Category Archives: Drink

Head for the Heel | Magical Matera

Expect to hear lots about Matera this year, as it begins a prestigious reign as 2019 European Capital of Culture, the first place in southern Italy given that honour. Continue reading

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The Oystermen Seafood Bar & Kitchen

Heading over to The Oystermen for a friendly lunch earlier this week, I found the year and a half old eatery to be doing an even tastier job than before with an updated and broadened – but still exquisitely simple – menu. Continue reading

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Talking about Indonesian Food and More with Chef Budiono Bin Sukim | #TCTalks 59

For the 59th episode of tikichris Talks, I have a coffee with Indonesian born chef, Budiono Bin Sukim. Continue reading

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Lucky 13

2019 is the 13th anniversary of tikichris.com. I’m marking the seemingly inauspicious milestone with Lucky 13: a yearlong miniseries about 13 places to eat and drink that helped shape and define what I love about the London food and drink … Continue reading

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Good Stuff #83

Good stuff and lots of it! Here’s the low down on some fine things to see, sip, savour and more – all of which I’ve recently come across and thought were worth sharing with you. Enjoy. Continue reading

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The Connaught Bar Gin

The Connaught Bar at The Connaught Hotel in Mayfair has launched its own gin, crafted and distilled in house to commemorate the 10th anniversary of this luxurious award-winning bar. Yet another London-made gin on the market? Yeah, I known. There’s … Continue reading

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The Lebanese Bakery, Covent Garden

Just over half-a-year old the London branch (and only other outlet) of  The Lebanese Bakery does a steady trade offering a menu of manousheh (flatbreads) and mouajjanet (“bite sized bakes”) to a mix of customers in its tidy Russell Street eatery with open kitchen and giant oven in full view. Continue reading

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Sherry Christmas

Tis the season for a tipple. I reckon sherries are among the most suitable and satisfying drinks for yearend festivities and winter recollections. Continue reading

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Shaun Caleb, Master Distiller at El Dorado | #TCTalks Episode 55

Shaun Caleb, Master Distiller of El Dorado Rum, takes time out of his busy day in Guyana to speak with me about his job working for one of the worlds first premium rums and explains what sets it apart from the competition. He also shares some top tips on how best to enjoy El Dorado during your Christmas and New Years celebrations. Continue reading

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One More Cup of My Coffee with Melitta

I hope you’ve enjoyed reading about my experiences making coffee with my Melitta CI Touch and that you’ve benefitted from info about choosing the right coffee kit for you and the coffee lovers in your life. I also hope you had fun with the couple of competitions I ran offering amazing Melitta products as prizes. Continue reading

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Win a Big Bag o’ Booze for Free

Out with the old and in with the new! But what’s old for me might be new to you. I’m clearing space in my liquor cabinet. And that’s especially good news for one lucky tikichris reader. Continue reading

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Best of the Best of 2018

Another year, another roundup of what made it exceptional! I’m back to share one more post in my Best of 2018 series with an index of the categories and links to all the posts. Continue reading

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Best Restaurants of 2018

There’s one list left in my Best of 2018 series, and it’s a doozy: best restaurants of the year! Continue reading

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Good Stuff #82

Good stuff and lots of it! Here’s the low down on some fine things to see, sip, savour and more – all of which I’ve recently come across and thought were worth sharing with you. Enjoy. Continue reading

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Best Cocktails of 2018

Let’s celebrate the Best of 2018 with a toast to the most amazing cocktails of the year. The most memorably delicious for me were enjoyed at bars in London, Oxford, and Pittsburgh. Continue reading

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Best Beer of 2018

I pour on with my Best of 2018 series to provide a heady brew of the tastiest beers I enjoyed during the past 12 months. Continue reading

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Maskelyne & Cooke Magic Bar at Le Meridien Piccadilly

Five-star luxury hotel, Le Meridien Piccadilly, pays homage to a pair of the early 20th century’s most celebrated magicians – John Nevil Maskelyne and George Alfred Cooke – with the launch of its new cocktail bar. Continue reading

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Best Burgers of 2018

Is there anything more satisfying than a big juicy burger? After compiling my list of the best burgers I had this year I’m having trouble coming up with ideas for foods I crave nearly as much. My Best of 2018 … Continue reading

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Win a Bottle of El Dorado 12 Year Old Rum

Guyanese premium rum producer, El Dorado uses regionally grown Demerara sugarcane to make some of the world’s most interesting and delicious rum. If you love a spirit with warm character and balance tropical notes, you need to taste El Dorado 12 Year Old. Continue reading

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Best Pizza of 2018

My Best of 2018 series rolls on with my recs on where to eat the tastiest pizzas in London and beyond. Pizzerias in Milan, Edinburgh, Frankfurt and Cleveland made the cut, with the Cleveland pizzerias particularly wowing my palate. Continue reading

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Best Breakfasts and Brunches of 2018

Welcome back to the Best of 2018. Here’s a plateful of hearty recommendations for breaking fast in London and elsewhere, and in this case elsewhere means San Antonio and the Texas Hill Country, Dublin, Edinburgh, Milan and Hiroshima.
Continue reading

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Best Cafes of 2018

Excellent coffee is crucial, particularly when I’m travelling. Having comfortable places to drink it is a big deal too. So are competent and affable baristas. If you can throw in reliable WiFi and an outlet to keep my laptop and phone charged while I drink coffee, you’re golden. This list of three London espresso bars and six more in Chattanooga (Tennessee), Greenville (North Carolina), Köln, Liverpool, Pittsburgh, and Zurich met all my requirements and shined the brightest for me in 2018. Continue reading

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My Coffee with Melitta | Win an AromaFresh Grind & Brew Coffee Maker

Continuing to share My Coffee with you, I’ve teamed up with Melitta for one more giveaway competition offering one lucky tikichris reader the chance to win an AromaFresh Grind & Brew coffee machine. Continue reading

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Best Hotels of 2018

Next up in my Best of 2018 series is a short list of hotels that impressed me most. I took rooms in lots of hotels over the course of 2018. Most were perfectly fine, and I would be cool with … Continue reading

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Magician Tony “Sonic” Middleton | #TCTalks Episode 51

Here’s an interview with magician and theatre producer Tony “Sonic” Middleton about how he got into magic, his shows around London and his involvement with the soon-to-open Maskelyne and Cooke magic bar at Le Meridien Piccadilly. Continue reading

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New Series on Amazon Prime: The Three Drinkers

The Three Drinkers, a new Amazon Prime travel series, has launched with a four-part season about Scotch whisky.  Continue reading

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Best of 2018

As 2018 draws to an end, I would like to share its highlights with a year-end roundup of the best food, drink, and travel related treats that I came across over the past 12 months. Continue reading

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Monsieur Le Duck

If birds of a feather flock together, London gastronomes who favour the flavours of southwestern France are sure to find each other flying in and waddling out of Monsieur Le Duck on Brushfield Street. Continue reading

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Halo Burger Launches at Pop Brixton

Plant-based burger joint, Halo Burger, has launched in London with a outlet at cargo container retail village, Pop Brixton. Continue reading

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Drink Wine, Support a Bicycle, Change a Life with Nederburg’s Qhubeka Project

Nederburg, South Africa’s acclaimed winery, believes in giving back … and in the power of bicycles to change lives. We’ll drink to that! Continue reading

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Win a Christmas Tree Bottle Filled with Gingerbread Liqueur from Il Gusto

Just in time to help you have the merriest of Christmases, I’ve teamed up with Il Gusto one more time for another competition that’ll see one lucky tikichris reader win a Christmas tree-shaped bottle filled with gingerbread liqueur. Continue reading

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Vinegar Pies and Burgers Stacked High: The Most Delicious Side of Pittsburgh (Metro)

Pittsburgh had been on my radar for the past couple of years as an ever-improving dining destination, so I was glad to have the chance to see what the fuss was all about for myself. As I saw it, the food and drink scene was fiercely hyper local, with eateries concerned more about pleasing regulars than appealing to out-of-towners and destination diners. That said, showing up from foreign shores as I did, I was received with a warm welcome everywhere I ate, and each meal came with the feeling that I was not going to be allowed to leave unsatisfied. Indeed I never did. Continue reading

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Bronte Aurell of Scandi Kitchen | #TCTalks Episode 48

For episode 48 of tikichris Talks, I chat with Scandi Kitchen co-owner, Bronte Aurell. During our conversation at her café and shop near Oxford Circus, Bronte and I discuss the true meaning of hygge, how to enjoy a Scandinavian Christmas and what it’s like to be a proud immigrant. Continue reading

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Cointreau’s exclusive Designer Cocktails

Cointreau is helping us to celebrate the holiday season in style with their exclusive first Designer Cocktail series. The pioneer in crafted spirits has teamed up with four stars from the worlds of art, cuisine and fashion to create an array of contemporary recipes that put a cool new twist on classic tipples, promising to elevate any social gathering into a memorable special occasion. Continue reading

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8 Underrated Ideas to Elevate the Aesthetics of Home Bars

Just because it’s your home bar that doesn’t mean that it needs to be shabby, messy or unappealing. There are several décor ideas that you can use to upgrade the aesthetics of your home bar. Today, we have compiled a list of such underrated ideas to help you give your home bar that fancy and sophisticated appeal. These ideas are tried and tested and will give you much sought after results.
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