Anthony from Ape to Gentleman) for a bit of cocktail masterclassery. Leading the charge was Phil Huckle, UK brand ambassador for Chivas Regal and The Glenlivet.

Over a starter of dim sum, Phil explained a bit about the brand, which dates back to the 1800s. While the bottle has the date 1801 on it, this does not reflect when the company started blending but rather when a luxury grocery store was opened in Aberdeen, the owners of which would go on to make the Chivas Regal blends. Known as the “Harrods of the Highlands” the store was the place to get high-end tea, coffee and foodstuffs in the northern region. In 1841, the store first started supplying Queen Victoria’s Balmoral estate with fine foods for her visits north. The company began making its own blended whiskies in the 1850s. Strathisla distillery in Speyside – which I wrote about, here, after a visit there last year – provides much of the whisky for the blends and the company is now owned by Pernod-Ricard.

It was, according to Phil, around the same time that Chivas started making blends that the golden age of cocktails began – primarily in the US but also in Paris and London. The Chivas blends became popular for use in cocktail making, he told us, and that is an idea that holds through to today.

“I think Chivas is a lot more versatile when it comes to the blends. You can pretty much make any whisky cocktail from it,” he said.

As a Speyside blend, one can understand why – its more delicate flavours fuse with various ingredients in cocktails in an unassuming manner that neither overwhelms the palate nor disappears on it.

After stuffing ourselves on dim sum, we stood back and watched Phil at work as he made six different whisky cocktails from either Chivas 12 or 18.

There were three classics to start: a powerful Rob Roy made with Chivas 12, followed by a Morning Glory Fizz (a delicious hangover cure from the late 19th century, also made with the Chivas 12) and the Blood & Sand made with Chivas 18, which dates back to 1923. All were delectable, but my favourite was the final one. Made from a combination of whisky, fresh orange juice, sweet vermouth (in this case, Antica Formula) and cherry Heering, the Blood & Sand is just the right side of sweet while still be refreshing and powerful. Named after the film of the same title starring silent film heartthrob, Rudolph Valentino, this cocktail is sure to get you feeling fresh and feisty, even when the temperature drops below freezing.

These were followed by three modern cocktails – the Regal Roy, Highland Cosmo and Gallantry. My favourite? The Highland Cosmo. While I normally shy away from the cocktail made famous by Sex & the City, I was drawn to this version because the Chivas 18 made it much richer with loads of thick texture.

So, how can you make these drinks at home if you’re feeling a bit too cold for comfort?

The recipes are as follows:

Blood & Sand:

25ml Chivas 18
25ml fresh OJ
25ml sweet Vermouth
25ml Cherry Heering
Orange twist

Combine the ingredients in an ice filled cocktail shaker and shake well. Strain in cocktail glass and serve.

Highland Cosmo:

40ml Chivas 18
20ml Chambord
40ml Cranberry
15ml fresh lime juice
Dash orange bitters

Combine the ingredients in an ice-filled cocktail shaker and shake well. Strain into cocktail glass and serve.

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Soho Whisky Club

January 13, 2012 in Uncategorized

It seems to me – and to many others I speak with – that the popularity of whisky is definitely in the ascendent. More and more, I find people are talking about it, bars are making exciting cocktails with it and restaurants are pairing foods with it – and this is not just since I started writing about whisky on an increasingly frequent basis either. Exports were up more than 20% over the first half of 2011 while final year totals put sales (just of Scotch) somewhere around the £3 billion mark.

So, with all this interest in whisky – and hopefully a continuing trend in the number of people drinking it – I was glad to see the opening of a new private member’s club in Soho, located above the Vintage House on Old Compton Street.

According to owner Malcolm Mullin (who has run the downstairs Vintage House for decades) the Club has been in the works for five years, so it is with much excitement that the launch has finally come. He told me the Club will be doing regular tastings and offer a choice of 350 whiskies – at least. These will also rotate so members will have a varying choice from time to time.

“It would be boring to keep the same stock,” said Mullin.

Part of the whisky selection at the new Soho Whisky Club

The drams range from those directly behind the bar (priced from £3.95 to £5.95) all the way to extremely rare finds such as the 70-year 1940 Glenlivet, which will set you back an eye-watering £999.95 per shot. I have a feeling that one won’t be going anywhere too quickly.

Mullin told me he also hopes to have the opportunity to offer part shots – whereby members will be able to try a few ounces of a range of different whiskies for the price of one (instead of one 40ml shot at a time). This will provide the opportunity for someone to taste a variety of expressions without breaking the bank or his head (with a hangover).

Added to this, the Club will sell cigars which can be enjoyed on the splendid outdoor terrace – certainly a highlight of the setup. The terrace is fully enclosed by the surrounding taller buildings meaning it is not only a private location but also a quiet one, insulated from the noise of busy and brash Soho.

The outdoor terrace at the Soho Whisky Club

He said he hopes to get a mixed crowd – in the daytime, people who work in the nearby area or business people visiting from overseas; by night, whisky lovers from London and their friends. Each member will be able to bring up to three guests if they pre-book, as the space is a bit small – the only thing I would say might cause some issues in future if it becomes overly popular.

Membership costs £200 a year, which gets you access to the range of whiskies at a reduced price compared to what you’d pay in any of London’s whisky bars, along with tastings and the private space to relax in, hidden away in Soho.

It is a cozy, welcome addition to the growing number of outlets offering the whisky connoisseur a great place to try some drams that might not normally be available and a space where us whisky geeks can wax lyrical about our love for the drink.

The Soho Whisky Club – located at 42 Old Compton Street – will be holding its first members’ event on the 25th January in honour of dear Robbie Burns. Members can get 20% off drinks and canapes that evening in a first-off meet and greet. The Club’s new website will be going live soon and can be found here: www.sohowhiskyclub.com but anyone interested in membership can call the Vintage House on: 02074372592

 

 

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New Beginnings

November 10, 2011 in Uncategorized

Many people who love whisky will tell you they remember the first time they tried the “water of life” and fell for its beautiful charms.

The Milroy's shop on Greek Street (photo credit: Ewan-M)

This happened to me one cold night in February nearly four years ago when I headed to a tasting at what was then, to me, an unknown shop on Greek Street called Milroy’s of Soho. I didn’t really want to go, having never liked whisky before and finding myself still reeling from memories of a night in my past when I drank too much of a cheap bottle of Grant’s. So, it came as a great surprise when, during the event, my taste buds suddenly decided to find a liking for the golden liquid. In fact, they liked it so much that I’ve never looked back. I am a true, tried and tested whisky lover.

Since that fateful night, Milroy’s has become my staple choice of venue and every Christmas (and often birthday) I head to the small shop and ask the knowledgeable staff if they have any recommendations for me to pick up.

So, when I was starting up this new site, I thought: what better way to launch something than to begin back at the beginning?

As such, I headed this week to a tasting at Milroy’s with Diageo’s brand ambassador Colin Dunn, who was there to talk about and dole out some drams of its special releases for 2011 including the Brora 32-year old and the now sold-out Port Ellen 32-year-old. A review of these, and the other five I tried that night, will be up soon in the reviews section of the site.

The aim of Miss Whisky is to get people who wouldn’t normally try whisky interested in taking the plunge like I did back in 2008. I want to reach out to a younger, fresh crowd – especially women – who will be keen to give it a go and develop a lifelong story with the drink. I will also tell the stories of other whisky lovers and make a special point to profile all the fantastic other ladies out there who already love the drink or who work in the industry, shedding a greater light on their role. Each month, a couple of profiles will go up of these lovely lasses under the “Whisky Women” category, found on the menu above. The first, Ms Cat Spencer from Albannach Bar, is profiled in the section now. Us women, do after all, love whisky – despite what many people seem to think!

I shall also be out and about in the whisky world as Miss Whisky, bringing you news from shows, events and tastings. You can follow my updates on Twitter, where I’m listed as @themisswhisky. Please feel free to follow and leave any feedback you have on the posts below.

And most importantly, if you have any ideas of things I should be covering or want me to review any of your drams, please do get in touch. I won’t pretend to be an expert, simply a lover – but I hope to bring a vibrant and sometimes cheeky, female approach to all things whisky.

Last but not least, I hope to make many a new beginning for people who’ve never tried whisky. After all, you always remember your first.

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