One of our summery original creations – Cool As A Cucumber

The brief was to come up with a unique selection of light and summery original cocktails crafted from fresh seasonal ingredients. The drinks needed to be inspiring and beautiful, but they also needed to be made easily and in large quantities at events. Balancing practical considerations to allow easy construction with the creation of great flavours and stunning looks was key. A nitrogen cavitation infusion technique was used in several of the drinks to create amazingly delicate flavours quickly and in advance.

‘It’s wonderful to work with a team like Twist London. Each season we ask them to develop a cocktail list that is innovative, inventive and of course delicious! Every time they go above and beyond. This year Tim wowed us with his rapid spirit infusions and fun cocktail foams, ” comments Molly Ronan, Director of Blue Strawberry.

We had a lot of fun working on this project. Actually we got quite carried away and we came up with twice as many cocktails as originally planned. We’re really happy with the results. Now all we need is some summer!

Check out the recipe for Cool As A Cucumber on the Blue Strawberry blog.

Join us at the Clerkenwell Kitchen during the award winning Clerkenwell Design Week from 21-22 May.  We’ll be at the acclaimed organic, sustainable eatery every evening, 6pm-10pm, serving up a selection of delicious bottled cocktails.

What’s The Bottle Bank?

Great cocktails for a fiver, that’s what! And you can forget about your run-of-the-mill tipples. Our bottled cocktails have been dreamed up by Twist’s award-winning mixologists and are blended to perfection. Classic spirits mingle with tongue-tingling flavours to rescue you from cocktail mediocrity. They are perfect if you’re on the run between CDW talks, activities or workshops or if you’re in the area and fancy a uniquely creative and refreshing bottled experience!

Do I have to be part of Clerkenwell Design Week to visit?

 By jingo, no! Come down and experience these bottled delights. But you will get a discount if you flash a Clerkenwell Design Week badge.

Finally, some more about CDW 2013

Now in its third year Clerkenwell Design Week has established itself as the UK’s leading independent design festival and one of the most acclaimed trade events on the international design calendar, winning Best Festival and Best Cultural Event at the UK Event Awards.

For more details about CDW 2013 visit http://www.clerkenwelldesignweek.com/

Or subscribe to the CDW 2013 Twitter feed: @Clerkenwell2013

Tuck in to the world’s first truly alcoholic ice cream
Grab a taste of Twisted Ice Cream Cocktails at our pop-up parlour in Covent Garden.

We served hot gin toddy at the last Seven Dials shopping night in November. But with Spring in the air and a scorching Summer just around the corner (well, we can but hope!), this time we’ll be treating you to our very own alcoholic ice cream and delicious home-made “hard” lemonade using Professor Cornelius Ampleforth’s Bathtub Gin at the Twisted Ice Cream Cocktail Parlour. Launched at London Cocktail Week last year, the Twisted Ice Cream Cocktails are a world first – a deliciously indulgent soft scoop ice cream with a devilishly boozy kick. Come and give them a try!

There will be plenty going on with the whole of Seven Dials closed to traffic for a night of shopping, entertainment, drinks and food. Download a complimentary shopping ticket to get a 20% discount at over 120 stores and venues.

Other highlights on the night include 200 luxury goodie bags worth £50 for MasterCard cardholders spending over £100 at participating stores across Seven Dials and St Martin’s Courtyard; the Seven Dials village Phone Box Photo booth; live performances from vintage singing duo ‘Verity and Violet’ in St Martin’s Courtyard and an acoustic set on the Dial.

With your shopping urge sated, you can nibble at food stalls including gourmet British nosh specialists What The Dickens and Eat My Pies. There will be complimentary Bloom Gin cocktails from the St Martin’s Courtyard pop-up bar, and Moscow Mules, G&Ts and Dark & Stormys from the award-winning Fever-Tree Botanical Bicycle, whose award-winning mixers are made from aromatic botanicals sourced from some of the most remote, beautiful and dangerous regions in the world.  You can also enjoy free Pimms, retro sweeties, popcorn and candy floss from the Seven Dial’s vintage tricycles and stalls.

Where? Outside 14 Shorts Gardens, Seven Dials, Covert Garden

 When? 30th May, 5-9pm

More information…

Get Twitter updates on the event @7DialsWC2 or @twistlondon

Register for your free shopping ticket at www.sevendials.co.uk.

60ml Courvoisier Exclusif
15ml Tuaca
10ml buttered spice syrup*
1 whole egg
approx. 10 raisins
lemon zest, nutmeg & an amaretto biscuit for garnish

Combine all the liquid ingredients except the egg to a shaker glass, muddle the fruit then add the whole egg. Give it a very hard dry shake (without ice), then add ice and shake it again before double-straining into a chilled coupe glass. Grate some lemon zest and nutmeg onto the drink and serve with an amaretto biscuit. Happy Easter!

*Buttered Spice Syrup

4 sticks cinnamon
3 tsp. ground nutmeg
5g sliced fresh ginger
1 star anise
5 cloves
1 scored vanilla pod
1 tablespoon melted butter (optional)
300g sugar
250ml water

Combine all except the butter in a pan and simmer lightly for 15-20 minutes. Remove from the heat and strain thoroughly. I use a muslin straining bag and do a couple of passes. You’ll still get a few speckles of spice through the syrup but I quite like this. Once it’s strained add the melted butter, give it a really good mix and then transfer to a clean sealable bottle- it will separate so remember to shake before you use it!

Simnel Cake is traditionally eaten around Easter and Passover, and is a spiced fruit cake with odd little Marzipan balls on top which are supposed to represent the disciples and of course Mr C himself. It’s origins are debated, it either comes from the Latin “similia” for the fine flour used (boring), or named after a 10 year old who after impersonating Earls and Kings was given a job in the Royal Kitchens (not so dull but not so likely either), or some twaddle about a couple of bickering parents named Simon and Nell who disagreed how to make a pudding after Lent. One wanted to bake, one wanted to boil, they had a fight & broke some furniture then compromised and did both using the broken wood for the fire. Even less likely, but who cares? I like this story best.

These days, it tends to be made on Mothering Sunday or Easter Sunday, and is simply a baked spiced fruit cake with marzipan. Tasty as a cake, better as a cocktail!

One website writing about the history of the cake led with the fact that it’s an anagram  of Anemic Elks. Inspiring.

The hip Turkish resort of Alacati is the venue for a week of cocktail making, fun and relaxation. Enjoy a Cocktail Masterclass each day, with the 6 day program including the history behind cocktail making, the fundamental principles of mixology and plenty of coaching in the practical techniques you need to mix a fantastic drink.

We’ll be staying at the lovely Katre Boutique hotel, which overlooks the turquoise waters of Alaçatı Bay. Alaçatı is a charming former Greek town on the Cesme Peninsular on Turkey’s Aegean Coast. It has become Turkey’s trendiest summer destination in recent years and has great bars, restaurants and nightlife. Aside from the cocktail making classes, there will be plenty of time for exploring, swimming, water sports or just soaking up the warm sun by the pool each day.

Learn to mix cocktails like the best on our 1 week Masterclass in the Turkish Sun

For more details contact us now:
Tel: 0208 1500052    reservations@twistlondon.com

Fireside Nip

• 60ml FEW Rye Whiskey
• 25ml Grahams 20yr Old Tawny Port
• 5ml Maple Syrup
• Adam Elmegirab’s Teapot Bitters

Stir in a mixing glass full of cubed ice and strain into a chilled coupe. Squeeze a lemon twist over the surface of the drink then discard.

Fireside Nip – a perfect winter warmer cocktail

Having scooped the Luxardo Masters of Maraschino prize a few months back we’re quietly confident it will repeat the success of “Loves Rival”, Tim’s lip-smacking original cocktail that was published in the cocktail guru Regan’s Best New Cocktails of 2012.

“Gaz is an industry legend and a real personal hero of mine, so to have one of my cocktails published for the second year running would be a massive honour,” says Tim.

Twist London cocktail shortlisted for Gaz’s 2013 guide

Ethically sourced, fairly traded – everything on the chalk board menu comes from small independent suppliers and producers around the world, including the wine and spirits.

Oh, and the staff are all wonderful too – we helped recruit them, so we should know!

Visit Fairly Square at 51 Old Lion Street, London

Rose Carrarini and her husband Jean-Charles set up the original Rose Bakery, a small restaurant, shop and bakery, near the Gare du Nord in Paris in 2002. Serving fresh, simple and healthy food, they have become something of a global phenomenon with branches of Rose Bakery in London, Paris, Tokyo, Seoul and Tel Aviv.

The book has some great recipes, as well as the basics… definitely worth a read!

'How To Boil An Egg’ book launch with Twist London

Twist London is a Living Wage Employer

Over 100 employers from every sector are now accredited as paying a living wage which means that 45,000 families have been lifted out of poverty. The Living Wage Employer mark both recognises and celebrates the commitment made by these employers.

The Living Wage is calculated annually by the Centre for Research in Social Policy for the UK and by the Greater London Authority for London according to the basic cost of living. Employers choose to pay the Living Wage, which is currently £8.55 per hour in London and £7.45 in the rest of the country, on a voluntary basis. The Living Wage enjoys cross party support, with public backing from the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition.

Paying the Living Wage is good for our employees and for society – but it is also great for our clients and our business, as it helps ensure that we find and keep the very best staff. Generally, Living Wage employers report improved morale, lower turn over of staff, reduced absenteeism, increased productivity and improved customer service – so it’s win, win all round!

Apple Spiced Gin Tea Toddy

We served this fantastic winter warmer at the Few Spirits Street Easy Cart at the Seven Dials festive shopping night. The recipe below is enough to quench 4 thristy souls.

Dispensing seasonal cheer from the Few Spirits Street Easy Cart

•  200ml FEW American Gin
• 120ml Apple Spiced Tea (Dried apple pieces, cardamom, clove, cinnamon & black pepper)
• 1 teaspoon Coriander Seeds
• 60ml lemon juice
• 50ml sugar syrup
• 2 cinnamon sticks

First brew the Apple Spiced Tea for 5 minutes, (you can buy this or make your own to taste if you’ve got time), then strain into a saucepan on medium heat. Add the remaining ingredients and heat until piping hot. Serve in tea cups with a twist of lemon zest and a stick of cinnamon.

Ginger Spiced Old Fashioned

• 60ml Four Roses Small Batch Bourbon
• 15ml Ginger Spiced Syrup*
• 4 Dashes Dr Heather Duncan’s Christmas Bitters
• Cinnamon stick & star anise to garnish

Combine all the liquid ingredients in a mixing glass and add plenty of good ice cubes. Stir 15-20 times (to taste) and strain into an old fashioned glass with a large ice block. Garnish with a cinnamon stick and balance a whole star anise on the rim of the glass.

* Ginger Spiced Syrup

• 750g unrefined cane sugar
• 750ml water
• 400g fresh root ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
• 5 cinnamon sticks
• 5 star anise (whole)
• 1 tsp ground nutmeg
• 20g green cardamom pods
• 10 black peppercorns
• 20ml lemon juice (optional)
• 20ml Bourbon – high proof (optional)

Lightly crack the peppercorns and the cardamom pods, then combine all ingredients (except lemon juice) in a pan over a low heat, and bring to simmering point. Stir regularly and simmer for an hour. Allow to cool to room temperature before fine-straining the ingredients, then transfer into a clean bottle and keep refrigerated. The syrup lasts for 2 weeks in the fridge – to increase the life add some lemon juice and high proof Bourbon once cooled.

The Smokey Ol’ Scribe
20ml Vintage Maraschino Liqueur (approx 1975)
25ml VEP Yellow Chartreuse
25ml Del Maguey Tobala (Wild Mountain) Mezcal
25ml Fresh Lime Juice
10ml My Black Pepper Syrup*
15ml Egg White
Spritz Dandelion & Burdock Bitters

Spritz the inside of a chilled coupe with the bitters using an atomiser.
Dry shake all the ingredients except bitters, then shake again with cubed ice. Double strain into a prepared chilled coupe. To garnish, prepare a long twist of lemon & lime and curl tightly.

* Black Pepper Syrup
200ml Water
200g White Sugar
40g Black Peppercorns
5g Cardamom pods (cracked)
5g Coriander Seeds
10ml Balkan 176 Vodka
15ml Lemon Juice

Bring the water to the boil, then crack the peppercorns, cardamom & coriander and add to the water. Simmer for 30 minutes then remove from heat. Once the pot is cool to the touch strain the peppercorns and discard. Return the spice-infused water to the pan and bring it up to a gentle simmer. Add the sugar and remove from heat and stir until dissolved.
When the syrup has cooled, add the vodka and lemon juice and bottle the syrup in an airtight container.

Below are some of our favourite themes…

Tim Robinson mixing up a storm in a Twist Cocktail Masterclass

Classic Cocktails

The golden era of the American cocktail. Learn how to make an Old Fashioned, a Manhattan, a Sazerac, a Sour, a Smash, a Julep, a Flip, Punches & many other wonderful libations!

Molecular Mixology

Let the Mad Scientist in you break free with our introduction to the wonderful and sometimes weird world of Molecular Mixology. Think Heston Blumenthal but with cocktails! You’ll learn how to create or enhance cocktails using foams, gels, smoke and caviars… This is the cutting edge of cocktail design, and we’re here to guide you!

Modern Marvels

People are raving about the new Golden Age of Cocktails. The craft bartenders of today are more talented and more creative than ever before. We now have an incredible arsenal of spirits, mixers, seasonal fruit and flavours with which to create incredible drinks. This Masterclass focuses on the exceptional cocktails of the modern age, while encouraging you to create your own variations along the way.

Spirit–Based Masterclasses

What’s your favourite tipple? We can tailor the class around any base spirit. We’ll cover cocktails of course, but we’ll also give you a solid grounding in production methods, the differences between brands and a guide to tasting the spirit itself.

General Information

All of our classes begin with a bit of background information and history while we get you mixing your first drink, so you’ll be able to bluff your way around any bar or cocktail party with confidence!

We’ll show you how to shake, stir, muddle and speed pour. Depending on the group size each of the guests will make (and drink) at least 3 cocktails, guided effortlessly all the way by our fun, charismatic and industry-leading cocktail experts. Bar snacks and soft drinks can be provided to ensure everyone can make it to the end of the session without keeling over. We provide all the ingredients and equipment you need, so you can just turn up ready to soak it up!

Prices start from £35 per person for a 2-hour class.

If you’d like additional catering, or if you’d like to integrate one of our Masterclasses into an upcoming event please don’t hesitate to get in touch. We provide full event solutions, from mobile bars to flair bartenders, from canapés to sit-down dinners, from champagne receptions to molecular exhibition cocktails.

It was great to work with David Simms again having collaborated at the Event Oracle pop up restaurant at the Lapada Arts & Antiques Fair in the summer. David’s innovative and dynamic catering company, Kendal & Simms, provided an amazing evening for over 300 guests at a ‘Shoreditch-chic’ themed launch party for Central Working and Barclays. There were inspirational canapés and a fantastic smoking lollipop and dessert buffet, all complimented by Blue Foam Margaritas (back to disco drinks – yes!) courtesy of our expert bar staff. Take a look here!

Shoreditch-chic event for Central Working & Barclays

We’ve been running lots of cocktail masterclasses at private parties, office dos and festive gatherings. Find out more about the Twist cocktail masterclasses.

Twist London staff also appeared at Selfridges, Tiffany’s, Superdry, the New York Stock Exchange, Vinopolis, Il Bottaccio, Burberry, Hugo Boss, as well as events for the RAF and countless galleries. Oh, and Aston Martin.

Things are hotting up for the festive season so if you want to make a booking contact us now.

Visit us in Seven Dials, Covent Garden tomorrow evening (29 November) for a hot gin toddy at the Few Spirits Street Easy Cart (outside 51 Neal Street). Part of the Seven Dials festive shopping night, presented by MasterCard and in association with the London Evening Standard, the whole area will be closed to traffic with lots of free nibbles, sounds and activities in the streets and shops from 5-9pm, 29 November.

You can get full details and register for a 20% off shopping voucher valid at 120 stores and venues in Seven Dials & St Martin’s Courtyard on the Seven Dials website.

Let the festive shopping madness begin! Get 20% off at the Seven Dials Shopping Night