I received an invitation last week via The Stilettos Network, asking if I would like to attend a cocktail-making masterclass at the exclusive Colmore Club in Birmingham.

Ooh, yes please!

The venue, which opened in September 2015, is situated in the business district of the city and is owned by Dave Roberts and Jonathan Wilcox. With a beautifully designed social room, board room, quiet study room, kitchen and bar, it offers the opportunity for social gatherings, business meetings, workshops and events for it’s £500-a-year members. I’ve been lucky enough to visit the club before, and it’s absolutely stunning, with the atmosphere, the welcome and the service being exceptional.

The bar is stocked with an impressive collection of spirits, and for those with particularly expensive tastes, a £24,000 bottle of Krug champagne. After previously sampling several of their beautiful cocktails I was particularly keen to try out others that were on offer.

I wasn’t disappointed.

Anna, the mixologist, introduced us to a whole range of beautiful creations of classic cocktails with her own unique twist. As she was mixing, she took the time to explain exactly what she was doing, the ingredients that she used and even included some interesting facts about their origins and development. Her knowledge was incredible, and she seemed completely unfazed by the group of eager bloggers, all pointing cameras at her as she spoke. She even got some of the bloggers involved when shaking up the cocktails – I always love a good ‘shake face,’ and they didn’t let me down with their expressions…

There was an Aperol Spritz, a Sangria and a Mai Tai among the selection, but my favourite was Anna’s take on The Bramble, a fairly new cocktail developed in London in the 1980’s by Dick Bradsell.

This were some of the ingredients that Anna included:

25ml No. 3 Gin, a gin ‘with attitude’ and distilled in Holland that counteracts the heavier ingredients,
10ml natural, cloudy Limoncello,
25ml freshly squeezed lemon juice,
Separately mixed 25ml Creme de Mure, mixed with cherry syrup to cause a reaction.

Here was the finished result – stunning.

I’ve never tried a Bramble before, but I had expectations of what it would taste like. It was gorgeous – subtle and fruity, just how I like it!

What a brilliant way to spend an evening – great company, a beautiful atmosphere and cocktails to die for!

You can find the Colmore Club on Twitter @THECOLMORECLUB

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