URB Reviews Absurd Bird
Absurd Bird opened in Bath late last year and has been serving up delicious southern style chicken ever since. But did you know they also do some of the best cocktails around?! Last week URB were lucky enough to take part in a cocktail masterclass and find out more about the ingredient that makes Absurd Bird’s cocktails unique; Moonshine!
We visited Absurd Bird on the first of their Moonshine events which sees students provided with an American style red cup that they can take back every full moon and have refilled! When we arrived we were greeted by Norbert who showed us to our seats at the bar and left us in the very capable hands of Antonio, the general manager of Absurd Bird’s first restaurant in London.
Instead of choosing cocktails, we asked Antonio to suggest something a bit different and were provided with a Kentucky Barn Dance and an Ol’ Blue Eyes. The Kentucky Barn Dance was a definite winner – using Absurd Bird’s apple and cinnamon flavoured moonshine – it was amazing and we have never had anything like it before!
The bar where we were seated was in the middle of the restaurant which has been designed to recreate the French quarters of New Orleans, transporting you to the South! There is definitely a cosy atmosphere and the bar staff immediately made us feel comfortable and at home.
Whilst we waited for the masterclass to begin we ordered some food, all of which was delicious and freshly prepared. The chicken wings were not only really tasty but huge too due to the fact that Absurd Bird use free range chickens that are bred for longer than usual. We also tired Absurd Dirty Fries and a burger slider consisting of three different burgers, all with perfectly combined flavours.
Chicken isn’t the only thing on the menu; Absurd Bird have a range of vegetarian options too and the quinoa and mango salad was incredible! And if you fancy something absurd, try the potato bake with marshmallows; a dish that is sure to confuse your taste buds in an extremely good way!
After we had eaten, Antonio told us about Absurd Bird’s Moonshine; produced in a secret location in London, Moonshine is an unaged whiskey that is light in colour. Most people assume that Moonshine started during the prohibition era however it was born long before that and is the reason Nascar was born – drivers would improve their cars so that they could outrun the cops and deliver their Moonshine!
The beauty of Moonshine is that it is easy to mix with lots of other things and this can be seen in the variety of Absurd Bird’s cocktail menu; have it with elderflower liqueur, Jack Daniels, iced tea, cider…the list is endless! There is also flavoured Moonshine, we tried a blackberry flavoured Moonshine that was really smooth and sweet, a vanilla Moonshine that was full of flavour and our personal favourite, an apple and cinnamon flavoured Moonshine.
Having learnt about Moonshine and its origins, we were ready for our masterclass which was led by Sasha, a mixologist from the Absurd Bird bar in Soho. Sasha showed us how to make a Hill Billy Ice Tea and a Fix Up and we were even allowed to have a go at making a few cocktails ourselves! It was extremely fun and we had a great laugh with Sasha, Antonio and Norbert.
After the masterclass we heard live music and Norbert told us about plans to get other live musicians and DJs to come and play at Absurd Bird as well as other ideas he had for student deals!
Throughout the night Antonio had said that we wouldn’t have to worry about how many cocktails we had as the Moonshine wouldn’t give us a hangover; we are very pleased to say we woke up feeling spritely and definitely look forward to going back soon!
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