School nights has never stopped me from having cocktails but Tuesday night cocktails seemed positively rebellious. However it was no ordinary Tuesday as me and my brother-in-law Tom were at the O2 to see Nicki Minaj.
I haven't been to the O2 in a while and I'm really impressed with how they have created what appears to be a very successful entertainment venue. As Ms Minaj was not due on stage for a while, me and Tom thought we'd get our limbs lubricated and ready for some dancing by having a few drinks.
There were some poncy looking bars but we were happy with Las Iguanas (http://www.iguanas.co.uk/). I haven't been to a Las Iguanas in years and it was actually one of my very first cocktail experiences back in Brighton many moons ago but I have always vaguely known by reputation that they liked their rum and they liked their pitchers.
Me and Tom shared a Mortos Vivos. Not because it was romantic but because it was advised. As Tom translated for me, it literally meant 'living dead'. Whether they were implying that drinking this would put you in a coma or maybe they were getting into the Halloween festivities, I may be getting a bit immune to all of this but I could easily have had it to myself. I am really enjoying rum these days, I think maybe because of the company it keeps, it automatically makes me get into holiday mode. This drink had cachaça (a Brazilian liquor), amaretto, apricot liqueur, lime, pineapple, passionfruit which had a flambe of rum in it (before I even had a chance to take a photo of the flaming fruit, it was blown out so as to not waste the alcohol - fair point) and angostura (a bitter from Trinidad). I loved the idea of having apricot liqueur in it and will certainly be looking to do some research into more apricot based cocktails as I think it sounds lovely but I couldn't quite taste it in this. The pineapple pretty much took over. Anyhow, a very enjoyable drink.
We also took advantage of happy hour and had a dappled apple (on my recommendation) and a dark and stormy. The dappled apple had vodka, cloudy apple juice and cassis which is a liqueur deriving from blackcurrants. This would explain why me and Tom felt we were drinking a glass of ribena. It kind of took away any apple-ness which I was after.
I've never had a dark and stormy and let this be a lesson to me to never take the cocktail name at face value. I had always assumed it would be a very heavy drink, whisky or bourbon based. I have no idea why. That, coupled with the fact that my date at the weekend was practically banned from having one after having a zombie, I was pretty fearful of it. However, I was totally proven wrong. A dark and stormy was Goslings rum and lime with ginger beer and literally that was it. However the ginger beer totally made the drink. That and the fact it was served in a glass that looked like a jam jar helped. I really enjoyed the little fire from the ginger beer but was in awe that it was such a refreshing drink.
The drinks certainly helped us get excited about seeing Nicki Minaj but I think we felt the effects of it wear off pretty quickly whilst standing around waiting for her.
Anyway, Las Iguanas, a great chain with cocktails that matches the personality of the place. Not sure I would suggest for a date but a good venue to catch up with my super brother-in-law about blogging, finding happiness and little Leo.
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