#MustCool4Cats

Cool for Cats…… once just a catchy tune by the Squeeze way back in 1979 is now also a brilliant January long promotion from the talented team from Must Wine Bar!

#MustCool4Cats runs from 4pm til 7pm each day in January and you’ll be able to snag 20% off all drink prices, along with some very tasty bar snacks. The focus on the beverage scene is on all things gin and as such, and with the help of SipSmith, some brilliant new cocktails have been created.

I played taste tester to some of these creations on Monday evening and I can assure you they hit the spot very nicely in the increasingly warming summer weather.

5 drinks featured, each uniquely different with carefully considered combination of ingredients.

The Ghost of Mr Smith was like liquid Christmas! Sipsmith gin, Pommery Champagne champagne, bitters and peach liqueur. A delectable fruity and cinnamon blend, it was very easy drinking and we each tried to fill our sample straws up with as much of the charming cocktail as we could!

The aptly named Ginuary followed, a combination of Sipsmith Gin, St Germain Elderflower Liqueur, Fresh Apple Juice and Bitters, topped up with Ginger Beer. This drink embraced the ever popular trend of mason jars and striped paper straws. I love it. I think it looks quaint and a little bit cutesy, which I think works a treat for this beverage. Flavour wise this drink was amazing, probably a close tie with the Mr Smith for my favourite. It was just so refreshing and perfect for the 39 degree day we’d just endured.

A spin on Pimms came next, with SipSmith Summer Cup. I had my first try of Pimms ever in November at the Gourmet Escape and it is an ideal drop for summer. Very thirst quenching and with the added bonus of some fruit in your glass, or as the case was here a decorative spear of cucumber 🙂 Can see it being another popular menu addition in January.

Now I had taken a video of head barman, Mars, to tell us all about this drink but I may have accidentally taken it on it’s side….. learning curve! But here is Mr Blue Eyes talking about the Ginuary.

Fourth in the line up was a Smoked Negroni – wow. The smoky flavour packed some serious punch and in contrast to the first three drinks I can see this cocktail as one for true spirit fans. I found it fairly strong, but for the negroni fans among our group it was receiving rave review. I did like how they had just one solitary sphere of ice in the glass. Very cool presentation, much more slick than the usual cube caper. Cubes are so last week 😉

The final beverage was the flirty ‘Threesome’, a trio of Sipsmith Gin, Vodka and Damson Vodka with Plum Bitters. The picture of elegance in its tall glass. Similarly to its predecessor it was a more potent concoction, but I preferred it over the negroni, with its subtle fruit flavours.

On finishing the five I’d say that I had established that I am more partial to the lighter, fruitier side of the cocktail scene but I think what’s good about these 5 drinks is that there is something for everyone 🙂 And if you somehow aren’t sold on a gin cocktail then hard to pass up good sangria in summer and let me tell you Must make a good sangria. That easy drinking kind that has you wishing for a fishbowl sized glass and a big straw 🙂

Now summer time drinks of course need summer time snacks and I have so much praise for the three dishes we tried! As a long-time fan of Russell Blaikie’s cooking – from visits to Must to his appearance at Long Table Lunches for WA Breast Cancer Care and his wonderful cookbook – I was very excited about trying these new additions! The prawn gazpacho was a dainty wonder. A perfectly cooked and lightly spiced prawn came served on top of a shot glass full of flavourful chilled soup. I’ve never been a huge cold soup fan but this was delicious and the grilled prawn warmed the top of the shot and meant you just some cooler soup at the bottom which was quite refreshing.

The fish and chips – tempura whiting with shoestring fries – were perfect! The fish was so fresh and the batter was thin and crispy. The accompanying tartare sauce was the best tartare sauce I’ve ever had. Good on the fish and great with the chips!

Now I’d be suitably wowed by the first two dishes but the standout for the majority of lucky punters who were there that night were Rusty’s Ribs. His version of a much loved dish he’d had in Bali at Naughty Nuri’s. Me oh my! I’m terrible with hand foods at the best of times, but no one could resist those ribs so we all delved in, carefully holding the bone which served as quite a good handle and the lovingly marinated meat just fell off the bone. Amazingly delicious. I just love ribs and these are magic.

Oh yes it is cool to be a cat indeed. So you’ve got another 20 days to enjoy these dishes and a few bargain drinks so you Must get yourself to Beaufort Street for some summer time fun! #MustCool4Cats