18 Dec 2024
James Cameron samples some Quality Street tipples…
There are many traditional aspects of Christmas. Music, jumpers, indigestion, I guess church stuff. One of my favourite parts is the acceptability of grazing on chocolates all day everyday.
Clearly someone at Sopwell House feels the same as they have released a limited edition run of six cocktails inspired by everyone’s second favourite chocolate assortment box, Quality Street, and we were delighted to be invited down to give some of them a try.
If you’re not feeling sufficiently Christmassy yet then I thoroughly recommend a visit to Sopwell House. The festive assault on your senses begins on arrival, with lights covering the large tree outside and a variety of twinkles and greenery surrounding the roaring fire in the lobby. As we made our way to the Octagon Bar there was a delicious aroma of mulled spices and we were already full of jolliness by the time we took our seats and prepared for our cocktails.
There was only one vegan option, which may not be an enormous surprise for a range of chocolate cocktails, but the Caramel Swirl certainly did not suffer for the lack of dairy. It was as caramelly as you would expect, and in common with all the drinks we tried it avoided the trap of being too sickly sweet.
If you combine cocktails, which can often be very sweet, with sweets which are much the same, then this is a definite danger, but there was a freshness to the drink that avoided it being in any way claggy or overpowering.
Of course I went for the Purple One, the MVP of the Quality Street box, and it was an absolute treat. A light cloud of vanilla cream sat on top, almost Mr Whippy-esque, covering a warming alcoholic undertone.
Speaking to Adam Jobson, the head barman and mixologist genius behind these chocolate creations, you get a sense of the amount of work that has gone into both recreating the taste of the inspiring confectionery and being a satisfying and balanced drink in its own right.
For example, he worked with the pastry chefs in the attached Omboo restaurant to develop the correct texture and taste of the vanilla cream.
Each drink came garnished with its corresponding chocolate, and apparently I was lucky to get the Purple One with mine as they have a habit of being pilfered by passing staff.
The idea is apparently to have half of the drink and then eat the chocolate. Having tried this out it certainly does change the taste profile, as well as demonstrating just how well they have recreated the source flavours.
The only shame is that they no longer come wrapped in foil, though I suppose the future of the planet is more important than having shiny sweets.
For round two Adam very kindly managed to rustle up a vegan version of the Toffee Penny for my companion. This is apparently his favourite sweet, and although it did not have the cream topping it would normally be served for it was definitely not lacking in flavour. It was reminiscent of a salted caramel Baileys, with an aroma of butterscotch Angel Delight. There was a sharpness that stopped the creaminess getting away from itself and it was an ideal Christmas treat.
Whilst my companion went for Adam’s favourite chocolate, I ordered the drink that he was most pleased with, the Strawberry Delight.
This was a long way away from what I would expect from a chocolate-inspired cocktail. It was completely clear, being clarified using milk and a process that whilst not glamorous was certainly fascinating.
There was a strong forward flavour of strawberry but the aftertaste was refreshing, like flavoured water. It was a very dangerous combination as you almost felt like you were having a health drink. Best of all at the end you were left with a large ball of ice like you were drinking an asteroid.
We would love to have tried the final two flavours, Orange Creme and Coconut Eclair, but it was a Monday night and though you didn’t notice it at all as you drank them down these drinks packed quite a punch.
They are available until January 2, but even if you miss this window there are a number of exciting new cocktails joining the menu soon and if these are anything to go by they’ll be worth checking out.
It was an intense two-week development period for these drinks, eating chocolates and drinking cocktails to get the flavours just right, and I think I might have my new dream job.
It was fascinating talking to Adam, he was a real creative and his dedication and passion came through clearly. They went for Quality Street as the octagonal tub matches the shape of the central room, but I would love to see what he could do with other inspirations. He’s intrigued by the possibility of a Malteaser cocktail, but if he ever has a go at a Dinky Decker I would be there in a flash.
It is really refreshing when people try new things, like Gracey’s recent collaboration with The Boot, and it injects innovation and experimentation into the culinary scene. This is the time of year when we should treat ourselves, and I can think of few finer treats than sipping on a delightful drink in the warm and cosy surroundings of the Octagon Bar.
