As part of my 10X10 celebration of ten years blogging, I teamed up with one of my favourite London bars for a cocktail collaboration. We played around with the recipe for a classic ti punch, adding a touch of tikichris madness to make it truly something special. Head over to The Beachcomber Bar this weekend for a taste.
My cocktail – which I’ve called Isla de Encanta (after the killer song by The Pixies) – is kind of like a ti punch and a pina colada mash up with a few heavy handed dashes of absinthe poured in for good measure. In my humble opinion, it’s a well-balanced drink – not too sweet or pert but mouthwatering and very juicy.
The collaboration coincided nicely with London Cocktail Week. So earlier this week, The Beachcomber alongside the folks from Rhum Clément kindly hosted a friendly little session to launch my drink (which incorporates two of Clément’s agricole rums) and have some ti punch tiki fun paired with snacks from the bar’s own Creole Kitchen. Guests got the chance to have a go at making their own signature ti punches with The Beachcomber bartenders, the Clément reps and me judging them on flavour, originality and balance.
Nik Speller won the night with his especially down-able and fruity Life’s a Peach creation.
My drink, Isla de Encanta, will be available through London Cocktail Week (ends 9 October) and maybe into the next week or so. Ask for the “tikichris special” when you go. Coming up after that for Rum Experience Week (12 to 18 October) is Nik’s winning drink, Life’s a Peach.
As for the actual recipe for Isla de Encanta, I’ll share the exact measurements in an upcoming post. It’s an easy drink to mix at home. All the ingredients are available at discerning spirits retailer, Amathus Drinks.
Big thanks to Amathus and Rhum Clément for generous support … to The Beachcomber for having such a laidback place to enjoy a fine drink … all the guests at the Ti Punch Tiki Party!
The Beachcomber is located at 86 Queensway W2 3RR. Find out more at thebeachcomber.co.uk.
