SO YOU MAY HAVE NOTICED IT’S OUR OPULENT ISSUE AND ALSO THAT WE’RE ABOUT TO EMBARK UPON THE A TIME OF GREAT EXCESS, MAINLY THANKS TO THE IMPENDING ARRIVAL OF THE FESTIVE SEASON.
Well we at Gallery wanted to help you discover a slightly different take on the traditional pub crawl and decided to put an Opulent spin on it, yes that’s right we stepped up and identified what we consider to be St Helier’s finest Opulent Bar Crawl.
We didn’t want this to be merely hypothetical, we were all willing to participate… So imagine the situation: a rainy Thursday afternoon, seven welcoming establishments (all plotted on a map and visited by geographical location), seven (was more like nine or ten) different Opulent cocktails sampled by four willing participants, all with a list of judging criteria, what’s the worst that could happen…
Well the results are contained over the next few pages, but in summary we would suggest adding in an eighth stop the morning after, our venue of choice was Cafe JAC, it wasn’t planned but it was very much needed!
We’d like to think that we will inspire you to take to the streets and recreate our journey, go on do it, it’s great fun. We recommend you start after a hearty lunch, which should be mainly carbohydrate based and be prepared to write off most of the next day.
We of course also recommend that this is very much for those over 18 and that you should always drink responsibly… So, what’s stopping you?!
Radisson Blu
Maitai£9.95
The newly refurbished Radisson has a pretty impressive cocktail list, full of the old classics and some new creations. We were offered up the Maitai as it’s their ‘signature’ cocktail, mainly due to their close proximity to the sea, and rather lovely it was too.
Tasters comments: It’s the taste of an expensive holiday
Mixologist Chris:It’s sweet but not too sweet and the end has a great kick of the alcohol.
Name 3 / Presentation 3.5 / Potency 5 / Vessel 3 / Taste 5
Ingredients:Appleton VX rum, oranage Curacoa, lime juice, oregat syrup, pineapple juice.
Bohemia
Laniquetini £9.50
A visit to Bohemia is always rather lovely and made more Opulent by the daytime hour we visited. Greeted by Andrei we were offered up the Laniquetini, made from the distinctive rose scented Lanique spirit which first arrived at Bohemia around the same time as the first Gallery, which was 10 years ago.
Tasters comments: This one is so unusual with a really unexpected taste, love the chocolate bitters! It’s so lovely it makes me smile and it’s definitely got a kick.
Mixologist Andrei: This is one combination that’s new and unique, it’s a great brand and I love working with this spirit. You’ll definitely feel it when you stand up.
Name 5 / Presentation 4 / Potency 5+ / Vessel 3 / Taste 3.5
Ingredients:Lanique, Gin, chocolate bitters and lime juice.
RojoCocktail duo
End of season (for her)
Montemco (for him) £20 for both
Next up Rojo, their little sister on Bond Street was considered the home of the good cocktail in Jersey and their new big brother has upheld the tradition well. We were offered up one of their new concept ‘couples’ drinks, which has a drink aimed at a female palette and one for the fellas, inspired by a personal favourite the Old Fashioned, oh and it comes presented on what looks like a small pallet too! Both in-house creations and unique to Rojo, this was a lovely afternoon treat, served with rich dark chocolate to complement the flavours, it was as close to afternoon tea as we got!
Tasters comments:Amazing presentation. That ice cube globe! I enjoyed the theatre of it.
Mixologist Steve: These are great drinks and they’re bespoke to us. You’ll pick up lots of flavours.
Name 5 / Presentation 5+ / Potency 5 / Vessel 5 / Taste 4
Ingredients: Her: Tanqueray 10 Gin, St Germain (Elderflower), homemade vanilla and cinnamon sugar syrup, fresh strawberries and pineapple muddled.
Him: Ron Zacapa rum, Picon orange liquor, chocolate bitters, grenadine.
Ormer
Another Love £9.75
Perhaps the best kept secret in the island, although obviously not now! Ormer’s cocktail menu is as you’d expect within an establishment of this standard, the classics are joined by some fabulous in-house creations. Sat at the beautiful copper covered bar you could easily lose an afternoon in here. The cocktail chosen was as opulent as the setting it was served in and we felt the glass deserved a special mention, it was ‘beautiful’. Be sure to add Ormer to your list of drinking establishments.
Tasters comments:Wow, this is so smooth, sharp, tangy and sweet! I could live off of these until I fall off the chair. This drinks got so much going on, it’s amazing.
Mixologist Dan: In this drink you’ll get all that you want in a relationship, it’s a love potion.
Name 5 / Presentation 5/ Potency 4 / Vessel 5 / Taste 5
Ingredients:Fresh lime, caramel syrup, Campari (we were shocked too, but it’s amazing), Crème de mûre (blackberry liquor) and egg white, which adds the silky texture to the drink.
Royal Yacht
Liquid de la Mer (The Conch Shell) £35 (serves four people)
After their recent refit the Royal Yacht has very much upped their cocktail offering game. Their list has, as with others, the classics within its pages, but they also have some rather adventurous sharing cocktails, which aren’t for the feint hearted and include the notable Captains Chest, which is carried in by sailors and arrives amid a sea of sparklers.
Tasters comments: It’s very punchy. A really exciting cocktail. It’s got a wow factor to look at, the lights are fun.
Mixologist Mike (sporting a fabulous Mo!): It’s similar to a lychee martini and can be made with either gin or vodka. Its presentation is quite unusual and it’s incredibly popular. I’m sure it’s the light that does it!
Name 5 / Presentation 5 / Potency 5 / Vessel 4 / Taste 4
Ingredients: Bombay Sapphire gin (lots of it), lemon juice, lychee liquor and lychee juice.
Wildfire
Porn Star £8
The old faithful, and very much the home of cocktails, even since the days of the former Sports Bar, which many of you either will or won’t remember along with their jugs of ‘sex on the beach’! We drank the cocktail they are probably most well known for, the Porn Star. Served with a shot of Champagne on the side, this can either be drunk on its own or mixed in with the passion fruit based cocktail alongside it.
Tasters comments:It’s incredibly sweet. Banging with the champagne mixed in.
Mixologist Jordan:It’s a great one for the girls and definitely one of our bestsellers, always hits the spot!
Name 3 / Presentation 4 / Potency 4 / Vessel 3 / Taste 4
Ingredients:Vanilla vodka, passion fruit liquor, vanilla sugar syrup, passion fruit puree, lemon juice and a shot of champagne on the side.
Blind Pig
The Holy Grail £9.50
The last stop on our crawl! Most people will now know the whereabouts of the islands first speakeasy, but if you don’t, then be sure to track it down. The mixologists are incredibly welcoming and passionate about their work. We stumbled upon some in-house competition experimentation, an initiative to inspire the guys behind the bar to keep the menu interesting. As with the others, the classics are their but so are a great deal of other temptations.
Tasters comments:I like that it makes me feel opulent. It’s the most amazing vessel. Wow!
Mixologist Denise: A nice rounded drink, we use a 12yr old full bodied rum, it’s very balanced.
Name 5 / Presentation 4 / Potency 4 / Vessel 5 / Taste 4
Ingredients: Appleton 12yr old rum, Grand Marnier, lemon juice and sugar syrup.
