Showing posts with label Mr Bells. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mr Bells. Show all posts

Sunday, January 16, 2022

Taste of the Week. Wayward Spirits Hot Toddy.

Taste of the Week.

Wayward Spirits Hot Toddy. 

The cinnamon stick came from Mr Bells, who have an amazing range!

In 1840, the London Times accused Daniel O'Connell of enticing Englishmen into his den and drowning them in Whiskey Toddy. Today, our purpose is to warm up a cold January day with our Liberator Hot Toddy.


And here's the hot toddy recipe from Wayward Spirits Maurice O'Connell, a direct descendant of The Liberator Daniel O'Connell. 
30-50ml The Liberator Small Batch (by Wayward Spirits)
1 tablespoon of local honey
Fresh lemon juice (¼ of a lemon)
Top up with boiling water
Stir and garnish with a cinnamon stick (from Mr Bells)
Put your feet up!

Seems like a lot of honey (Galtee in this case) and quite a bit of lemon juice too. And, yes, they each play a leading role as does the whiskey of course. But there's a terrific balance between sweet and sour and the cinnamon blends in neatly as well. All nice and smooth and a really different take on the hot toddy when you consider neither the traditional clove nor the demerara sugar (or brown sugar) is selected for this one, our warming Taste of the Week. Cheers!

* There is a claim that the drink may have been started in India, but 19th century Irish doctor Richard Bentley Todd is widely credited with inventing the prescription of a hot drink of brandy, white cinnamon, sugar syrup and water, which was called after him.


Tuesday, June 16, 2015

Taste of the Week. Medjool Dates from Mr Bells

Taste of the Week
Medjool Dates
The dates; coffee scoop gives an idea of size.

Just spotted these a few days ago on the Twitter feed of Mr Bells in the English Market. Made a beeline for the stall to get my hands on these big richly delicious dates, widely regarded as the very best. 

There are many sweet ways to eat these. Came across a striking one in Jacques a few months back when dessert was Medjool Date stuffed with Ardsallagh goats cheese, with Almonds and a full circle of Blood Orange. A gorgeous combination.

Didn't have any Ardsallagh handy when I came back from the market but did have a bottle of Sauternes on hand (Lamourette 2005) and a glass of that proved a perfect match for the luscious dates, our Taste of the Week.