COCKTAIL FUN AT TWORUBA, HILTON LONDON TOWER BRIDGE

27/10/2017

On a miserable windy Autumnal Thursday evening, I swapped joggers for glam as I nervously made my way to the Hilton London Tower Bridge for an evening of cocktails and fun, going out solo is new to me but something I need to get used to as a blogger. The bar is TwoRuba located on the ground floor of the hotel which is right by London Bridge station, it conjures up images of a vivacious Latin America but the vibe is really relaxed, cool and elegant.

The event was a gathering of like minded bloggers sampling TwoRuba’s new Autumn cocktail menu which includes innovative twists on classics such as the Scary Mary and Autumn Lady and with Halloween fast approaching, the spooky theme is definitely evident with the striking gold pumpkin’s in various sizes adorning the bar.

I was greeted with a glass of prosecco whilst getting to know everyone, I don’t know why I was so nervous. The head barman, a really bubbly guy with loads of enthusiasm, was bringing out nibbles and telling us all about the new Halloween inspired cocktails. First to arrive was a take on a Bloody Mary which TwoRuba call a Scary Mary containing the same Bloody Mary ingredients including the addition of celery and chilli for an extra kick and garnished with a sprig of rosemary, this is a savoury cocktail which definitely bites.

Also on offer, some much needed nibbles, the usual variety of nuts was accompanied by some really cute mini vol au vents, I love vol au vents, I never knock these very popular 1970’s canapés, crumbly, buttery, flaky pastry filled which you can fill with anything your hear desires. Also, some crispy fish goujons with tartare sauce and oriental spring rolls. These were much needed to absorb all the booze swishing around!

The next cocktail to arrive is the Autumn Lady, a cocktail made using the “dry shake” method, I had no idea what that was but TwoRuba’s expert mixologyst explained that these types of cocktail don’t use ice hence the name dry shake, but instead, egg white is used which produces a really lovely creamy froth. The Autumn Lady cocktail is a take on the White Lady with a base of gin and the addition of ginger, it’s decorated with TwoRuba‘s logo and spooky designs cleverly created by the barmen, this was definitely my favourite cocktail.

A cocktail Masterclass was part of the evening fun, we were also going to be trying our hand at making something! This was a cocktail resembling a fruit pastille lolly, vibrant colours layered to look like a rainbow. This was definitely the highlight of the evening.

A tall glass was filled with ice followed by orange juice and a good shake of vodka and the vibrant electric Blue Curacao, a personal favourite evoking memories of beachy holiday fun, this mix was gently poured over using a cocktail spoon and finally, fruity grenadine ever so slowly trickling over the blunt end of a barman’s twisted spoon to produce a definite layers, I think Stephanie won hands down compared to mine. This Rainbow Cocktail is quite sweet but the vodka definitely counterbalances the sweetness, it may look pretty but it’s definitely potent.

I had a great time making new friends and sampling some exotic cocktails; thanks to TwoRuba for a really fun evening and also to the girls at Lioneye Media, Rebecca and Sophia who hosted the evening. TwoRuba is definitely a bar I will come to again and with cocktails starting at £10, you can’t go wrong.

TwoRuba can be found at the Hilton London Tower Bridge, getting into the Christmas spirit (pardon the pun) which is just around the corner, they are also organising an exciting Christmas event, TwoRuba By The Pier at the Christmas by the River, ChristmasMarket at Tower Bridge which is running from 30th November to 3rd January 2018. Come and join in the fun, I definitely will!