Sweeteasy…my high class drinking den with a twist

On Friday I hosted my first ever Sweeteasy, an idea I’d dreamt up to combine two of my favourite things…booze and cake! What better way to say goodbye to dry January and get February off to a flying start than being plied with a carefully devised set menu of prohibition era and cake inspired cocktails and cocktail inspired cakes, all in the wonderful setting of Hot Numbers on Gwydir Street, which we transformed into a high class drinking den for the evening…

The tables were laid, the 1st cocktail was mixed and I’d even managed to get out of my pinny for once, all that was left to do was nervously await the arrival of my guests…

Now, keeping exciting secrets is not one of my strong points and I found it unbelievably difficult to keep the contents of the menu to myself, but somehow I managed it, my guests had no idea what treats awaited them until they arrived…

First on the menu was a marmalade martini, made using gin, which I had infused with my homemade 3 fruits marmalade and mixed with cointreau and fresh lemon juice…

The first sweet treat was my amaretto sour inspired macaron, sandwiched with zingy homemade lemon curd and served with cocktail cherries (one of my guilty pleasures)…

I would cite my inspiration for this dessert to be the amaretto sour cocktail made by the guys at 196 on Mill Road…I highly recommend you pay them a visit and try one for yourself!

The next cocktail on the menu was a hot gingerbread punch, made by infusing stout with cloves, cardamom, sugar, orange zest and fresh ginger before adding Havana Club 7yo and serving warm…in teapots and teacups natch!…

Followed by my piece de resistance…mojito doughnuts. I used my family’s paczki (polish doughnut) recipe with a few very special twists…rum and lime zest flavoured dough, a lime filling and a rum and mint glaze…

Watching my guests bite into these little beauties was the highlight of Sweeteasy for me…I looked around the room and saw everyone savouring each and every bite and nodding in approval…it absolutely made my night! They may not be the most perfect looking creations but I can vouch for the fact that they were light as air and melted in the mouth. Ozzy (@karohemd), who I would like to thank for taking such amazing photos, said that they looked and tasted exactly like the ones his Granny used to make…praise indeed!

Whilst preparing the final cocktail we brought out these plates of chocolatey goodness. Chocolate brownies with cream and a kirsch soaked cherry on the top…

and margarita truffles made with 70% dark chocolate, tequila, lime zest and sea salt…

which went perfectly with the Hot Numbers espresso martini…

Vocal chords well lubricated, the conversation flowed and we were serenaded by the very talented James Brotherston on piano…

with a guest appearance from my friend Phil…

I’d just like to say a few special thank you’s to…

My Sweeteasy helpers Adam Shaw of Adam Shaw Couture and Carri of Pavitt’s Pies…

Hot Numbers owner Simon Fraser for allowing me to take over his wonderful cafe for the evening, James Brotherston for tinkling those ivories, Ozzy for papping away all evening and taking such fantastic photo’s. You can see more of Ozzy’s pictures on Flickr and on his blog Karohemd’s World. And last but not least, a huge thank you to all of my lovely guests for coming along, eating and drinking with passion, getting into the spirit of Sweeteasy and making it a fantastic evening!

I’m very happy to say that I’m already plotting the next Sweeteasy for a couple of months time, so keep your eyes peeled on my blog and Twitter (#sweeteasy) for future announcements!