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BUSABA isn’t your average cocktail masterclass. Taking place on the light, airy ground floor mezzanine - chilled music and the subtle smell of incense evoking a distant Thai hideaway - you immediately know you’re in for something a little different. Four tables laden with ingredients Ready Steady Cook style is another indication: fresh lime, ginger, lemongrass, jiggers filled with juice and spirits, a big bucket of ice and utensils like Mexican elbows (that’s lemon squeezers to us)... plus a moreish basket of prawn crackers for sustenance. Unlike traditional behind-the-bar masterclasses, the refreshing format also means you’re always engaged: it’s two people to a table and, whether competitive friends or a collaborative couple, you get stuck right in - as Confidential found on visiting the Manchester branch, there’s no having to wait for a turn with the barman here.
Entertainment, tipples and triple the fun
Having been greeted by our affable hosts, two experienced bartenders, it was time for some mixology magic. We were to create three cocktails: Espresso Martini, Coconut Rum Collins and, lastly, our own invention.
First up, Errick showed us how to make the martini, meanwhile telling us humorous anecdotes and the all-important mechanics of shaking; ’20 seconds and hell for leather’. After giving us each a straw to sample, it was then down to us to try and recreate - cue spillages, shenanigans and plenty of laughs. Like a class of unruly school children, we were supervised by our hosts, who came round afterwards to inspect our handiwork. Whilst some of us were more confident than others, we all did a reasonable job and got to drink the fruits of our labour as moved onto Coconut Rum Collins: an exotic Busaba twist on the popular classic.
Finally for the ultimate challenge: making our very own cocktail. Errick offered up some hints on what makes a good concoction, before giving us five minutes to peruse a table of ingredients: fresh guava, pineapple, fruit juices, spirits, elderflower cordial and flavoured syrups. Readied and steadied, it was time to go - again some pairs working in tandem, others as cocktail rivals. As before, our two hosts then came round and sampled, this time selecting a winner and runner up. The prize? Busaba vouchers worth £30 and £10 respectively...not bad at all. Runner up was a lady who attended with her mum; triumphing with ‘Seafoam’, a blackcurrant and vanilla medley with a vodka base and basil garnish. A lucky couple ultimately won the contest with their summery passion fruit beverage, trumping their neighbouring table’s ‘Really Dirty Mojito’.
Naughty mojitos aside, one recipe that’s definitely a winner is the Busaba cocktail masterclass: entertainment, tipples and triple the fun. We’ll drink to that...
To enquire about the next cocktail masterclass in Manchester email busabamcr@theconfidentials.co.uk
To be in with a chance of winning places at Liverpool's next masterclass on 9th June, email busabalvp@theconfidentials.co.uk
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