Zoe Griffin / party princess

The party squad are feeling a little down this morning with the Oscar’s out of the way. So we were excited when an invite to this party arrived on our doorstep this morning. Nicole Sconciaforni (who was all over the papers this weekend after being linked to John Terry) is holding her 27th brthday party in London on the 18th March.

And the guest list looks amazing! So far Kelly Brook, Kimberly Wyatt, Sophie Anderson, Kate Moss, Sugababes, Owen Wilson, Paris and Nicky Hilton and Ben Adams.

Lady Gaga is also expected to be performing dependant on her work schedule.

We don’t think the party is going to be short of champagne either as the Russian billionaire heiress is not one to be stingy, she is reportedly flying friends over from Milan, Moscow and LA on private jets.

We can’t wait!

In honour of the Winter Olympics this week’s cocktail has a Snow Leopard ingredient. But not Ghanaian skier Kwame Nkrumah-Acheampong; instead the vodka by the same name.
Snow Leopard vodka gives 15% of its profits to supporting the conservation of these endangered big cats, who apparently only come together for two months of the year to have cubs (awww) but are hunted by poachers and local farmers.
The Snow Kitten is available at the Light Bar on St Martin’s Lane and comes laden with antioxidant blueberries – making it a cocktail of champions (not pussycats)
 
60ml Snow Leopard

12 blueberries

2.5 bar spoons of damson conserve

2 bar spoons of honey

5ml lemon juice

METHOD :- Muddle the blueberries and rest of ingredients and stir
together. Shake with ice and strain in to a chilled glass

The best parties as far as drinks are concerned this week would appear to be the wonderfully named Bloody Masquerade Ball for Valentine’s (Saturday 13th at the Brickhouse) which offers damsels in distress, bloody vampires, love-bugs and serial killers all partying whilst slasher films are interspersed with romantic comedies – and you can get your nails painted Valentine’s blood red to boot! The cocktail on offer is the Bleeding Heart – which costs £15 and is meant for sharing with lovers or victims…
And for Mardi-Gras fans, the Macbeth is hosting a celebratory event with live jazz performances and dancing girls. Cocktail of the week – Southern Comfort Louisiana Jam – comes in a jam jar and contains just enough sugar and lemon juice to get you in the mood for pancakes afterwards!
Ingredients

35ml Southern Comfort
* 20ml lemon juice
* 20ml apple juice
* 2 teaspoons of apricot jam
* 8 mint leaves
* 15ml sugar syrup
1. Place mint leaves into a clean, empty jam jar and
gently muddle.
2. Place remaining ingredients into the jam jar.
3. Half fill with crushed ice, put the jam jar lid on and
> > > shake vigorously.
4. Remove the lid and top up with crushed ice.
5. Garnish with a lemon wedge and a sprig of mint.

It’s about the time to be dropping subtle hints to your loved ones with 9 days to go til Valentine’s – so here are a couple of quirky suggestions in cocktail format.

Gilgamesh has created a seasonal pink martini called ‘Diamonds are Forever’ which costs just £10. But in one glass they have hidden a diamond which the lucky finder can have made up into a piece of jewellery worth £1,200! Drinking suddenly got a whole lot more glamorous…

Or if that sounds too flashy, the purveyors of elegance at Hendrick’s Gin have set up a Refined Courtship Clinic – opening Feb 12^th on Rupert St in Soho – to offer advice on how to woo politely and courteously …and then if that fails, how to woo with their decadent punch (which comes served in a teacup) or the Black Rose, which is the ultimate in ‘saying it with flowers’…

BLACK ROSE

25ml HENDRICK’S gin
5ml St. Germain elderflower liqueur
1 teaspoon rose petal jam (or black cherry jam)
Top with Champagne

Method:

Add HENDRICK’S, elderflower and jam lovingly to a cocktail shaker full of ice.
Shake hard for 3 seconds then strain into a Champagne flute.
Gently top with Champagne and garnish with a rose petal.

WE’RE SO GOING TO THE COURTSHIP CLASS:

You’d think it’s hard enough being a cocktail bartender and having to learn how to make all the classics, but it seems some bars push their staff even harder by introducing their own variations – or sometimes completely re-writing the rules.
Public House is a one of Islington’s best kept secrets and its quirky menu demonstrates that they like to do things a bit differently – for starters they don’t stock any vodka in the bar! Their signature Montgomery Martini is made with gin and kept frozen for 20 hours before serving (don’t worry – they make them in advance!)
The Parlour in Canary Wharf is another hotspot that likes to buck trends; with diverse menu including a Cocktail of the Day and their own innovative range of skinny cocktails (none more than 100 calories). We’re giving Cocktail of the Week to one of these – The Russian Rose – as it sounds like a burlesque act, smells like Granny’s perfume but delivers a kick of Smirnoff Black and comes decorated with a rose petal. It sounds so wrong but it actually works…
The Russian Rose
Smirnoff Black
Lychee Liqueur
Ginger Syrup
Rose Petal

It’s Burns Night on January 25^th and whilst tartan can be quite cute, we think haggis and poetry are an acquired taste… So it’s nice to see a few bars making an effort for those not quite so Scottish this weekend.

Vinopolis are offering a Whisky tour tasting experience – you’ll be a connoisseur by the end of it and it’s a fun way to learn – whilst Kettners are offering complimentary champagne to anyone arriving on Monday night brave enough to wear a kilt.

The Ebury have mixed Frangelico and Amaretto with whisky to create ‘The Scotch Lyricist’ (which I’m sure wouldn’t win the approval of Sean Connery, but sounds pretty tasty).

Talisker Whisky are also shaking a Scottish stereotype and in an act of generosity are giving away lovely curved-bottom whisky glasses in bars up and down the country – check out www.taliskerburnsnight.co.uk for details.

Cocktail of the Week: The Talisker Burns Cocktail

25ml Talisker 10 year old
10ml Green Ginger Wine
Ginger Ale
Wedge of Fresh Lime

Method:

Build your cocktail over ice by first pouring the Talisker and ginger wine into a highball glass; top up with ginger ale and garnish with a squeeze of fresh lime.

Raoul’s Deli do a Mediterranean style Bloody Mary made with Akvinta vodka, which definitely deserves a mention in this week’s drinks round-up.

The Ebury offer an amazing selection of GOURMET and food based cocktails including the Classic (with port, onions, chilli jam and all sort of other non-snog-friendly but lovely condiments). It’s Royal Bloody Mary is served with an oyster on the side and The Princess  Bloody Mary  comes in a martini glass with an oyster in the base.
However, cocktail of the week  goes to Martin Miller’s gin, who convinced us that Bloody Marys don’t need to have vodka in them…

The Martin Miller’s Gin Flaming Red Snapper
50ml Martin Miller’s Gin
200ml tomato juice
15ml fresh lemon juice
Pinch salt & pepper
Dash Worcestershire sauce
Dash hot chilli sauce

Seems everyone who’s anyone was in Mahiki last night. Well a lot of the pop world, anyway.

The Saturdays, the Sugababes, and X Factor’s Jamie Archer, Stacey Soloman and Lucie Jones were all out on the town and it seems the alcohol was free flowing as no-one could even keep their eyes open to get photographed!

Actually that’s a bit unfair, Frankie and Mollie from The Saturday’s managed to keep themselves composed and sober, and Mollie drove off in a very, very posh looking car.

Jamie Archer showed less dignity and was snapped snogging a mystery blonde. Must mean the rumoured hook-up  between him and fellow contestant Coco Lloyd didn’t work out, (quelle surprise).

Zoe and the party squad are heading back to Mahiki tonight so we’ll be sure to get all the gossip from last night and create some more mischief of our own.

There’s nothing like getting glamed up and sipping on cocktails to banish those January blues, so we are giving you an extra cocktail of the week.

Clapham’s Aquum is certainly the place to go for glamourous people and gorgeous drinks and for a cocktail with a difference try their exclusive Fool’s Gold- a mixture of gold and champagne (though the recipe is secret).

This cocktail is oozing glamour and sipping it in the, comfortable yet classy, bar at Aquum definitely made the visit worth venturing 0utside for.

See more pics and drinks at the South London bar’s website.

If detoxing is your virtue this week then there are some weird and wonderful drinks around.

Sunraysia fruit juices suggest that you blend their orange and carrot juice with vodka to make something called Mary’s Health Kick or for the braver palette try their Prune Juice Seranade – eek!

Juju’s on London’s King’s Road are offering something much more civilised: a detox cocktail masterclass with resident mixologist Christian Ozzati to learn to blend yummy creations such as The Green Giant  – a warming green tea cocktail made from fresh ginger, green tea, and fresh lemon.

Juju’s other healthy option Seven Sisters has milk thistle in it. Sounds healthy just reading about it..? Book a class via the Juju website.

But if you’re all about vice then cocktail of the week is the Moulin Rouge in the Mask Bar in the capital’s Strand Palace Hotel. It’s pink, fizzy and decadent – and you can feel invigorated by doing the can-can down the street afterwards!

Moulin Rouge

Ingredients:

Crème de Fraises

Champagne