Pisco Sour Week – nothing to be bitter about

You may or may not be aware that it’s currently London’s first ever Pisco Sour Week, a city-wide celebration of (arguably) Peru’s most delectable export. The week-long festival follows in the footsteps of the National Pisco Sour day, which is celebrated throughout Peru on the first Saturday of February.

Unearthed food and wine matching

My personal’wow moment’ of the evening was when I tried the New Zealand Greywacke Sauvignon Blanc with Four to Eight’s delectable Fontina Arancini (cheese and rice ball, fried in breadcrumbs). The scent from the glass was divine – Patrick described it as having notes of lime, saffron, fennel and nectarine – and teaming the fresh, fragrant wine with the rich, cheese-stuffed arancini was – forgive the cliché – a match made in heaven

Three Dessert Wines

There’s no more pleasurable way to round off a successful dinner than with the aromas and taste of a deluxe drop of honey-sweet wine. We take a look at three gems, each with something a little different to offer.                                          

East London Liquor Company – Discovering Drinks in the East

The East London Liquor Company. What a place to visit! A two still distillery, encased in glass as the centrepiece of an incredibly cool bar.Yes it’s East, yes it’s next to a canal, yes its industrial chic, the barman has a beard and the head distiller wears trendy spectacles. Blah blah blah, insert hipster joke here. Still, for all hipsters and non-hipsters alike, it’s worth the ‘journey’ east.

Beat the January Blues with Burgers in Brockwell Lido

Sitting by the window as the cold Winter sunlight burnt through, shimmering off the cobalt and chlorine-hued water of the pool; the air full of roasting coffee beans and the shrieks of nearby children, Emma was almost convinced that she on holiday and not by Brockwell Lido testing out their January burger and beer deal.

Shaken Cocktails – Become champion of the bar in your own home

Everything is available on subscription these days and I do mean everything. Coffee, razors, beer – life’s essentials.

All of these services offer a hassle free delivery of a commodity product and a hassle free extraction of cash from your bank account. It’s a ‘life hack’. An efficiency saving. One more thing to tick from the never-ending to-do list.

Eventually, offering a commodity, these services falter. A freezer full of granules, a bathroom cabinet full of unused shaving foam, a waistline billowing over your belt. And I’m paying for this ‘privilege’?!

Shaken Cocktails is one of a growing number of subscription services aiming to offer something different from this cupboard full of essentials.