44 bar has moved!
44 Bar said goodbye The Row @ Jalan Doraisamy and said hello to Dr. Inc @ Bangsar.
Until December 2015, check them out at their new location for your American craft spirits, bespoked gin tonic happy hour sessions and bottle-aged cocktails (truly special stuff) fix. There might be more stuff coming once they have properly settled down - if there is, I'll definitely let you on, on it.
KL Oyster Festival: Oysters & Drinks Promos!
Shucked & Southern Rock Seafood offered set menus, fun activities, oyster & drinks promotions as well as oyster masterclasses in conjunction with this week-long festival.
In case you didn't notice by the tonnes of spamming of your FB page (terribly sorry), I was invited by Shucked to experience their Oyster Masterclass - which opened my eyes to oyster appreciating. Like whisky or wine there are different types of oysters and each of them has its own distinct qualities - look, scent, flavours, finish. Learnt that I don't like pairing them with champagne (vs convention!) because it brings out the metallic taste. Learnt that I did enjoy it with white wine, stout and even cider (I am surprised too). Boozed enjoyed: Hole in the Water NZ wine, Noche y Dia Cava & Laurent Robert champagne.
I'll be writing a feature post on this experience soon, because Shucked & Southern Rock will continue to host such classes frequently and I thought it'll be good for you to have an idea of what to expect.
Meanwhile, get with their activities updated here:
www.facebook.com/ShuckedOysterBars
www.facebook.com/southernrockseafood
Mortlach Malaysia launch
The old Speyside whisky label, which had whisky geeks all over the world waiting in anticipation since last year, is finally launched in Malaysia. 3 expressions will be available - Rare Old (NAS), the 18 and 25 years old. I'll be writing a feature post on this soon enough. Meanwhile, here's the official website: www.mortlach.com (check out the brand ambassador, Georgie Bell - she has got to be one of the most enthusiastic & lively ambassadors I've had the pleasure of meeting to date).
CIMB Classic & Heineken Sundown Party
Heineken is the official partner of the CIMB Classic (for the 3rd year!). To shake things up a bit, there was a big #HeinekenSundownParty last Saturday - which was lovely because the haze cleared. And what better way to celebrate blue skies with a glass of ice cold beer in hand?
Also, tried 2 (of 3) types of cocktails made using Heineken - Honey Shandy (ginger juice, honey, lemon juice, bitters & egg white) and Michelada (a take on bloody mary but with beer instead of vodka). Both were delicious but the Michelada really surprised me as I don't really like Bloody Marys. I missed out on the Lagerita (a margarita but with beer instead of tequila) which sounded promising too. Beer cocktails man. Take heed guys - this is gonna be the next new thing. And I can't see why not - if done right, it still tastes good, and it's less cost for the bar. :p
The Good Batch
... doesn't just serve coffee and cafe food. It also has cocktails, wines beer on tap and even bottled craftbeer (just 3 types of Hitachino for now).
If you don't already know, it's actually ran by the same people behind Hyde 53M (just upstairs!) and the new Nara Kitchen & Co (same area!).
Homemade cocktails of the week - Mint Julep, Old Fashioned & White Lady
I managed to make 3 last week. It's been a while since I had the time but when one has got to drink, one HAS got to drink, eh?
The usual mint julep recipes call for stirring all the ingredients in the serving cup directly - so when your serve, the bruised mints get served with it. I never liked how the leaves always get stuck in the straw, and how the mints smelled and tasted wilted in the drink.
Then went to a home party with lots of gin. I had some syrup with me and my shaker (yes I actually do bring out a set of tools out, bitters & syrup to house parties because you just never know when you're hankering for something more than a 2-ingredient cocktail right? I mean, that's normal right? You do it too right? RIGHT?). So instead of just having to drink gin and tonic all night, I made a White Lady with gin, cointreau, lemon juice and syrup.
Remembered how I failed a few times trying to follow Difford's recipe for their version of their Old Fashioned? This goes to show that not everyone's recipe was made to please everyone. :) Well I've went back to making it with a basic recipe which I truly enjoy: 45ml bourbon, 10ml sugar syrup, 1-2 dashes of bitters, 1 orange peel, Stir with 1-2 large chunks of ice for 1-2 minutes or until happy. Serve.
Insta Weekly is a weekly summary of boozy updates from my Instagram.com/fireangel80 with the hashtag #angeltini. Feel free to follow me if you enjoy daily updates on booze, food and other random stuff by a girl from Malaysia. Cheers!
