Jazz up your January party. Tuesday Jan 10th. Boisdale of Bishopsgate

So down a very dark and narrow alley we went – that being the eccentric approach to the venue of our January party. But then there’s a lot about Boisdale that’s eccentric, which, no surprise, is exactly what attracted me to the kooky-kitsch, red-walled, tartan-clad, cigar-smoking, jazz-loving group of restaurants in the first place!
With its charming and capable fun-pectation team (not naming any names…Mark Shelton GM), what could possibly go wrong?
Mark’s team, lead by unflappable Ines and cocktail maestro Anna, introduced us to a cocktail so delicious you really must try it at home.

The Dubliner Twist
45ml Dubliner whisky
15ml orange juice
10ml homemade vanilla syrup
2 dashes Angostura bitters
Stir, strain in a rocks-filled glass

The night took off at a gallop and there were so many of us we were split into two groups. Dublin Liberties Irish Whiskey Ambassador Geoff Spieron with his soft Irish lilt led the assault on our palates with a glorious taste tour and masterclass. But wait, where’s the assault of Scottish proportions as we know it? This Irish stuff is mellow – it won’t singe your nose hair if you mistakenly think its wine and sniff it and is gone before you can say that’s a fret.
Boisdale! If you’re listening, we all loved The Dublin Liberties whiskeys and can’t wait to try them again!
As Geoff charmed our palates with his whiskey non-assault course, delightful Artisan du Chocolates ambassador Danny wowed us with a chocolate pairing combination that really hit the spot. She paired:
Dublin Liberties Oak Devil with dark chocolate ganache with honey
Dubliner 10-year old single malt with liquid sea salted caramel with pink and black peppercorns

Finally, we finished off with Feeney’s Irish liqueur and vanilla ganache, leaving no stone of our taste-bud-challenged palates unturned.
Moving upstairs to the bar our boisterous crowd barely drew breath. Lots of new friendships were formed, numbers exchanged and, empowered with our deeper awareness of whiskey and chocolat, we snuck back up the alley. Eventually, that is – the last of our 8.30 finishers (er, including moi) were quietly, but firmly asked to leave the building at 11.00. We found another hot spot – The Devonshire Club around the corner, who were unbelievably tolerant of our slightly-slurred giggly cocktail demands. What a blast! To everyone involved in setting up this epic fun-feast, let’s do it again soon!