Yesterday I was invited by the lovely Charlie from Ginfuelled Blue Stocking to sample detox cocktails at City Café in the Doubletree by Hilton Hotel. I jumped at the chance especially with me doing the 14 day 14 workout challenge at the moment. A chance to drink something virtuous and good for me as oppose to the calorific alcoholic drinks of late? Bring it on!
The cocktails are designed for breakfast, lunch or dinner and give a vitamin injection to your day which can boost the immune system and increase oxygen levels. Just what I needed after day 4 of the workout challenge.
We tried –
Elderflower Power (white tea with elderflower, grapefruit juice, cranberry juice, a dash of pomegranate and elderflower cordial & orange marmalade shaken together and fine strained over crushed ice) which was too sour for me with the grapefruit and cranberry being the predominant flavours. I’m also not sure how ‘detoxing’ cordial or marmalade is. That said the lady who ordered this one really enjoyed it.
Passionate Escape (lime, mint leaves, strawberries and blackcurrant jam churned together with crushed ice before being topped with pomegranate juice and passion fruit) had huge pieces of fruit in much akin to a proper Pimms cocktail but without the alcohol. Very tasty and nice to have the chunks of fruit to eat afterwards.
Berry Goodness (muddled raspberries and blackberries shaken with earl grey tea, lemon juice, grapefruit juice and vanilla syrup served over crushed ice) was a surprise as I was expecting it to be predominantly fruit based but the tea was the main flavour in this one. It created a nice bitterness that cut through the fruit well.
Last but not least was my choice of Grape and Berry Crush (blackberries and grapes muddled together then shaken with elderflower, apple and a dash of lemon juice served over crushed ice) which, I thought, was the most virtuous. It was surprisingly the fruitiest of the 4 with a real sweetness from the grape giving it a taste that was so similar to Vimto you would think it had a lot of sugar in. It was also my favourite.
They are not cheap at £5.95 each but they are brilliant alternative if you don’t or can’t drink alcohol but you don’t want to miss out on a cocktail night out with the girls. They look just as pretty as their alcoholic sisters but completely saintly giving you a different option from the boring fizzy drink alternatives. No bloating either meaning you will wake up fresh as a daisy with an added fruit boost that is good for your health. A winner surely?
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Detoxing is rarely fun, especially as it often involves avoiding glamorous restaurants, but thankfully this recipe is offering a delicious and stylish alternative to staying at home and chewing on a carrot.