London offers no shortage of utterly delightful afternoon teas, but if the idea of sipping from the finest bone china whilst listening to the tinkle of ivories is not quite your bag, then the latest offering from Blind Spot at St Martin's Lane Hotel might be a little more to your liking...
The Speakeasy Cocktail Tea isn't your standard fare; you won't find a menu of teas to select from, nor the classic array of finger sandwiches, but you will encounter a smorgasbord of treats accompanied by a trio of tasty tipples that pack a decent boozy punch (hence why it's only available from 7-9pm…)
The savoury portion of the evening was taken care of by mini quiches lorraine, a spinach and feta feuilleté pastry (which, I may add, I could have eaten three of...) and a devilishly moreish mini crayfish and mango brioche bun with lime and coriander relish.
Each of the delicately delicious sweets incorporated a classic boozy kick. A dulce panna cotta with blackber-ry compote was enlivened with a dose of Chambord. The passionfruit macaron took me back to my teen-age years of boozing with the sweet shot of Passoa. A chocolate Bailey's cake with praline is injected with coffee liqueur, and the final macaron was filled with the flavour of sake and yuzu (a dangerous combo were it to have been in a glass).
The three accompany cocktails were delicious, and surprisingly potent given their diminutive size. Giggle Water comprised Bombay Sapphire gin, English summer tea, rosé champagne and peach syrup, while the Teatotaller featured chamomile infused Grey Goose vodka, lemon sherbet and white vermouth syrup. Our resounding favourite however was the Have The Bee's, a potent concoction of Bacardi carts d'oro rum, pineapple spicy mix and Darjeeling syrup. Let's just say a full size wouldn't have gone amiss.
The menu is most definitely a treat on the tastebuds, though be warned, the portions are a little on the small side so don’t rely on it for a full evening meal or you may find the cocktails having more of an effect than first anticipated…
