Orchid Aberdeen Winter Menu Preview

On Thursday I was invited along to Orchid in Aberdeen. The bar is on Langstane Place, only one street across from Union Street and beside Boozy Cow, so it is right in the middle of the city. It has been on my 'to visit' list for a while now so I was pretty excited to get down and try some of their cocktails on the new menu.

Their new menu concept is very cool and it was great to listen to Nick, the manager, talk about something he is so passionate about. For their new winter menu launching in a couple of weeks they have decided to create a cocktail for six iconic locations around the city. With each drink you get a badge which you then take to the area and the city and take a selfie. Once you've tried all six cocktails, uploaded six selfies to social media you get the chance for your name to appear in the next menu. 

My favourite thing is getting people out and about to explore different areas of Aberdeen - after all there is so much to offer here.

Honey Rider - Mango infused rum, grapefruit oleo saccharum and Dr Adam Elmegirab's Orinoco Bitters

This was my favourite of the new cocktails but it is strong! It is inspire by the first ever Bond girl, Honey Rider, as in the film she comes out of the Ocean singing "Underneath the Mango Tree". I think this is such a fun idea. I just can't remember which location this cocktail represents.

Religious Robbery - Porter's Gin, a spiced pineapple syrup, coconut juice and a dash of Dr Adam Elmegirab's Teapot Bitters.

Another great cocktail puts a special Aberdeen Gin to good use. It has all the pineapple and coconut goodness of a Pina Colada but made with Gin instead. This drink is on the menu to represent to Porter's Gin lockup which is only round the corner from the bar.

Beerlini - Grapefruit cordial, salted Campari and topped with lager

Finally we tried a Beerlini - a Bellini made with beer instead of prosecco. This summery drink is inspired by days spent at the park or more specifically Duthie Park - one of my favourite places in Aberdeen.

As part of the night we got to try gin, guided through the different styles, I'm afraid to say the main thing I learned was I don't like Gin. That doesn't mean it wasn't fascinating to learn about the first gin distiller in the city for over 100 years. If you like Gin then you'll love Porter's Gin and you can support a growing local business.

Pink Orchid - Vanilla Vodka, Raspberry Liqueur, Cranberry Juice, Lime Juice, Sugar Syrup and Egg White

The final part of the evening was a mixology class. We were expertly talked through the different levels that make up a good cocktail. I jumped at the chance to get behind the bar and make a Pink Orchid - their signature cocktail and the only one that has been on the menu since opening. I wasn't bad at cocktail making either - maybe there is a future there for me. We created our own cocktail too which was bloody delicious but it didn't win the competition.

Another very cool thing Orchid are developing are a range of bottled cocktails. Made with ingredients that don't go off you'll be able to order them via deliveroo. How cool is that?

 

I was so impressed with Orchid so I'll definitely be dragging my friends back to visit when the new menu launches. 

You can find Orchid on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram so do give them a follow.

Thank you to Denise for sending me these photos of me to use - it was lovely meeting you!