Tasting Mezcal, cocktails at The Booking Office and an appointment at Danger of Death

Things we’re looking forward to this week…

Thank goodness for the Bank Holiday, at least it gave us a well deserved break. Still, it’s back to business as usual come this evening when we’ll be making a long overdue visit to the Booking Office bar housed in our favourite redevelopment – the gothic beauty that is the St. Pancras Renaissance hotel. Having lived in the area for much of the transformation, we can’t wait to sit back with a few top notch drinks to reward ourselves for the years of upheaval…

Wednesday is another new bar at another fantastic addition to London’s hotel offering: the Bassoon Bar at the recently opened Corinthia Hotel. David Collins, he of the spectacular spaces at The Connaught and Artesian has waved his magic wand yet again and come up with a formula even more theatrical than the aforementioned bars as this one is inspired by music. We can’t wait to try the drinks and particularly the food cocktails from three times Michelin-starred chef, Garry Hollihead.

Thursday  starts early-ish with a Mezcal tasting at Purl with Pierde Almas, a small batch artesian Mezcal from Mexico. Having just got to grips with tequila, it’ll be interesting to see how this fits in to the mix. Whatever happens, we’ll be keeping a clear head as later in the evening we’ll be drinking with the CASK Liquid Marketing guys. Their portfolio includes Ocho tequila, Merlet cognac and liqueurs, Vestal vodka, Elements Eight rum and Kigo Shochu, so good times are very much on the cards. No pressure Stuart…

And then it’s Friday, time for a little visit to the rather scary sounding Danger of Death, before retiring to Cocktail Towers for a quiet weekend.

Words to the wise:

Mezcal (the one with the worm)
“Although an agave-based spirit, mezcal does not come specifically from the designated tequila area, and it is made from a variety of agaves, rather than just the blue agave. Mezcals tend to have a smokier flavour than tequila due to the roasting of the agave (agave for tequila is oven-baked) and are distilled only once, therefore tending to be unregulated and decidedly harsher. There  are, however, a few small-batch ‘single-village’ producers that produce good quality mezcals.”

Ultimate Bar Book – The Comprehensive Guide by Mittie Hellmich, 2006

Bassoon at The Corinthia Hotel, Whitehall Place, SW1A 2BD. T: 020 7930 8181
Booking Office Bar, St. Pancras Renaissance London Hotel, Euston Road, NW1 2AR. T: 020 7841 3540
Danger of Death, 202 Brick Lane, E1 6SA. T: 020 7065 6806
Purl, 50-54 Blandford Street, W1U 7HX. T: 020 7935 0835