Cocktail Masterclass at The Botanist Chester #Blog
Briony Wilson
3rd October 2019
In my opinion not much beats a great cocktail. But I must confess when it comes to making my own drinks, I stick to the basic spirit and mixer. However hard I try, they never quite turn out the same as the pros manage. Maybe it’s the number of ingredients, maybe I’m to heavy handed with my pours, or maybe I’m just lazy. However, when given the opportunity to come try out the new cocktail masterclasses at The Botanist, we weren’t going to say no; perhaps we could pick up some tips…
Unlike many of the masterclasses I have been to in the past, at The Botanist they are much more informal, really about having giggle, picking some tips up long the way rather than a very informative evening about the methods of distilling and origin of peculiar ingredients. Don’t get me wrong the team are very knowledgeable and happy to share some of the trade secrets with you.
Upon arrival we were welcomed with our first drink of the night ‘The Botanist ‘– their signature cocktail made from Bacardi, Ketel One vodka, elderflower liqueur, red amaranth, mint and jasmine syrup. I was lucky enough to know what this one should taste like because it is already one of my favourites. Most of the cocktails on the menu are inspired by the science of plants and the team behind these amazing drinks have great fun concocting the perfect combination to wow the different senses. The Botanist never miss and trick, and every drink and plate comes with that additional garnish – it helps immerse you into the theatre of the place.
There were just 8 of us on the masterclass, but you can have bigger groups, making it ideal for birthdays, parties, hen dos or team building. Although we were 4 groups of strangers, we certainly had laugh, getting up in 4’s to try make the drinks ourselves and all the fun competitions, but we will get to that later.
Once everyone had arrived and enjoyed their first cocktail, we were introduced to Shaun; our lovely bartender and teacher for the evening. He gave us a little bit of background about the class and then showed us the first drink, shockingly another of my ‘Botanist favourites’ the Thai Chili Crush. I’ve been drinking this for some time and clearly have given up looking at the menu each time, as I did not realise how many ingredients go into this tasty drink; Tanqueray gin, Thai basil, red chilli, coconut purée, kaffir lime syrup with lemon and apple juice. Now I would recommend everyone gives this class try, so I am not going to ruin the surprise with a step by step guide to each drink – but I can definitely say you will have a laugh making this one and since you get to drink your attempt afterwards perhaps a tickly cough if you’re a bit heavy handed with the chilli.
Now we were getting the hang of stirring, muddling and pouring- well we like to think we were at least it was on to cocktail number two ‘The Botanist Pornstar’ – quite the twist on the usual interpretation of a Pornstar martini, sticking with bold fruity flavours of strawberry and citrus. Ingredients include; Ketel One vodka, sugar snap peas, rose sugar syrup, strawberry purée, passion fruit liqueur, Prosecco, pineapple and lemon juice. This was a new one to me, and it will be first on my list on my next visit, I am sure.
We finished off with the ultimate classic in my opinion – ‘The Mojito’ – a cocktail I have regularly attempted at home because there is no requirement for fancy equipment and yet they never taste the same – well, now we know the trade secret – ‘ the clap’. It releases the flavour of the mint. Now when our wonderful bar tender walked us through this one, he did it with style and finesse however this is where the competition came in to it for us. We were paired up and between us had to make a Mojito against the clock and another team, whilst holing hands. All I can say is – it didn’t end well. And somehow we never quite worked out what was wrong, but apparently it was missing something. In my opinion it was missing one core thing … a bar tender that knew what they were doing. Regardless, it was a good fun, and I would highly recommend attending one of the classes at just £24.95 per person for 4 drinks – that is a great deal in my book.
*Taste Cheshire were gifted this experience by The Botanist team (Thank you!). However we do stand by all the comments made in this article, and if you don’t believe us, or even if you do, please feel free to pop down and try them yourselves.
Private: The Botanist, Chester
13. St Werburgh Street, Chester, CH1 2DY
Venue for dishes inspired by delis/rotisseries/BBQs, with craft ales, live music and walled garden
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