Manchester Food and Drink Festival is always a busy time for the city with lots going on. I had great fun at the Sausage Off and sampled many of the delights in the Hub at Albert Square. There were lots of offers to be had at the various restaurants who had been nominated for awards but I felt the alcohol/cocktail scene was lacking somewhat. That is, until the Liquor Market came to Rosylee Tearooms.
Organised by Dave aka The Drinks Enthusiast, the liquor market was a collection of spirit makers and distributors all under one roof to tell drinks enthusiasts (sorry Dave!) about their creations. For a bargain price of £7 you got to soak up their vast knowledge, sample their spirits and even buy a bottle to bring home.
If I were giving out awards for this event the ‘best dressed’ would go to Old J spiced rum. With fabulous hats and bright t shirts the rum was served straight or with a dash of Ting and lime. I wouldn’t call this rum spiced as such but it had a lovely sweetness with the spice providing a warmth at the back of the mouth and a lovely toffee taste. I really loved it and was surprised by how well it worked with the Ting.
The ‘innovative’ award would go to Opihr oriental spiced gin for the lovely treasure chest hiding, well, their treasured gin! I didn’t try this as I was completely distracted by the Davna flavoured vodkas on the same table. I usually give this kind of drink a wide berth having tried many at some of the chain cocktail bars out there with their chemically sweet vodka shots but these were just divine. The honey tasted more like a liqueur than a vodka and could only be enjoyed with a blob of ice in a wide glass. The cherry had a lovely sweet yet spicy flavour and would be amazing in a warm drink for winter. I really need to invest in a bottle of each at some point in the near future.
The ‘most colourful’ award would go to Antica sambucas but the smell wafting from this table made me feel slightly nauseous reminding me of the many evenings I’ve ended up rather drunk from too many sambuca shots. I told the lovely lady this on the stall so she encouraged me to try the amaretto version promising me that it wouldn’t make me gag. She was right! This one takes on the amaretto flavour with just a slight hint of anise at the back of the palate. Don’t the bottles look pretty?
The ‘cute’ award would go to Lighthouse gin for these super cute bottles! Who wouldn’t love a minature bottle of good gin? And good gin this most definitely is. More juniper than I usually prefer but a lovely tasting gin with a great blend of botanicals to create a smooth and ‘sipworthy’ gin. Once again, just a blob of ice and this is perfect.
I didn’t get a picture but the ‘pretty’ award would go to my favourite spirit at the market, the wonderful Esprit de June liqueur from G’Vine. It’s sweet and sticky with a beautiful floral note; another that just needs a blob of ice and served by the beautiful Kirsten for the day. What’s not to like?
All in all the event was fabulous and for £7 it was a great introduction to some new and some more well known brands. Any alcohol or spirit geek would be in their element! Here’s hoping for another Liquor Market soon.
I attended this event by invitation of the organiser. This has in no way affected my review which is an honest account of my dining experience.
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