Press invite: Christmas lunch at Abajo London with The Whisky Exchange and 2022 drink trends
And just like that… it was Christmas! If you’re anything like me, living through this pandemic will often have left you lusting after your pre-2020 existence; the fullness of experiences that life – and a love for London in general – had (read as: has) to offer. The whisky bars, the gin cocktails, wine dates with friends… the food - oh the food! ah yes! There’s been a lot to miss.
So you can imagine, my heart jumped for joy when I spotted an email from a fondly familiar name in my unread emails - the subject: ‘Christmas Lunch - 7th December’ beckoning me to click... I immediately checked my December calendar - which, tbf, is probably the fullest it’s been since 2021 began. The email read that I was invited along to Abajo (Spanish for “below” or downstairs, at the case here would be) at Sucre near Carnaby Street for a three course dinner and an informal tasting. Oooh yes, please! I quickly worked out that I could take my one day off the following week to coincide with that date, and join The Whisky Exchange folks for what would undoubtably be an unmissable - and incredibly boozy - festive dinner at Abajo London.
Having not really been anywhere fancy in agesss… I chose my outfit carefully, opting for something a little dressier than my usual WFH wear - you know the sort you reserve for sitting on many a Microsoft Teams call…
What I wore…
Sézane ‘Colombe’ lace ruffled shirt (see similar here) underneath a teal pleated seamed mini dress from Mimii London, and a pair of good old soft chocolate brown leather Topshop ankle boots.
Outfit sorted - the day could only get better from there right? Only… as luck would have it… stupid Lucie decided to swap her big winter coat at the very last minute for her new black Zara one – instead of the tan M&S one she’d been wearing 30 seconds earlier - and in a mad dash for the train realised she’d left the house sans communicado…
It was only upon sitting in the carriage (now slightly sweaty and flustered from the sprint to the platform) and flying towards Waterloo station that I realised my iPhone was still in my other coat pocket. Ah shit!
Frantically, I glance at my wrist and realise that I had managed to put on my Apple watch at least… and… I’d also decided when purchasing said Apple Watch to opt for the more expensive Apple Watch Series 6 GPS + Cellular, 40mm Gold Stainless Steel Case with Gold Milanese Loop (they had me at GOLD!) and pay for a £6 a month for a 4G sim only plan which would allow me to make calls from said watch, even when my phone was nowhere near by (FYI the standard model only allows you to make calls if your iPhone is close to hand).
[RECIPE] The GIBSON
60ml ‘Height of Arrows’ Holyrood Distillery Gin
10ml Dry Vermouth
1 x baby silverskin onion
The other great thing about this + Cellular version is that I could use the Apple Pay feature too - which was a good job really as I still had to buy a ticket and get from Waterloo to Carnaby Street. It’s fair to say the train ticket inspectors were pretty bemused by my story, but kindly let me off without one. I don’t make a habit of it - promise!
Using the Apple Maps feature on my phone, and hitting the address I’d saved in my calendar for the restaurant, I was able to navigate my way (read as: drain the life out of my Apple Watch in record speed) - sans iPhone and arrive at my destination, just in time to grab a pre-dinner drink - a very delicious Gibson cocktail - made with The Whisky Exchange’s 2022 Gin of the Year - Height of Arrows Gin - a rather distinguished yet ‘minimalist’ offering from Holyrood Distillery in Edinburgh. But what makes it distinguished? You ask! Well, the price, for one… this baby currently retails at under £30 - whilst stocks last! And unlike many artisan gin makers out there… that bottle is more than just a pretty label, although - to be fair - it’s Tiffany-box blue aesthetic would sit proudly on your drinks trolley too. And what of it’s taste?
The Whisky Exhange team sum it up rather exquisitely for us below…
#Ginoftheyear
height of arrows
by holyrood distillery
Thoughts: Delightful on both palate and purse!
The Whisky Exchange’s Gin of the Year for 2022 is this sole botanical number, distilled with salt and beeswax to help extract a broad spectrum of flavours from the humble juniper berry. Fresh aromas of pine needle, apple mint and lemon show immediately on the nose as does a soft orange zest character that emerges over time. The gin itself is oily and mouth-coating with woody herbs and earthy peppercorns in the finish.
£28.95
The downstairs cocktail bar at Abajo is a great location for private dining experiences or informal tastings like this one. It’s atmospheric… is equipped with a longggggg ass bar and stunning yet moody decor. And the food! Oh… that was something else! [Drool] Check out this menu…
Our three course dinner menu at Abajo (Downstairs at Sucre London) was a real treat! A series of extremely moreish sharing plates that catered to all dietary requirents
Next up we were treated to a glass of The Whisky Exchange’s 2021 exclusive edition of their Christmas Malt, which retails for £79.95.
Festive spirits and glasses raised, we then proceeded to plough through the plates of food. It felt a little odd at first, learning to refamiliarise ourselves once more with what actually being social and surrounded by people felt like. Besides our love for the tempting tipples set before us - and maybe even more importantly in this bonding exercise - we shared our lockdown experiences, thoughts about remote working and predications for 2022. It was quite wholesome for a knees up really.
[whisky exchange seasonal special]
A fine christmas malt 2021, Orkney
A Fine Christmas Malt to celebrate the festive season, made at a mystery Orkney distillery and matured for 16 years, before being bottled by The Whisky Exchange especially for Christmas 2021. Aromas of barbecued apples, lemon, orange, pineapple, chocolate and wood smoke fill the nose, complemented by notes of hazelnut chocolates, coal smoke, baking spice and fruit cake throughout the palate.
£79.95
If you’re a fan of whisky or know someone who is.. perhaps they’d like to add this seasonal little dram to their drinks cupboard? Each year The Whisky Exchange release their own Christmas malt - and a selection of spirits of the year! I’m always excited to see which names make the list and whether they are from distilleries I already know of or new kids on the block…
Plus… if you’re a whisky lover, you might also want to start collecting too! Check out CJ from A Single Malt Vault - who tells me he’s kept each and every Black Friday whisky that’s ever been released by The Whisky Exchange… and CJ knows his whisky… these are so covetable, you have to go into a ballot to be in with a chance of getting your hands on one. Put it this way, he even managed to put down a decent contribution towards a deposit on his home through selling a couple of other whiskies in his collection! Impressive eh?! CJ’s top tip: never invest in whisky you wouldn’t be prepared to drink yourself; it might not make you a small fortune, but then again, you never know, it could be a down-payment on your future home!
As the courses flowed, so did the conversation… along with the free pouring of wine and spirits - until, you could say, we were all pretty well acquainted (read as: lubricated) and I found myself exclaiming happily, “Oh! I’ve had a really lovely evening, thanks!” to which Sukhinder Singh, Managing Director of The Whisky Exchange - and one of our fabulous dinner party hosts -promptly corrected me, laughing: “You’ve had a lovely afternoon, Lucie - it’s only 4pm!” Well! That got me. My goodness! “Is it?” A 4-hour lunch is rare at the best of times, never mind one that leaves you thinking it’s a completely different time of day…
#whiskyoftheyear
Deanston 18 Year Old, Scotland
During the lunch we were invited to taste The Whisky Exchange’s ‘Whisky of the Year’ for 2022. This 18-year-old Highland malt is matured entirely in first-fill Bourbon casks - perfect for those of us who like our whisky sweeter, dialling up Deanston’s trademark tropical fruit and honey character to eleven and reinforcing it with rich American oak notes of butter and vanilla. Absolutely delectable! This would definitely be able to call itself home in our drinks cupboard… not that it would last very long.
Deanston 18 year old is currently on sale at a web exclusive price of £63.95 at The Whisky Exchange, whilst stocks last!
#rumoftheyear
Doorly’s 14 Year Old Rum, Barbados
Thoughts: If you like Cognac… You’ll LOVE Doorly’s rum!
Now Rum is something that I’m still pretty much a newbie too… I think I put myself off as a teenager drinking too much white rum & coke.
But over the years, I’ve definitely enjoyed my fair share of Mojitos and Daquiris.. and in more recent years, having acquired a taste for whisky and cognac, I’ve found I actually quite enjoy a straight dark rum - a real sipper!
New life goal unlocked = to be sipping Barbadian rum in Barbados as the sun sets.
Dawn and team introduced us to The Whisky Exchange Rum of the Year for 2022 by Doorly’s, and describe it is “a superb single blend and shows what Foursquare distillery is all about – pure single rum, aged at source and bottled without additives. At 14-years-old, it shows the combination of tropical fruit, chocolate-y richness and dried fruits that have made Foursquare a favourite of rum drinkers the world over.”
£64.95 at The Whisky Exhange
“Where are you off to next?” CJ asks… “I’m not sure… I’ve a completely free afternoon… but I do not have a mobile phone on me and need to be able to get back to Surrey later. Where are you headed?” “Milroy’s in Soho.” He replies seeing my eyes light up at the name of a much-esteemed London whisky bar that I’d not yet had chance to visit… And so, to Milroy’s of Soho it was!
Cue Abbi and Liz from TWE team, grabbing a pen for me, so that I could scribble my boyfriend’s mobile number on my hand - incase I ended up getting lost later - like some sort of Millennial Paddington Bear…
[2022 drinks trend #1: unaged spirits] introducing…
sugar house white rum, Scotland
A hot drinks trend for 2022 - rightly tee’d up by Dawn Davies at The Whisky Exchange - is unaged spirits like this beaut of a white rum from Sugar House.
What is it? Being a single pot still fruity number, surprisingly this full-flavoured “peach” is proud to be a Scottish rum from Sugar House, made with naturally soft water and premium cane molasses, it undergoes a week-long fermentation. The palate offers notes of pineapple, mango, banana and peach, as well as spicy ginger and white pepper. Try using this rum to make topical cocktails.
£29.95
So we turn up at Milroy’s of Soho - London’s original whisky specialists, CJ, Abbi, Sukhinder and I. Sukhinder tells me he was very honoured to receive a special guest at one of his milestone birthday’s a few years back - the owner of Milroy’s himself! And what a guest he must have been, for I am blown away by this place too! The selection of whiskies on display certainly exceeded my expectations, as did the spit and sawdust feel of the place - a little rough around the edges, like you had to really be in “the know” to even find this place...
Familar whisky distillery names leap out at you as you browse the glass cabinets and generously stocked shelves. Downstairs is a separate cocktail bar… and no, before you ask… you can not buy a cocktail or bottle of champagne and drink it in the upstairs bar - WHISKY ONLY! That’ll teach ‘em!
We worked our way through some glasses of Michter’s Bourbon (which you won’t be surprised to find they also sell at The Whisky Exchange and (if I am remembering correctly… sell to the likes of bars like Milroy’s of Soho etc) - we then moved on to try some of their Rye. In the past I’ve bought a bottle of Sazerac Rye previously from The Whisky Exchange and also re-bought a bottle of New Riff Straight Rye, £59.95 after receiving a press sample initially (and loving it so much we needed to buy in another) so decided to try something different on this occasion. Afternoon drink fog memory permitting, I think we went for the Arbikie Highland Rye 1794 (2020 release) - retails for about £125 a bottle. OOF!
After a few drams at Milroy’s of Soho, next - we headed to Bar Swift, also in Soho. It’s a pretty popular bar (note: it would make a great date night venue) so we were very lucky to be able to grab a table in their downstairs bar - I would recommend booking in advance if you are thinking of trying this place. We took our booth and went for four of their famous Irish Coffees (Sukhinder’s favourite and personal recommendation!) A couple of cocktails later, we moved onto a bottle of Ruinart Blanc de Blancs champagne and toasted a successful day.
It’s funny isn’t it how our bellys always start to rumble when we’ve had a few drinks… it was these rumbles that took us to our next stop on the Christmas outing: Hoppers London, a Soho-based intimate yet unpretentious Sri Lankan restaurant. My mouth is watering as I type this just THINKING about eating all of that delicious food again. I can highly recommend from their A la Carte menu, to order the Hot Butter Squid, Beef Rib Fry, Bone Marrow Varuval + Roti, Mutton rolls, and enough rice to share between you. I loved the food - but more than that -I loved this entire evening; trying out places I’d never been to before, in all of the 10 years I’ve lived in London and called it home.
I felt alive again!
Thank you to Sukhinder, Dawn and team at The Whisky Exchange for your generosity and the continuous learning journey and foray into the world of spirits that I am embarking on with you. Such a brilliant evening, with old and new friends.
Note: If you're in London, why not take a detour and browse through The Whisky Exchange’s incredible selection of whiskies, spirits, Champagnes and more in person. If you’re lucky… you might even find a few things you can't get online!
Christmas delivery dates & opening hours
Last orders for The Whisky Exchange delivery is 20th December and stores are open till 4pm Christmas Eve. P.s. They open at 11am. :-)
Late night feast at Hoppers London -a Sri Lankan restaurant in the heart of Soho with CJ from A Single Malt Vault and Sukhinder Singh, of The Whisky Exchange. The perfect way to round off a brilliant day.