Cocktails at Turtle Bay...

I don't know about you, but all this sunshine has put me in the mood for some cocktails, so I was pleased last week when I saw a Turtle Bay cocktail masterclass in my diary.
I really like the holiday feeling of Turtle Bay, as soon as you step through the doors of this bar and restaurant, you are transported to the Caribbean by a colourful aesthetic, chilled out tunes and a cocktail and food menu inspired by what the region has to offer. I have been feeling in need of a holiday lately, so I was happy to pop along to the Hanover Street location of Turtle Bay to capture that summery feeling at a cocktail masterclass hosted by Bar Manager Kieran. We took our seats at the bar after a warm welcome and ordered some Marley Mojitos to get the party started, a refreshing blend of Appleton special rum, Midori, fresh mint, watermelon and homemade ginger beer.

Kieran gave us a ‘pour test’ which is something every bartender undergoes, so we all had a turn at counting out spirit measures after having been shown how to hold the bottle correctly by the neck.

After the pour test it was our turn to go behind the bar and have a go at making some cocktails of our own under Kieran's watchful eye. First up, I made one of my Turtle Bay favourites, the Bay Bramble which is a blend of white rum, blackberry liquor, fresh lemon and club soda poured over crushed ice.

It felt good to be on the other side of the bar and it was fun to get going on making my own cocktail! I love the Bay Bramble which is a sweet and refreshing blend. My friends at the event took their turns making cocktails and we all sat back to sip the results whilst Kieran told us all about the history of different rums and cocktail ingredients.

Next it was on to making our second chosen cocktail and I stepped behind the bar again to make a Classic Mojito, a drink which most of us know and love, consisting of Blackwell rum, fresh mint, lime and club soda.

As far as cocktails go, a good Mojito cannot be beaten in my opinion, and once mixed this one tasted as good as I had hoped. Everyone else had a go at making a second drink and then Kieran treated us to some other Turtle Bay favourites and a few off menu options too which were all mouth-watering.

Later we ordered a selection of food, which we could hardly fit on to the bar when it arrived such was the abundance! We enjoyed jerk chicken wings with sour orange chutney, fiery sweet corn fritters with scotch bonnet chilli, garlic n’ herb flatbread, sweet potato fries, ribs, chilli fried squid and fried chickpeas.

The food at Turtle Bay is full of fire, vibrancy and flavour and it never fails to make me smile delivering that Caribbean personality and warmth in every dish. We sipped the last of our drinks and enjoyed the ambience. I had such a great night at the Turtle Bay cocktail masterclass and it was fun to try my hand at making the cocktails as well as drinking them!

What do you all think, do you like the idea of making your own cocktails and which of these would you like to try? As always I cannot wait to hear your thoughts and thank you so much for reading this post.

Turtle Bay

59-61 Hanover St,
Liverpool
L1 3DY

http://www.turtlebay.co.uk/

Until next time,

Camille

xo