By David Marsland, Drinks Enthusiast
Kahlúa have taken over Manchester. Well, they’ve firmly established themselves at Market Restaurant in the Northern Quarter, but for the sake of argument, let’s call it a takeover.
Transformed into the Kahlúa colours of red, yellow and black, with bottles lining shelves and menus covering everything from Mexican char grilled chicken to Espresso Martini’s and White Russians, Kahlúa has taken the ever-intrigued Manchester scene and created something just that little bit different.
Take, for example, their free master classes. Ran upstairs in their Salon de Kahlúa, collaborative partners The Liquorists and Coffee Circle explore the heritage of Kahlúa, whilst enjoying a cocktail or two. But to really stand out, you spend some of the session blind-folded. Fantastic idea!
After an introductory drink of replacing rum with Kahlúa in a coffee based Mojito, your host, in our case Jamie Jones, asks you to become departed from your senses and spend the next few minutes in darkness, hands on the table.
In the middle is placed a dish containing four spoons, one with a rum based sugar cane cube, one with vanilla, one with a jelly coffee cube and the last with vanilla coffee cream. Of course, you have to guess what you have just tried, and many expressing how simple the ingredients are to creating the finished product of Kahlúa.
After a history lesson in coffee by Coffee Circle, you are then treated to a shot glass of probably one of the world’s most famous coffee cocktails – The Espresso Martini. A mix of Kahlúa, vodka and espresso, shaken to create a creamy layer on top and decorated with a couple of coffee beans. Simple, perfect.
The last treat of the evening though highlighted the Salon de Kahlúa cocktail menu created by The Liquorists – an Americano. Not your usual coffee drink, but more a combination of Kahlúa and vermouth spritzed with a coffee infused Pernod absinthe spray.
Served in a cup complete with saucer of course. This gave an insight into the drinks list as there are eight drinks to choose from, ranging from The Flat White (Kahlúa, Chivas Regal and Pedro Ximenez Sherry), The Mocha (Kahlúa, Olmeca Altos Reposado, Cherry Cola and Chocolate Ice Cream) and The Affogato (Absolut Vanilla, Kahlúa and Espresso) which is a de-constructed White Russian that you drink with a spoon.
The session lasts for 45 minutes and as it’s free, spaces are snapped up quickly, especially with what is on offer for you. Masterclasses are held at 6:30pm on Thursdays, and at 6:30pm and 8:30pm every Friday and Saturday. Book yourself on, grab a bite to eat, watch a film in the speakeasy and enjoy many a Kahlúa beverage because come April 27th – IT’S GONE.
For all you need to know about cocktails, drinks and bars around Manchester, check out Drinks Enthusiast’s blog here.
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