Photo of
November 9, 2018

If you are out and about in the capital this weekend then you may wish to swing by a couple of events which are taking place this evening and tomorrow.

As we mentioned in a previous blog, The Lidl House of Hortus (main picture) has popped up on Castle Street.

Billed as a pop-up gin club, the Lidl House of Hortus showcases the supermarket's increasingly extensive range of gins and gin liqueurs.

Tickets are free - book your slot in advance via Eventbrite - and guests will be offered two serves of gin or another spirit.

The Lidl House of Hortus features a Botanical Garden, a Pink Gin Liqueur Lounge and a Spirits in the Sky bar.

We recommend the Hortus Artisan Dry Gin; the Oriental Spiced Gin and the Citrus Garden Gin.

Cocktails in the City

Earlier this week, we blogged about the Cocktails in the City event taking place at The Hub this weekend.

We won't go over all the info again but we will point out that sixteen of Edinburgh's top bars will all be under the same roof and serving their signature cocktails.

Your blogger spent yesterday afternoon in Nightcap bar on York Place. The Nightcap team will be at The Hub over the weekend.

We were in the bar to sample the Angostura Rum range.

The Angostura Rums.

The Angostura Rums. Pic: Angostura

The Trinidadian distillers have been producing rum since 1949 although the company has a much longer history as the makers of Angostura Bitters.

Anogostura has its own, unique yeast which it uses to ferment molasses at the start of the rum production process.

This yeast helps give Angostura rums a unique flavour and aroma.

We sampled six of the range and our tasting notes and serve recommendations are below.

We also tried the Triple Trinidad Sour cocktail that Nightcap will be serving at Cocktails in the City. Mixing Angostura Bitters, Five Year Old Angostura Rum, lemon juice and the bar's own orgeat, it is a very more-ish, Caribbean take on a sour.

If you don't make it to Cocktails in the City, Nightcap will be serving the Triple Trinidad Sour for the next fortnight or so.

Wings and cocktails

If memory serves, visitors will be able to enjoy the cocktail plus some special wings for a tenner. Nightcap is well known for its chunky chicken wings and the kitchen has recently formulated an Angostura-based rub.

Comprising Five Year Old Angostura Rum, bitters, thyme, cayenne and jerk spices, it is wonderfully fiery.

Angostura Reserva - Charcoal filtered white rum which is aged for three years in ex-bourbon, American oak. Light, creamy and with firm vanilla notes, this works well in Daiquiris.

Angostura Five Year Old - Aged for five years in ex-bourbon casks, this is a rich spirit with chocolate and spice flavours. Lends itself well to Mojitos.

Angostura Seven Year Old - Ideal in an Old Fashioned or simply served over ice, this has toffee aromas and a voluptuous texture. There are notes of orange zest and Demerara sugar in there as well.

Angostura 1919 - This multiple award-winning rum has more subtle spice flavours and lots of vanilla. Great for sipping or in a Daiquiri.

Angostura 1787 - This super premium spirit blends rums which have been aged for a minimum of fifteen years. Stewed apples, cigars and chocolate all suggest themselves.

No. 1 French - A limited edition bottling - there are just 9,600 bottles in existence - No. 1 is the first premium rum to be unveiled in Angostura's Cask Collection, a range dedicated to rums aged in special casks. It is aged for ten years in ex-bourbon casks and then a further six years in ex-Cognac casks. An elegant and refined sipping rum, this had the different tasters comparing the flavour to crème caramel and sticky toffee pudding.