Wine Cocktail Mingle!

Last night, I attended the Wine Cocktail Mingle at Relish Restaurant, Victoria Plaza.

It was organized by Massive Dynamics [www.massivedynamics.co.ke], a company that has quite a lot of experience in the event industry in the UK and Ghana. Previously, in Kenya, they had successfully organized the Nederburg wine tasting.

So, at the event they featured 5 wine cocktails; Red Wine Sangria, White Wine Sangria, Mulled Wine(hot), White Wine Spritzer and Calimocho.  To be honest, I was quite pleasantly surprised with them. I had prepared a Sangria for my Christmas party but it was nowhere near to the ones I had at the event. The cocktails were very flavorful, and all had a fruity undertone.

My personal favorite was the White wine Sangria. As soon as I had tasted it, I was thoroughly impressed! There was a lime-y flavor in there that really piqued my curiosity. What was the secret ingredient? Well, as they say, It’s a secret…

“I liked the Red Sangria because it wasn’t too sweet, It wasn’t too spicy. The mulled wine was like Fanta orange with spices” –Nzsia

“I really liked the Mulled Wine because it puts me in the Christmas mood. It is very popular in Europe” –Jenny

“A sangria is different everywhere you go” –Mary

I found that the majority prefer more of the wine taste in their cocktails “otherwise it just tastes like juice”. For this reason, people kept going back for the Calimocho which had some doubting whether or not it really was a cocktail.

“I’m always up for trying new things. I actually don’t have a particular drink I always order” - Terry

People had rather mixed emotions about the event. Due to the restaurant setting, some felt like it discouraged mingling and that they should have instead opted for a standing, cocktail party like setting.

“The cocktail setting is important because some come with their families and you don’t know who is who” -Vie

“The décor and ambience was awesome because such things like wine, they need an ambience where people can savor them; the music, the service… It’s perfect.”  -Mwai

The cocktails were served in a glass and brought to your table one at a time starting with the red wine sangria.

One of the guests, Kay, expected a stall like setup where one would walk up to different tables and could get some information about the particular cocktail, then proceed to taste it. There was a general consensus about the lack of proper labeling and food pairings such as cheeses or cold meats.

“They brought the hot one, then the cold one” -Doreen

“All of them tasted the same after the first one because there was no in between” -Pauline

Every body had strong opinions and interesting perspectives on the cocktails and the event, but, all in all, it was a great time where we got to try something new with great company.

I am thoroughly looking forward their next event.

The recipe for the Mulled Wine is coming up soon…

Cuban’s For Christmas!

This one is for one of my good friends Ragni :D (ragzzxx.tumblr.com/) Check it out

On my search for a simple cocktail I could whip up whenever people dropped by this festive season, I came across a recipe for a Brandy Cuban. 

What’s really great about this recipe is that you can make a variety of cocktails just by changing the liquor involved… for example, substitute brandy for rum and make a Cuba Libre!

-> 2-3 ice cubes

-> 1.5 measures Brandy

-> Juice of 1/2 a lime

-> Coke, to top up

Place the ice cubes into a glass and pour over the brandy and lime juice. Stir vigorously to mix then add coke.

Ragni I hope you like this one :D It’s pretty simple and isn’t brandy just the perfect thing for Christmas?

However, If it’s cold where you are, follow for an Irish Coffee recipe