Cocktail Trio (with some assistance)

By Friday afternoon there is a tangible quiver in the air come 4 o’clock as the many young professionals, hipsters and miscellaneous city dwellers feel the urge to baptise the weekend with alcoholic splendour. So, for those of you needing inspiration for that late afternoon tipple, here is a rundown of my 3 current favourites for the essential summer bevvy: the cocktail.

The Lost and Found: Smokey Joe

For those of you who follow my Twitter account @countryboyblog, you will have already seen that I have tweeted about this on previous occasions (and accidentally uploaded about a bazillion pictures of it by mistake...) This is essentially a whiskey and coke, but not like any you have ever tried before. Instead of standard coke, this is carbonated with smoked bubbles and finished with a shot of maple syrup, resulting in a sophisticated warmth to this beverage. At £7.95, this is not the cheapest of drinks, and can certainly be undercut by some local rivals, but what you are paying for is a quality drink, served by knowledgeable staff, in a quirky environment.

Bodega: Blueberry and Elderflour Margarita (Jack) and Raspberry Caipirinha (Sarah)

This was a bit of an impromptu cocktail stop after an afternoon at the Sea Life centre. Sarah and I (being strong willed as we are...) were tempted by the appealing offer of selected cocktails being available for £4 until 7pm. I opted for the Blueberry and Elderflour Margarita (right) and I wasn’t quite sure what to expect! Moving away from it’s more bitter counterpart, this one was edged with sugar and floated with a couple of blueberries. Flavour wise, the two main ingredients worked well together and the tequila (which I usually hate after one too many slammers in my uni days!) added spice and warmth rather than the customary burn. Sarah plumped for the Raspberry Caipirinha (left), a variation on the Brazilian classic, which met with her approval and was deemed ‘fruity but sharp’.  For two cocktails for £8 you can’t go wrong with this, but after 7pm there is a bit of a price hike so get there early to enjoy these creations.

Jekyll and Hyde: Love Heart (Jack) and Lemon Bon Bon (Amy)

The Jekyll and Hyde is part of the same chain as Bodega and as such, has the same offers on cocktails until 7pm. Amy and I had no need for this as we started mid-afternoon... on a Monday (guess that’s one of the perks of being a teacher that during the summer hols you can be slightly sozzled on a Monday afternoon!) True to it’s quirky roots, the Jekyll and Hyde is offering up sweet shop themed cocktails this summer, served in retro jam jars. What I liked about this was right from the offset, our cocktail maker knew what she was doing and was able to alter my Love Heart (left) to make it less sweet and offer her own recommendations. Both mine and Amy’s drinks paid homage to their sweet namesakes, but we were both in agreement that the Love Heart would be the cocktail of choice on future occasions.

The verdict...

Well judging by my tweets, the Smokey Joe is definitely the drink of choice for both quality and innovation, but... where did I end up going back to on Monday evening... The Jekyll and Hyde, and this time for the Turkish Delight cocktail, AND I even coughed up the full £5.50, post 7pm price for this and it did not disappoint. 

Yorks Cafe Bakery Brunch (With Sarah)

One of the things I like most about school holidays is the fact that I can start to really appreciate brunch, and the many places around Birmingham that seem to be jumping on the brunch bandwagon and putting a contemporary spin on classic breakfast dishes and serving throughout the day. I’ve always been a huge fan of Home Cafe Deli (Church Street) which serves a brilliant range of brunch items complimented with a wide range of artisan coffees, but today, accompanied by colleague and foodie side-kick Sarah, I finally made it to the much talked about Yorks Bakery Cafe.

Now I’ve heard a lot of talk about Yorks from both the hipster community and the professionals of Colmore Row, and in the current environment where the independent coffee safe is becoming a fixture in most towns, standards are high. You’ll probably remember my recent visit to BostonTea Party and the high praise that the brownie and smoothie gleaned from my critical palette, so the bar was set high, especially as Yorks is of the same ilk.

Location wise, Yorks occupies a prime spot just off Colemore Row at the top end of Newhall Street; right on the main path up from the Jewellery Quarter, and within a stone’s throw of the city folk of the numerous law firms. Inside, Yorks is bustling and welcoming with a range of seating options including some outdoor seating to make the most of the rare glimpse of sun. With the decor demonstrating a slight inclination to industrialism, with trendy bare light bulbs, exposed masonry and complimentary art work, it provides a sophisticated place for your morning coffee, whilst offering a sanctuary to those hipsters who savour each mouthful whilst pouring over their laptops.

There is a wide range of food on offer, with a standard brunch menu which runs throughout the week as well as an ever changing array of freshly made sandwiches and cakes. I opted for the Scrambled Eggs with Smoked Salmon at a cost of £4.95. For a brunch under a fiver, I was not expecting much if I’m honest, but I must admit I was amazed at what arrived at my table minutes after ordering! The eggs were presented neatly (and for those of you who cook, you will know that this is a near impossibility when working with scrambled eggs!) with a decent helping of salmon and a blob of mascarpone cheese to add more textural variety. What really impressed me was the quality of the bread (a nice artisan loaf, lightly oiled and toasted) which is testament to the fact that serious though has gone into the food that is served here. Sarah went for the other end of the spectrum, plumping for the stack of pancakes served with caramelised banana and maple syrup (£3.95). As someone prone to food envy, I have no shame in saying that these looked awesome! 4 pancakes served with a healthy dash of maple syrup and a whole banana is enough to meet the needs of most people’s sweet tooth!

To accompany my scrambled eggs I was lured into trying one of the array of fine teas on offer, and on this occasion chose the Jasmine Dragon Peal tea (which I won’t try to explain in detail, but essentially is balled Jasmine which slowly unfurls to infuse your brew with a light a delicate taste). Again, I was really impressed by the fact that this was served as loose leaf tea in an individual cafetiere as this shows real commitment to quality without the pretention and price that usually accompanies servings of this nature.

Once again, I had high expectations and once again, they were surpassed. I can see Yorks becoming a weekend favourite, especially in the cold winter months where the lure of a hearty brunch and steaming brew become essential. 

Oatie Cookies with about a million varieties (ish)

When it comes to biscuits, these oat based cookies really deliver! My mum originally discovered these in an American cook book that we bought way back in 1993 when we were in California. Just one of the 365 great cookie and brownie recipes the book promised, these are have become a firm favourite amongst family and friends alike. The base for these is really versatile and lots of things can be added or substituted to make sure that these suit your own taste. The basis I have used for this recipe is dark choc chip, with a slight hint of coffee, however if you scan down you’ll see some of my suggestions for what could be used instead. And the other good thing about these is that that can ready in less than half an hour to provide a great companion to that morning coffee you crave!

These are the coconut and white choc, with a few chilli and ginger I made for work. 

Ingredients (to make between 24 and 28, 2-3 inch cookies):

4 oz of butter, softened

2 oz granulated sugar

2 oz dark brown sugar

1 egg

½ teaspoon of vanilla extract

1 tablespoon of coffee liqueur or 1 tablespoon of instant coffee (cold)

3 oz flour

6 oz rolled oats

½ baking soda

½ teaspoon of salt

6 oz of choc chips.

Method:

Preheat oven to 150 C if using a fan oven like me, or 180 C if using a conventional oven.

Add the butter and sugar to a large bowl and mix well. Add the egg and continue to stir thoroughly. Following this, add the vanilla and coffee.

Add the dry ingredients and mix until it forms quite a thick cookie dough of a dropping consistency.

Drop the dough onto a greased cookie sheet 2-3 inches apart (I usually reckon 8-9 cookies per tray) and bake for 10-12 minutes.

Variations:

Now this is where these cookies come into their own! To strip this back to the bare bones, follow the recipe up to where you add the choc chips and coffee. Instead of this, why not try:

Removing a handful of oats and adding a handful of desiccated coconut and 6 ounces of white choc chips and mixing in to the cookie dough?

Adding a teaspoon of ground ginger and ½ a teaspoon of cinnamon (perfect for a festive variation!) Or maybe omit the cinnamon and add a good pinch of ground chilli for a warm afterglow.

Otherwise try my mum’s favourite: cinnamon and raisin. Or why not try white choc chunks and dried cranberries?

My most recent creation was with dark choc chips with a couple of teaspoons of grated orange zest and a tablespoon of orange liqueur.

And here they are! Choc and orange awesomeness!

The list is endless! Let me know what you try!