40th Birthday Tipples - Maroochydore

So we started off birthday celebrations for my friend at the Greenout Café in Ocean St. It lists mojitos as a speciality on their signage. Nah. Yuk. Again. Full of sugar syrup?? Gross.
Had a couple of wines there before moving next door to the piano bar. As we were very merry, my newly 40 friend asked the bartender to make her a drink that tasted like a walk through an orchard. After looking dazed for a minute.. I think he realised he had two half cut middle aged women and could serve us anything. Turns out it was DELCIOUS.
I don't know what it's called. He made it up. But it tasted like sherbert. Kind of fruit tingle like. A perfect dessert for a nice long lunch.

Gordon Ramsey Tipples. London House -Tsim Sha Tsui

 Yum. On all counts. I heart Gordon Ramsey and I enjoyed his pub food more than his degustation stuff. Mind you.. most expensive pub meal I've ever had. This was a GREAT drink.

Belvedere Spectre 007 98

Belvedere, Lime Juice, Fresh raspberries, Ginger beer

(A delicious blend of fruit and spice, shaken or stirred, especially created by our Mixologists

for House… London House)




Before it, I'd had a margarita. I have to be careful not to over inflate my score. This was the first normal margarita. It's a 7. Great night out.

Hong Kong Tipples. Don't bother.

Bleah. Hong Kong Cocktails are way toooooo sweet. Many use sugar syrups. Not too nice at all. Best margarita was at the local Mexican. But even it was sweet. None were above a 5 and most a 4.

This crushed strawberry and sparkling was from the Brotzeit German Bier Bar in Mody Rd. THIS was nice. Very expensive. Not worth it. Still enjoyed it as Rob was paying. :)

Outback Steakhouse. Not bad. But again.. sweet. 5. IF that.

Tequila Jack's Chatham Rd South. Not bad. Best we found. So I had a jug. Still a 5. Not as sweet. But sweet.

JC's Sports Bar. Meh. Only good thing was that it was strong!

Bavarian Bier Cafe Tipples

Christmas party was at the Bavarian Bier Café at Eagle St Pier. I had a margarita and I'm giving it a 8.5/9. It was really nice. Close to mine. Great balance of sweet/sour. More sour.

 

A lost Margarita - somewhere in London

 I can't remember where we had these drinks. I do remember that it was a very swank area with lots of bars and plenty of hot men in suits meeting in the open courtyard of them all. I remember this as a nice drink.. a 7 at least.. but it may have been the view influencing me. :)

Beer Tipples. The Day I became a beer drinker.

BRUGES. Belgium.

One has to drink beer in Belgium. I was at a FANTASTIC restaurant. Ribs'n'beer. Awesome. The only table left was a bar table. The manager had to clear his books for me. This was a raspberry beer. It was YUMMY. Think Cruisers.. for beer. By the end it was a bit too sweet.

So then.. I stopped at.. I don't know. The next bar in Brugges?? This was a cherry beer. YUM. Liked it a lot. Didn't like the staff. So moved on.

So feeling like I was now an accomplished beer drinker.. I tackled a normal beer. A chimay blonde. Gag. I am not a beer drinker. I am a cruiser beer drinker. I did however, drink the whole thing. Very slowly.  I can't find the pic of my last beer. Still looking. It was a cherry while I saw watching the beautiful Market square. Horrible drink. Very lambrusco like.

Parisian Tipples. It's all about the ohlala

Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. This was my 4th trip to Paris and the first I've had a balcony. I can never go back. Must. have. balcony. To top it off.... an accordion often played under my window. It doesn't matter what tipple I had. It was always good sitting here. It was cold. But worth it. I bought French bottles from the supermarket... maybe $5?? They all tasted like Gold. The maid must have thought I was a drunk with an empty bottle each night.

I admit it. I cried a little. I've been on the Seine a few times. I know all the buildings. Not interested in the commentary. This was a Champagne cruise. Sat in a VIP section. And we drank 3 different champagnes while we travelled up the river. As I was a solo.. the sommelier kept topping up my glass. So I left very happy. In both ways.

Wine. You are almost expected to have it with every meal. Who am I to argue?

A drunk Tipple

Okay... I'm not going to post about the other drinks I had this night. Mostly cause I don't really remember. I do remember that we ended up at a little bar (that was nearly closing) near my hotel. Near Embankment Tube stop (Trafalgar Square area) We were very bloody merry and this Cosmo tasted bloody fantastic. Well that's how I kind of remember it. :)

Open bottle laws? What are they? Only in Australia. What I love about many places I visit is they don't exist! It is right up my alley to sip a Prosecco Spritzer while walking around the food markets. Reminds me of the Thai night markets. Cocktails in bags with straws while you shop. This was refreshing (probably means mostly lemonade) and kept me shopping a little bit longer.

GBK - an easy lunch tipple

Forget fancy restaurants. If I could eat GBK (Gourmet Burger Kitchen) every day.. I would. Something to compare it to here would be Grill'd I guess. I know this isn't a food blog but their chicken burgers are to die for. So this particular one (I went to 3 on this holiday.. GBK whore I am) was at Cambridge. They have wonderful Elderflower cordial. Free refills. THIS one though, has Gin in it. Perfect combo. :)

Be At One - Soho London

http://www.beatone.co.uk/cocktail-bar/soho-greek-street


Be At One bars are all over the UK. This was a little one in Soho. In fairness to this Margarita.. I don't remember it a great deal. We were certainly buzzing after an evening of food and margaritas and I know I was getting over them a bit. I DO remember thinking that this one was closest to mine at home. Made with lime instead of my lemon though. Not bad.. maybe a 6. Fun  way to end the night here.

The Pink Chihuahua - A "secret" bar in London

http://elcamion.co.uk/cocktail-bar/


So. We went to this little underground bar. Very cool. Old fashioned almost nudie pics on the wall. Vinyl booths etc. Very grudgy cool. First round was a classic margarita. 8 pound 50. Meh. This place ( well this bartender) prides itself on the margaritas. Only about a 5. Second one was a Tommy. I told the bartender the last one was a 5.. had to lie to him about this one. It was a 5 too. Wanted him to keep some of his self esteem.

 Hard not to let the cool surroundings bias my opinion of the drinks. We certainly seemed to be enjoying them. :)

Cafe Pacifico Tipple - Covent Gardens London

Okay.. So I researched the best margaritas in London before I left home... And this place popped up n my screen. I love Mexican.. It was right around the corner and even better.. 2 for one in Monday's. 

So  we were keen. And sad by the end. I don't cope well with the wrong glasses. But I sucked that up. For some reason it was quite sweet? Almost like the rim had sugar mixed with salt. And there was obviously lime/lemon mix.. Not juice. Disappointment. But I drank them.. And another. 4 or 5 outta 10.

Mask Bar London. A tired tipple

Yum! This is a good one. Or I'm severely travel weary. Ignored all the groovy packed out bars around me and settled for the very nice hotel bar. I'm smashed. A full glass.. Very acidic but heavy on lime. Just delicious. A good margarita start London. Though bloody expensive. £14!!

Rydges Southbank Tipple

Man. Swish bar at Rydges.. but a disappointing margarita. It lacked any flavour at all.

Plough Inn Tipples

We stopped at the Plough Inn after Hannah's formal photos. Made the mistake of having a strawberry margarita. Yuk. Way to sweet for me. Biggest disappointment was that it was sugar mixed with salt on the rim.

Theatre Tipples

Cause it wouldn't be the theatre if you didn't buy an overprized, not so great, frozen *yuk* cocktail.

Morayfield Tavern Tipples

                                                Meh... but at least it was strong. Too strong.

BEST margarita EVER.. MargaritaVille Tipples

 This was called "The Perfect Margarita" and it WAS. Best ever. So far.

Gordon Ramsey Tipples

So.. this was at Gordon Ramsey's The Maze and these cost a lot and from memory weren't that great. Too fresh and lite for me. Yep. True.

Worst Margarta Ever.. Cactus Republic tipples

Yuk, yuk, yuk. They make this with a sort of lemon squash/cordial. Gross

Pepe's Tipples

Okay.. a really big margarita.. and it was okay too!

Harry Potter Tipples

Another non alcoholic one, but it deserves it's own post. BUTTERBEER at the Harry Potter Studios in London.

Aperol Tipples

Okay. This is a gross drink. Really. Maddy came back from Europe addicted to Aperol Sprtiz. It's like the bitterest thing you can imagine X by 5. But.. once your tastebuds are numb.. it doesn't taste tooo bad. And at least I sip instead of guzzle.

18th Birthday Tipples

A few of us having pre party tequila shots and party games at the start of Maddy's 18th Beer Garden bash.

Dom Perignon Tipples

Grouch bought me a bottle to celebrate his promotion. Have to say... besides the thousand time more bubbles, it could have been a cheap drop. I  didn't appreciate it apart from it's name.

Vapiano Tipples

Yum. That is all

 

Montezuma Tipples

 

Now.. I really like Montezuma's food. I am not a fan of frozen margaritas ever, even here. But their shaken ones are lovely!

 

Jamie Oliver BRISBANE tipples

Really, really delicious cocktail. This was a rosemary and grapefruit Collins.

Grapefruit Smirnoff vodka, fresh rosemary, ginger, Martini Bianco & ginger ale

Dubai Tipples

Not much to report in Dubai!!

London Tipples

                                           Pimm's in a can and 1 litre smirnoffs? Okay then

                                              I can't remember what this was.. but remember it was crap.

                                    NOW.. this one is NOT alcoholic but is tepid water straight from the Bath      Springs. It's a must do. gag.

                 The Hyde Park Winter Wonderland markets. Where I discovered just how much I detest mulled wine.

                MARGARITA!!!!!!! This was ruined by the heavy salt. I love salt but this had fallen into the glass so the drink itself became salty.

Way to buy your alcohol at the "IGA". Love the plastic glasses with covers