Cocktail / Mocktail workshop at Balans Stratford.

Megan our cocktail making host at Balans, equipment, shaker, muddler,shot measures, ingredients and my fellow blogger friends who attended the workshop with me.

I was really excited to  receive an email invitation to attend a Cocktail workshop at  Balans  which is  situated in West field Stratford City . It offers the perfect location to enjoy breakfast, lunch or dinner. In addition to food Balans offer amazing cocktails in their bar. They also offer cocktail workshops which are catered to individual specification for small groups.The price is £39.95 per person and includes a welcome drink and 4 cocktails to make and litebites. The cocktail workshops would be perfect  for  a girls night out, hen parties or birthday celebrations.

I was excited to attend the workshop as it sounded like a fun evening, however being a teetotaller I was worried that Balans would not be able to cater for me.However much to my surprise despite being the only person refraining from alcohol in the party, I was made extremely welcome and  the 4 cocktails ; Berrylicious, Margarita, Red ribbon and Balans White Russian that the group members made, were all adapted for me as mocktails with no alcoholic.

Our party host Megan had everything organised beautifully, she had all our ingredients laid out for each cocktail and  gave  us easy to follow instructions.The evening ran as clockwork and where the time flew we did not realise. Megan also shared some really good tips about making sugar syrups, pouring different ingredients into a glass to create separation of colour and substitution of ingredients for teetotallers like my self. (If this proved to be a challenge she did not show it and she came up with answers immediately.)

Hands on deck shaking , pouring and sipping Mocktails.

In between the cocktail workshop we were spoilt with a selection of  litebites  followed by more cocktail making and finishing with mince pies to close the evening.

Litebites that we enjoyed.

I am sharing here  the 4 mocktails that I made.

Berrylicious

Ingredients:

3 raspberries

3 blackberries

45 ml of mixed berry puree

50 ml ginger beer

15ml fresh lemon juice

Ice

Method:

1. Add berries into a cocktail shaker. Muddle (mash) berries in the shaker. 

2. Add mixed berry puree and ice to the shaker.

3. Shake gently and Ghetto Dump into short glass. (This means transfer all the mashed up berries and juices into the glass)

4. Top up with ginger bear

5. Garnish with blueberries, raspberries and blackberries

Serve immediately.

Virgin Margarita (Can be served straight up, on the rocks or frozen)

Ingredients:

 50ml lime juice

 50 ml lemon juice

 50 ml orange juice

 50 ml sugar syrup

Salt and lemon wedge for garnish

Method:

1. Salt half the glass rim. (Rub lemon on half the rim and dip the glass in salt)

2. Pour all ingredients into shaker.

3. Shake really hard and strain into glass.

4. Garnish with lime wedge or wheel.

 My Creations.

 Red Ribbon -This cocktail at Balans is made in aid of Elton Johns Aid foundation and proceeds from it are donated to charity.

Ingredients:

25ml Pomegranate puree

25ml Vanilla sugar syrup

50ml Raspberry puree

50 ml lemonade

Ice

 Method:

1. Rim the glass with vanilla sugar. (Rub lemon on glass rim and dip the glass in vanilla sugar)

2. Add the Pomegranate puree, Vanilla sugar syrup, Raspberry puree and ice to a shaker

3. Shake all ingredients and strain into glass.

4. Top with lemonade

Serve immediately

 My creations.

 Balans Virgin White Russian

Ingredients

50 ml Espresso coffee

25ml Hazelnut syrup

50ml double cream

25ml milk

Ice

Dust with cocoa

 Method:

1. Pour the coffee and hazelnut syrup into a serving glass.

2. Put the cream and milk into shaker with ice. Shake gently so as not to whip the cream.

3. Gently pour the cream in a steady stream onto the coffee with the help of a spoon , If done correctly the cream will float on the coffee.

4. Serve with a dusting of cocoa powder.

I would like to thank Megan and Hannah from Propellernet  for inviting me  and of course Balans for hosting the  workshop.