Tapas, sashimi, smorgasbords… whether you love or loathe to share your food, the current trend for sharing plates is borne out of the joy that comes from a meal that is, quite literally, shared with friends. But why stop with what you’re eating? As with all foodie trends that last longer than a fortnight, sharing has made its natural evolution into the world of drinks. Enter: The Spirits Sharing Series.
The series is all about group feasting, and so pairs jugs, pitchers and bottles of easy-to-make-but-totally-
We were invited to the Social Pantry in Clapham – café by day and supper club by night – to taste the whole lot. Alex Head created a five-course seasonal feast, each platter paired with a group-order of cocktail dreamt up by Carl Brown, the man responsible for Presidency Punch, Bollybellini and all the other tempting cocktails on Dishoom’s bar menu. With drinks as delicious as these, he’s probably also responsible for a fair number of sore heads each morning.
To start, we had our senses woken up by a dangerously spicy Gordon’s Bloody Mary, which was paired with brunch bites of cured mackerel, asparagus ribbons and pork crackling. The Smirnoff Citrusy Punch (with a kick of lemon sherbert) was a particular favourite, as was the sea bass ceviche supper it was served with.
A Captain Morgan Spiced Rum Fizzy Cobbler came next, followed by a dazzlingly-hued Tanqueray Green Juice Martini.
The Mediterranean feast of Greek lamb with orzo had us all stuffed, but desperate to squeeze more in. Luckily, there was more to come in the form of a Baileys Chocolat Luxe Milk Punch, paired with hot cross bun cheesecake; the perfect Easter treat.
As the weather cheers up and the bank holidays roll on, it’s the ideal time to invite everyone over for a pitcher and platter. Recipes for all Carl’s cocktails can be found here at thebar.com, and Alex’s edible accompaniments are coming soon to his blog.
Enjoy!
We The Food Snobs x
