Wobbly Wednesdays worth a visit to The Suburbs* #Blog
Briony Wilson
7th June 2019
At Taste Cheshire, we love a challenge, so when the Suburbs called and told us that on Wednesday evenings their cocktails were “Bottomless” … Briony and Tori challenged themselves to battle their way to the bottom of the Bottomless Cocktails!
The Rules
- Turn up at 6pm and settle into a comfy booth
- Begin with Gin – Saturday is World Gin Day, and that should be marked
- Always take the bartender or waiter’s advice when they recommend a cocktail
DING DING …Round One
Round one, as per the rules began with a selection of gin-based cocktails – and quite a selection there was. The new Summer cocktail journal is one of the prettiest menus we’ve ever seen, with hand drawn illustrations of the cocktails on offer and the covers of each menu inviting you on a trip around the world.
To start we opted for The Pink G&T Cocktail and the Mother Francesca. We were drawn in by the description and of the beautifully drawn images on menu. Cocktails described as both Elegant and Sophisticated sounded like the ideal place to start, both were light and refreshing. But the Mother Francesca stole the show with the wonderful back story of its inspiration and interesting technique which added in a lovely smokey flavour.
The team at Suburbs were on it and as quick as we knew it we were on to;
Round 2, with the Benedict Cucumberbatch and Kiwi’s Above Sea Level, once again both Gin based and some of the most fabulously presented drinks of the evening. The Benedict Cucumberbatch being Fresh, Delicate and Fragrant made from Hendricks Gin and Earl Grey, displayed in a fabulous cup and saucer (the Rich Tea biscuit garnish an added bonus). Kiwi’s Above sea level however had a more citrus kick from the Scapegrace, Kiwi, Sauvignon – a highlight of the evening, and the ideal cocktail for lazy afternoon… next time, we will be ordering this by the pitcher!
Round 3, and by now it was time for a new spirit. Being a die hard rum fan, Tori went for the Lucky Luciano, a Rum, Boozy, dark mix , with Ginger, Italian Bitters. Its elevated version of her usual, and can certainly recommend it to any rum lover, named for a former mafia boss who escaped to Cuba to avoid prosecution, this cocktail is a Cuban Italian cross over. Apparently Round 3 had a Ginger theme as Briony opted for the Rusty Monkey, the Suburbs original cocktail again with a brilliant backstory, grounded in the actual formation of the Suburbs itself. Made from Monkey Shoulder, Drambuie and Ginger, it was delicious and would be perfect post meal.
Round 4, was soon hot on our heels, back to Gin for Briony with the Post-Credits, which apparently nearly didn’t make the menu, but luckily for us was added just before print of the Cocktail journals. Made from Gin, Floral G’Vine, Mandarin and Chamomile, it was beautifully light and perfect for brunch! The simple garnish made it beautifully elegant. Tori switched it up to a refreshing vodka based Gary (Un)Sobers – tropical fruit flavour of Mango and Lime, helped power her through the 4th round like a champ!
Round 5 began with a geology lesson from our charming South African server Dylan, the formation of the volcano Popacatapetl being the inspiration for Briony’s next cocktail. Tequila based, this was Mardi-Gras in a glass, not just because it was fruity, citrus, passion fruit and lime but also the fabulous frilly garnish made this eye catching as well as tasty. Tori tried the Fernanda Lessa – Pink grapefruit and sweet vanilla, named and styled after the tall and beautiful Italian model, this cocktail would not look out of place in the Italian Riviera.
We were at this point interrupted in style by the arrival of a bicycle based feast. It’s hard to describe quite how magical our candlelit banquet was, so we’re glad we got plenty of photos to show you!
Some highlights included the Poached egg and avocado on a sweet potato cake with harissa dressing ( which Tori would happily eat for breakfast), Crispy Lamb bites on a bed of rocket with pineapple salsa, pomegranate and jerk mayo were Briony’s top choice. A tough decision though, with Halloumi fries with mustard mayo, Beef Chilli with rice and sour cream and Bruschetta with tomato, basil and red pepper all delicious and perfect sharing size plates for us to tuck into and refuel before our 6th and final round.
Round 6 felt more like a dessert course, with creamy cocktails being the star. Our faveorite cocktail, called The Next Stop came with a lovely little game. Did you ever make a paper fortune teller as a child? Well this cocktail for tells your future. Apparently Briony is off to Kentucky and Tori to Melbourne. Fingers crossed they come true. Bourbon, coffee and vanilla ice cream.
Well we may not have completed our personal challenge of trying everything on the menu, but we gave it a damn good try, we were pretty proud of ourselves and now we have the ideal excuse to go back and try again.
This was a wonderful evening topped off by amazing service, we cannot recommend it highly enough – Get Wobbly on a Wednesday at The Suburbs.
* This wonderful evening experience was gifted by the amazing team at The Suburbs and we stand by all comments in the article, don’t believe us? Go give it a try for yourself, you wont regret it – this is a hump day treat for everyone’s hit list!
Private: The Suburbs
22 Charles Street, Chester,, CH2 3AZ
Bringing a metropolitan vibe to your local area, The Suburbs encompasses all the exciting elements of the city centre, from award winning cocktails to lavish design.
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