NIGHTHAWK MENU LAUNCH - THE BOWERY DISTRICT, READING, UK

"What are we going to do today? The same thing we do every day...try to take over the world!"

Maybe the world is ambitious, but we like to aim high. The month of September has brought around another venue aching for Nighthawk cocktails to fly off their bar, if you'll mind the pun.

This month a new cocktail bar opened up in the centre of Reading, Berkshire. The Bowery District, formerly Rewind, flung open its doors last week for the cocktail lovers of Reading, offering a sleek look, great DJs, and just as it says on their outside signage; New York class in a cocktail glass, provided by Nighthawk Cocktail Training.

Some old classics in there mixed with some of our Nighthawk specials to wet the whistle nicely. The Nighthawk himself was down there training the staff and overseeing their big launch night. The staff are great, full of enthusiasm and bubbling up with excitement and their new found knowledge and expertise, they just can't decide what their favourite cocktail is!

If you're in the area we strongly recommend that you get yourself down there for a stiff Nighthawk cocktail with the New York vibe all around you. Talk to our main man down there Chewy, the latest honorary Nighthawk.... he'll serve you up something ice cold and delicious.

London... Oxford...Bristol.... Reading.... next stop, the rest of the world!

www.facebook.com/thebowerydistrict

GINGER AND PEACH SORBET, LACED WITH RUM...YUM

We love a good day in the lab, and if it's hot and sunny all the better, we can take our concoctions outside and revel in our creations under the glory of the sunshine.

So whilst enjoying the hot weather we mixed up a batch of our ginger and peach sorbet which we like to lace with rum, but can easily be used with bourbon or brandy if preferred! Really easy to make at home, provided you'll be around the house for 4-5 hours to occasionally check-in on your creation and give it a good stir.

Here's our DIY list for you below, great as an aromatic and sumptous dessert, or chuck small spoons of sorbet into mini glasses, douse with extra rum and serve up as sorbet shots!

 1/2 Cup lemon juice

3 Tins of peach slices/halves in light syrup (include syrup in mixture)

1/2 Teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 Cup water 

1/2 cup Demerara sugar syrup

Pinch of salt 

75ml Ginger liqueur 

150ml Gold/aged rum

- prepare demerara sugar syrup prior to sorbet prep to allow time to cool. 

  Syrup is 2:1 (sugar:hot water), dissolve the sugar slowly using a kettle until thick and sweet, allow to cool.

- chill all of your products in the fridge overnight before hand

1. using a blender, blend all of the ingredients except the Rum. Blend the ingredients well to produce a thick liquid consistency.

2. Pour mixture into a shallow freezer-friendly container. Place in the freezer and allow to set for 1 hour.

3. After one hour, remove from freezer. The edges should have begun to freeze with the centre still soft. Using a hand blender, or vigorously mixing with a fork, blend the whole mixture in the bowl on a slow setting to create a good consistency throughout.

4. Repeat step (3) a further 3 or 4 times depending on how fast your mixture begins to freeze throughout.

5. Once your mixture has begun to freeze up throughout without the centre remaining soft, remove from freezer. Add the Rum, to your own preference of alcohol content and taste, remembering that too much will keep the consistency thinner. Blend the rum into the mixture.

At this point if your container has a lid, use it, or place into a lidded container, still fairly shallow. Place back into freezer.

6. After one more hour your Sorbet should be ready to go, or you can serve it immediately after mixing in rum. Before serving leave out of the freezer for five minutes to soften and create a more pleasing texture.

Serve with some spanked mint leaves and/or fresh peach wedges.

Note: Ginger liqueur can be fairly easily obtained, try with different brands to see difference in flavour. You might also like to try steeping some crushed fresh ginger in your demerara syrup to enhance your ginger flavouring and aroma.

COCKTAIL OF THE WEEK: ROSEMARY'S LOVE OF LYCHEES

Rosemary's Love of Lychees, off our new menu @ Lock17 Camden

Cocktail of the week in our book, and in the book of plenty of Camden dwellers it seems.

Rosemary's LOL harnesses the light and fragrant qualities of Lychees and fresh rosemary (it's all in the title really), served up extra cold, this one is truly delightful. If you can't make it down to Camden's Lock17 then give it a go at home, listed below is the DIY run through. Enjoy!

You'll need:

50ml Bombay Sapphire chilled in the freezer if possible
20ml fresh lemon juice
50ml Lychee Syrup obtained from tinned lychees in light syrup from most supermarkets
10ml Rosemary sugar syrup white sugar and fresh rosemary needed to make this

How to:

Firstly, make your rosemary sugar syrup; pour 300-500g white granulated sugar into a heatproof container. Pour boiling water slowly over the sugar creating a mixture that is roughly 2 parts sugar to 1 part boiling water. Stir vigorously until sugar is completely dissolved, then add a little more sugar and stir that until it's dissolved. Next add a large handful of fresh rosemary to the mixture, stalks and all. Stir gently in the mixture for 30 seconds, then allow to cool. This can be used as soon as it has cooled, or leave for a few hours to soak up more flavour.

Now to create the drink; add all the ingredients to a mixing glass or shaker. Add heaps of cubed ice to the mixing glass or shaker until over flowing, shake the mixture vigorously for about 10-15 seconds.
Fine strain the mixture into your chilled martini glass, drop a lychee from the tin into the base of the glass and add a small sprig of fresh rosemary to the rim for fragrance.

And now give it a try.... what do you think?... You're welcome.

The Nighthawk

NIGHTHAWK SUMMER MENU LAUNCHED @ LOCK17 CAMDEN

Lynchburg Lemonade sharer served in a JD Barrel off the new menu

Summer has finally arrived, she decided not to show her face in 2012 as I'm sure you'll remember, and to make a point she has put on quite a show so far. Nighthawks, as always, timed their attack perfectly and swooped down on Camden with a brand new summer menu, just as the hottest week of the year hit.

Lock17, with the notorious Dingwalls attached downstairs, has traditionally been a place to grab a pint, with a few cocktails on offer for those with the desire. Our job was to create a simple menu that would entice desire and put Lock on the map, not only as a great venue with a long history of incredible music and artists, but also a place to get an amazing drink.

We think you'll like the results; a simple summer menu with some classics twisted up by the Nighthawk and also some of our own creations, nothing too flashy, just sumptuous summer flavours.

Our favourite, which is proving akin to the clientele, is 'Rosemary's Love of Lychees', a nice easy cocktail harnessing tastes of fresh Rosemary and Lychees with a crisp Gin finish. Easy to make at home, or if you're fairly close, easy to order one at Lock17. Just in case you'd prefer the former, I will list the ingredients and method on our blog for you shortly.

I do suggest, however, that you go and enjoy Lock17's sun-drenched terrace while the summer hangs around and let Camden wash over you in all its glory. Make sure you accompany it with a few of our banging cocktails.

Here's to the London Summertime.

The Nighthawk

COCKTAIL OF THE WEEK

This week Kitchen Aid were showcasing their products for those in the know in the catering industry, with more than a little help from Wildcard PR.

Fortunately for us, we were asked to provide cocktails for the day which gave us a chance to use some of their products in our preparation.

Top of our list was their Artisan Kettle, designed to heat water to your specification from 50-100 degrees Celsius. This nifty appliance is wonderful for all the tea and coffee buffs who applaud the finer details in preparing drinks.

Check it out here: http://www.kitchenaid.co.uk/app.cnt/ka/en_GB/pageid/pgkaproddetail001/catid/7/subcatid/65

The kettle proved useful as we created two sumptuous cocktails including strong brewed Earl Grey and green tea blends (green tea's optimum temperature for brewing being 65-70 C).

Listed below is our cocktail pick of the day, and for this week as well, perfect for the start of summer.

ALL THE GREENS:

50ml Gin (preferably Bombay Sapphire)
50ml Cucumber juice
10ml Elderflower cordial
35ml V. strong green tea (chilled)
15ml Lemon juice
2 mint leaves

Spank the mint leaves and drop into mixing glass, add all remaining ingredients.
Shake very hard over cubed ice and fine strain into a chilled martini glass. Spank a mint leaf and float on the surface of the drink.


www.kitchenaid.co.uk
www.wildcard.co.uk

Tequila Cocktails for ACO

Jack was entertaining ACO this week with Atelier des Chefs with food sampling and our own Nighthawk tequila cocktails.

Representing the red ACO company colours, on the Nighthawk menu for the evening were strawberry Margaritas, Jack's tequila variation on a Cosmo and a passion fruit flavoured cocktail which we have listed below. We sincerely suggest you make it at home or have a bartender make one for you, if you like tequila then this one's up your street.

The guys from ACO had to make them themselves under Nighthawk guidance, needless to say the creations became stronger and less accurate as the night went on!

50ml Tequila
35ml Passion fruit puree
10ml Vanilla sugar syrup
50ml Pomegranate juice
15ml Lemon juice


www.aco.co.uk
www.atelierdeschefs.co.uk/london

BOOKING CLASSES AT LOCK17

'Tasting the mint!' - a class at Lock17 learn the importance of aroma in cocktails

BOOKINGS AVAILABLE NOW

Nighthawks have partnered up with Lock17 of Camden East Yard to host cocktail classes in one of the coolest venues in Central London. Sitting as close to the canals of central Camden as a bar can get, the canal side bar of Lock17 is the perfect setting for one our cocktail classes.

Featuring the whole spectrum of Nightawk Cocktail Training's class formats and tailoring bespoke cocktail based events, plus discount offers for Lock17 and Dingwalls live music venue, this is an exciting new method of booking some first class cocktail entertainment with the Nighthawks.

Contact Nighthawk Cocktail Training for further information and booking requests.

www.lock17.com

Rochester PR Networking Party

Last week the Nighthawks were out entertaining the guests of Rochester PR Group.
On the menu we had one of the Nighthawk's signature cocktails 'The Tongue Teaser', a crisp and tingling blend of fresh pomegranate with Gin, cranberry, lime and fresh chilli.
With a tantalising wine and beer selection and a breath-taking view of Tower Bridge and HMS Belfast from the offices of London and Partners, we ensured everyone was thoroughly taken care of.
Many thanks to the crew of Rochester PR group!

www.rochesterprgroup.co.uk
www.londonandpartners.com

Cocktail Making, a Modern Day Aphrodisiac?

Valentine's day 2013, it's a brutal dating scene in London.

Blind dates are dated, pen pal dating is having a retro come-back... and it's still awful, everyone's broke and internet dating rules the world. What to do?

Nighthawks and Lock17 are putting on a party to provide some respite from the banalities of repetitive dating. We're doing this, by staging some repeptitive dating... with a twist.

We're proud to be putting on a speed dating and cocktail making delight for all cocktail lovers and lovers alike.

We'll be teaching the lovers how to create two romantically-minded cocktails, a great way to break the ice and wind down a little before taking part in some good old fashioned speed dating. After everyone has learnt a few cocktails and had a series of mini dates there'll be DJs, dancing and discounted cocktails to top the night off.

Nighthawks have served cocktails at weddings but, as far as we know, have not been puppet masters of a new whirlwind romance. Come speak to me about getting involved, you never know...


Bookings and further information available from:

Lock17
Camden
02074285929
www.facebook.com/lock17.london

Nighthawk Cocktail Training
jack@nighthawktraining.com
twitter.com/jacknighthawk

Shaken, Not Stirred

There's little better than being able to sip on an ice cold martini whilst watching a good movie, especially in the cinema. One thing better might be sipping a vesper, whilst watching a Bond movie... in the cinema.

Luckily for the movie goers of Wallingford in Oxfordshire, for one night only, Nighthawk Cocktails made that magic happen in a small Independent cinema for the opening of 'Skyfall'... brilliant. I've never been so jealous of my punters.

- Jack

Cocktail of the Week, from Milan with Love

This week we were at L'atelier des Chefs' plush new Foster Lane venue near St. Pauls creating tantalizing aperitifs for the lovely people of BDO Stoy Hayward. In a cooking and cocktail making extravaganza, our guests got to create and consume the gastronomic worldly delights of Chef Neil Matthews, from seared scallops and sushi, to burgers in brioche rolls. The guests also got the chance to shake up some cocktails with Jack Trewhella and mix up their own aperitif, the 'From Milan with Love', concocted especially for their evening's activities.

The key ingredient to this drink is one of the greats, Campari. A long standing Italian aperitif, bitter and aromatic, Campari truly is a dry and invigorating tipple and a sure-fire way to nicely wet that palate.

FROM MILAN WITH LOVE

The ingredients:

20ml Triple Sec
35ml Vodka
25ml Campari
10ml Lemon Juice
5ml Sugar Syrup
Topped with Soda

The gumph:

Shake all of the ingredients (except the soda) in a cocktail shaker over plenty of ice cubes. Pour into a tall collins glass over ice cubes, top with soda and squeeze a long piece of lemon peel over the surface of the drink and enjoy...
Make sure you have some equally satisfying food at the ready for afterwards!

If you want to layer your cocktail with the blue bottom as seen above, exchange the triple-sec for blue curacao. Pour the blue curacao into the collins glass, slowly pour the remaining shaken ingredients over the curacao to layer.

Darth Vader meets the Nighthawk @ Confex

Lots of great companies at Confex 2012 wowing the visitors. Despite trying to take over the world, Darth Vader is seen here taking a break from world domination to enjoy one of the Nighthawk's classy Classic Champagne Cocktails.

CONFEX - MARCH 2012

The Nighthawk was out representing at L'atelier des Chefs' stand at Confex 2012. Chef Andre Dupin was out in force teaching the crowds how to roll their own Sushi, whilst the Nighthawk was there on hand instructing visitors on how to create a Classic Champagne Cocktail, delicious.

Many thanks to all the visitors that came to Atelier's stand, we had a great week getting to know you all.

Coming soon to the blog - Some of the action from the week's antics!