Taste at Home – Cocktails from The Suburbs, in the actual Suburbs #Blog

Victoria Hayes
1st October 2020

Introducing “Taste at Home”…

It’s scary out there, no question, so for a little while we are happy to spend some time trying and tasting the very best of Cheshire’s food and drink options in a different venue…our homes. 

No one wants to feel like they are missing out, and we certainly missed the fabulous dining out experiences in our fair county during lockdown. We have been making the most of them recently however as curfews and new rules seem to be appearing almost daily and the threat of local lockdown looms, we are on the hunt for new ways to support hospitality in our area.

Cheshire has a lot of great food to offer, just because we are under further restrictions doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy the gems of the local hospitality businesses. Many of our friends have started to do take away or collection options so you can still support the local community without having to leave the comfort of your own home.

We are on a mission to find the best of the best to recommend for you and so we begin this week with The Suburbs at Home Cocktail service.

Some things must still be marked. Birthdays, Anniversaries, Weddings, Saturdays…these events cannot go without a little notice and finding ways to celebrate them is getting harder and harder. This service seems like the perfect way to raise a sophisticated glass to something in the safety of your own home.

We gathered together a crack team of tasters, less than six, following all current Covid guidelines and raised a glass or two on your behalf.   

Let’s begin with how it works.  Pop to The Suburbs Website, Click the gold Take away button, select your day of the week menu and scroll down to the cocktail section (if you can manage to ignore the delicious food options you are a stronger person than I!!)

Add the bottled cocktails of your choice to the cart and at the checkout select the time and date you wish to collect and make payment. Simples.

All the cocktails are prepared fresh on the bar and a full list of ingredients & dietary information are available. All cocktails are served in 500ml bottles costing £20 each. That’s 5 recommended portions, a total bargain.

So What are the options and what did we recommend….

ESPRESSO MARTINI

In my opinion this is how coffee should always be served, “the notorious coffee with a kick, brewed with elegance”. This came with coffee beans to garnish and something we’ve learned is the importance of the shake to get that lovely foamy head on the top. 

Do you have a cocktail shaker, no? No worries, we used the shaker bottle Briony uses for her protein shakes! It worked perfectly. You could use an empty jam jar if you have one laying about. Part of the enormous fun of cocktails at home is having a go shaking them, we came up with our “shaker songs” to sing while shaking to ensure we shook it for long enough.

If you’re not a coffee fan, you aren’t going to love this, but you probably wouldn’t order it anyway! This is the cocktail for Zoom meetings and “working from home”.

MILE HIGH CLUB

The first thing to say is, Don’t let the colour put you off!!

We had no idea what to expect from this bluish green concoction and the description on the menu was little help… “Suburban Jukebox taster, see you on the other side”. 

This comes with Parma violets to garnish but since we aren’t fans and the menu says it contains “blue Apple” we decided on apple slices to garnish. This was sweet, fruity and absolutely scrumptious. The tonka bean in the recipe gives it a lush hint of vanilla without the sweetness and it’s completely moreish. This is the one for Friday night after working at home drinks, pre drinks for the kitchen rave.

SUBURBS SANGRIA

Ok, I have to be honest. This is not really what I recognise as Sangria, and having an actual Spaniard on our tasting team, we can confirm that the Spanish would not call this Sangria either; however they and I would call it an “properly luscious cocktail”.

This lighter floral take on Sangria is to be drunk sat on your patio in what little sunshine you can find with your eyes closed pretending you are on a desert island with a gorgeous waiter or waitress bringing you beautiful drinks. We attempted to add to this feeling by adding fun paper decorations to our glasses! 

Escapism in a glass has never been more welcome. Thoroughly recommend.

MARGARTIA

Speaking of escapism. Is there a drink that says holiday more than a Margie?

Fresh, zesty, citrusy this is the gringo to bring to the party! So break out some spicy snacks for your family and give this a whirl, make your Sofa, South America this Saturday. 

This is the ultimate refresher, Sipping margaritas at home can make the world a much happier place.

SUBURBS NEGRONI

Sweet and refreshing with robust bitter under notes, full of flavour.

Choosing the right gin can make or break a Negroni and The Suburbs have selected American Brooklyn Gin to cleanse your palate. 

This is the perfect cocktail to wipe away the feeling you can taste the hand sanitiser you used so much in the day.

This tastes incredible and how nice to have a little class in a glass come sun-downer time.

SMOKE IN THE CITY

A Suburban classic twist on the famous cosmopolitan, the twist being Hickory smoked vodka.

I would have called it Sex and The Suburbs. This is an elevated cocktail, we would say it’s a dinner cocktail.

Not one to throw back, one to sip with sophistication over dinner with the one you want to have “smoke” with. 

Snag this cocktail for a date night in your dining room. Light some candles and enjoy the enticing savoury sweet.

Taste Cheshire Tasting Team had the most wonderful evening with these scrumptious well prepared cocktails and the at home experience was relaxing and so much fun.

This is a five star Taste at Home experience and we thoroughly recommend it.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️