Reviewed by Dee Ryz
Taking place at London’s Edition Hotel, the Bacardi Christmas Showcase was an event to present Bacardi’s Christmas offering for 2019 – and what you might not know, is within the same family sits other well-known brands such as St Germain, Grey Goose, Martini, and Bombay Sapphire, all of which were in attendance in their glittery festive getup.
Having not attended Bacardi’s Christmas Showcase before, I wasn’t sure what to expect, however they did not disappoint!
The first thing to notice was the venue – the elegant London Edition Hotel, is centrally located and sits within London’s fashionable Fitzrovia area, close to Oxford Street. Easily accessible by tube, bus and taxi, this fabulous venue was a sight to behold. The 5-star hotel oozes luxury from the moment you walk in, with beautiful high ceilings and marble as far as the eye can see. The Punch Room, the function room where the event was being held, was an impressive, beautiful room, surrounded with wood panelled walls, and ceiling, complete with festive Christmas greenery, candles and lanterns.
The room was packed with press from across London, and as we made or way to the 4-person-deep bar, we noticed strategically placed cocktails, resting next to their spirits, complete in a festive arrangement.
Having waited for only a few minutes, eventually came our opportunity to try out the cocktails on offer – with over 10 to choose from, including sweet, chocolate orange themed drinks and elegant champagne glasses wrapped in white chocolate, the decision was rather difficult! Unfortunately the very festive looking Jingle Spritz (an Aperitivo style fizz complete with sugar dusted red currants) and La Dame Blanche, a St Germain, Patron and champagne combination had both ran out rather quickly, so in the end, after a quick chat with the bar staff, we opted for the ‘Cassis Mule’ and the festive punch. The Cassis Mule was a delicious blackcurrant Bombay Sapphire take on the normal Moscow Mule, made with the gin, Crème de Cassis, lime juice and ginger beer, served in a tall glass and a wedge of lime. The festive punch was slightly more difficult to discern – it was an incredibly tasty, spicy orange and rum concoction, and came with a cinnamon stick and wedge of orange. From our second visit to the bar, we both enjoyed a ‘Clover Colada’ – a spin on the classic Pinacolada with a French Martini vibe made with Bacardi, pineapple juice, coconut milk, raspberry puree, lemon juice and sugar syrup. Absolutely delicious!
Alongside the cocktails, beautiful spirit bottles were around the room too, including limited edition Christmas drinks, such as the Bombay Sapphire Limited Edition English Estate (RRP: £27 70cl), and potential presents were also on display, like the Grey Goose Martini bowl, which would definitely make for a perfect Christmas present (I know it’s now on my list). All you need to do is mix your ingredients and some ice in the top, and then sit four glasses underneath where you can then use the taps to our pour out the perfect martini every time. And if that isn’t enough, the Grey Goose also arrived in a beautiful blue and silver seasonal gift tin – another Christmas present added to the list…
After enjoying all they had to offer, we left full of delicious cocktails, present ideas and festive cheer.
I’m sure I dreamt of sugar plum fairies last night, but maybe that was just the cocktails….
A sparkling evening, in a swanky establishment.
Rating: 4/5
