Birmingham, UK

COCKTAIL MASTERCLASS AT THE NEW BIRMINGHAM DIRTY MARTINI*


Last week I popped down to the brand spanking new Dirty Martini in Birmingham City Centre. I wasn't able to make it to the opening night the previous week and so I was very excited to see what it was like - I wasn't disappointed. The decor was a combination of sleek city sophistication mixed in with fun pops of colour and the occasional neon light. But I wasn't there to ooh and ahh over the interiors, I was there to make some cocktails!

Throughout my years I have sampled my fair share of cocktails, mostly Mojito's, Sex On The Beach's, you know the usual. I'd also never really tried my hand at making my own other than throwing together a mix of spirits in the hope that it would get me drunk and not taste too horrendous at the same time. It's fair to say I'm a complete novice when it comes to cocktail making and so when I was asked to participate in a class I jumped at the chance.



The class started with popping us behind the bar and giving us a run down of what's what. I'd not been behind a bar before so I was actually quite surprised at just how much is going on over there. Between tiny sinks, ice, chopped fruits, and various utensils there was still enough room to make some fab drinks, and that's exactly what we would be doing next.

The first cocktail we made was called 'Grace's Secret' and no it's not named after me unfortunatly, it is one of three Peaky Blinders cocktails made especially for the Birmingham branch of Dirty Martini. You can't get these cocktails anywhere else, and they are only available until the 31st of May! Grace's Secret is a beautiful blend of Langley's Old Tom Gin, Briottet Creme De Fraise, and Lillet Blanc, these are mixed up with rose syrup, lemon juice, egg white, and delicious fresh strawberries. In between throwing various ingredients around and spilling most of the booze I actually managed to make a very tasty cocktail, one of the tastiest I've probably had in a long while. Although I'm no expert when it comes to drinks, I'd give it a firm 5/5!



The second cocktail we were to make was 'The Tommy Shelby' which is another exclusive Peaky Blinders cocktail. This snazzy little drink includes the staple Langley's Old Tom Gin, Courvoisier VS Cognac, Bold Aperitif, Belsazer Vermouth mixed in with peach syrup, lemon juice, egg white, and a dash of Dandelion and Burdock Bitters. I mostly avoided spilling the ingredients this time and I even managed to shake it up reasonable well too, although I could not do this for a living! It is bloody hard work mixing up cocktails and I take my hat off to the bartenders that do this night after night! So what did I think of The Tommy Shelby? Delicious! Really really tasty and a close second to the previous pink beauty.



We didn't get chance to try 'The Garrison' which is the last of the three Peaky Blinders drinks, but it has the same Langley's Old Tom Gin as a base so I have no doubt it tastes just a good as the others - as for the rest of the menu, well there are loads of other drinks, and even nibbles too, so I guess I'll just have to pop back and try them all another time!

What is your all time favourite cocktail?


Thanks for reading!


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* The cocktail masterclass was complimentary however all opinions are my own.

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