Alcohol | Charlotte's VVeb

Treat Your Loved One to a GrasovKiss on Valentine’s Day

14/02/201106/03/2017 by Charlotte J

With what seems like an eternal recession upon us, it is of little surprise to hear that many couples are planning on spending their Valentine’s night at home. However, I think this is a far better option! Normally, venues are crammed full to the brim and prices are unfairly increased. Plus, at home you can choose exactly what you want to eat or drink. Talking of which… this year why not whip up a GrasovKiss cocktail using Grasovka Bison Grass Vodka?

It’s the perfect Valentine aperitif and it’s quick and easy to make, simply follow this delicious recipe…

Ingredients

2 oz Grasovka Bison Grass Vodka
1 oz raspberry syrup
¼ oz lemon juice
Dash of apple juice
Dash of lemonade

Serve over ice in a highball glass and for that extra romantic twist, float a rose petal on top or garnish with a few raspberries

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Cocktail of the Month: Grey Goose Orange Blush

20/01/201106/03/2017 by Charlotte J

So while most people are grappling with a detox in January, I wonder where the fun in that is! This January I’m indulging in a Grey Goose Orange Blush using Grey Goose l’Orange vodka with orange liqueur. Here’s how to make this delightful cocktail…

Ingredients

35ml Grey Goose L’Orange

10ml orange liqueur

Tonic water

Instructions

Mix the Grey Goose vodka with orange liqueur and ice, then balance by topping with tonic

Serve with lemon wedges to taste

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RSV’s Fountain of Youth – A New Year, A New You

12/01/201106/03/2017 by Charlotte J

Russian Standard Vodka Fountain of Youth

Forget detoxing this January, it’s a miserable enough month as it is to deny yourself the pleasure of a good cocktail. However, if you are being lured to the dark side, then never fear, a fabulous Fountain of Youth cocktail, created by Russian Standard Vodka, may be the answer to your prayers.

This fresh and fruity cocktail includes delicious pomegranate juice which contains three times more antioxidants than green tea or red wine. Drinking pomegranate juice helps keep blood vessels from hardening, bring more oxygen to the heart and prevents bad cholesterol from being deposited on the arteries.

So how do you make this magic drink I hear you ask! Just follow the steps below…

Ingredients

35ml / 1.7 fl oz Russian Standard
40ml / 2 fl oz Pomegranate juice, fresh squeezed where available
20g / 0.7 oz thinly sliced ginger

Instructions

Shake all ingredients vigorously with ice

Double strain and pour into a martini glass

Garnish with a piece of ginger and pass a mint leaf around the glass rim

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Wine of the Week: Bulgarian Enira Red Wine at Waitrose

05/01/201106/03/2017 by Charlotte J

Enira 2006 Thracian Lowlands Bulgarian Red Wine

This New Year I was excited to see yet another East European wine on sale at Waitrose; it’s no wonder Decanter deem them the best supermarket supplier of wines. I saw in 2011 with a bottle of Enira 2006 Thracian Lowlands Bulgarian red wine. This fabulous, spicy red wine is produced and bottle by the Bessa Valley Winery in Ognianovo village.

This wine is a blend of cabernet sauvignon and merlot. The deep, vibrant, ruby red colour is further complemented by its rich flavour. Boasting flavours of plum and blackcurrant, this wine is particularly smooth. Unlike most East European wines, it is ripe, and equals any bottle of cabernet sauvignon from France or the New World. It would not be impossible to enjoy this wine chilled as is a popular trend in Balkans and Greece.

Most excitingly I then found out this wine won a Bronze Award at the International Wine Challenge. I couldn’t agree with the decision more. It’s certainly a worthy punt for wine enthusiasts!

For more information visit

Waitrose Enira 2006 Thracian Lowlands Bulgarian Wine £7.59.

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Friday Night Cocktails for National Chocolate Week

15/10/201006/03/2017 by Charlotte J

This week, Britain has been celebrating all things sweet throughout this year’s National Chocolate Week where every self-respecting chocoholic can, and has indulged in every imaginable form of chocolate. Come Friday night why not continue to enjoy chocolate but this time with a real twist, all courtesy of the mixologists at Russian Standard Vodka who have dreamt up this deliciously pleasurable range of chocolate cocktails.

Combining the smooth indulgence of chocolate with a luxurious base of Russian Standard Vodka Original, it’s the perfect way to kick off a week of cocoa based extravagance! You’ll be in chocolate heaven. Check out the recipes below…

Choc-Orange Russian Screwdriver

50ml Russian Standard Vodka Original
100ml freshly squeezed orange juice
25ml crème de cacao
To serve: Slice of orange, a twist of rind & grated chocolate

Shake the Russian Standard Vodka, crème de cacao and fresh orange in a cocktail mixer then pour over ice into a chilled hi-ball glass, add the freshly squeezed orange juice and garnish with a slice of orange and a twist of rind.

Chocolate Russian
50ml Russian Standard
20ml Creme de Cacao
30ml Fresh Cream

Pour Creme de Cacao and Russian Standard over ice and stir gently. Float fresh cream on top.

Russian Standard Vodka Original owes its name and quality to scientist Dmitri Mendeleev’s classic formula, commissioned by Tsar Alexander III. Its optimum balance and purity make it perfect alone or at the heart of a magnificent cocktail.

Step up the celebrations this National Chocolate Week 11th and 17th of October!

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Wine of the Week: Eva’s Vineyard Merlot / Kékfrankos 2007

13/10/201006/03/2017 by Charlotte J

Imagine my surprise when on my way to see friends at a dinner party when checking out the Waitrose wine shelves to find them now stocking Eva’s Vineyard Merlot / Kékfrankos (an indigenous grape) 2007 from the Szekzard region in Hungary. Now I knew Waitrose stocked Eva’s Vineyard Chenin Blanc / Pinot Grigio / Királyleányka 2009 from the Neszmély region but here was a hearty red perfect for those dark, cold, winter nights.

This is a warm, ripe, ruby red wine and a perfect accompaniment to porkolt or goulash. And it’s screw cap! But if you can believe it, that’s not the best bit? The best bit is that this fabulous bottle of wine costs just £3.79! What an absolute steal!

What you need to know:
Price per bottle: £3.79
Alcohol by volume: 12.5% vol
Bottle size: 75cl
Closure type: Screwcap
Exclusive to Waitrose: Yes
Grape varieties: Merlot / Kékfrankos
Region: Other Countries
Style: Medium Bodied
Wine colour: Red

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Festival of Opening the Wine Cellars on Czech-Slovak Border

06/10/201006/03/2017 by Charlotte J

On the 13th and 14th of November wine enthusiasts are invited to meet wine-makers and their vintages, the lanes of tiny hillside wine-cellars, and the local cooking and music of Slovácko, on the Czech-Slovak border.

Slovácko is home to the Chřiby and the White Carpathians. The Morava river meanders through and nourishes a wide valley full of green meadows and enchanting Lužní forests between the mountains. There are delightful chateaux of Milotice , Buchlovice and Bojkovice and steardy fortifications of Buchlov and Malenovice Castles. Alongside all this history there are numerous vineyards and picturesque paths to wine cellars in Petrov, Vlčnov and Mařatice, where you will find industrious vintners.

For more information visit Czech Tourism

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19th International Wine Festival in Budapest

26/08/201023/10/2016 by Charlotte J

Between the 8th and 12th of September the terraces of the Buda Castle Palace in Budapest, Hungary, will host the 19th Budapest International Wine Festival.

The festival was founded by the Hungarian Viniculture Foundation, established in 1991. Representatives of different areas of viniculture, including training, professional associations, business federations and research, are on the Foundation’s Board of Trustees, which inspects VINICULTURE PBC’s work as both owner and managing body.

As raising the culture of production and consumption is only feasible together at the same time, VINICULTURE PBC operates primarily by organising events which promote the living connection between the product and the consumer in the spirit of high quality. Our work to reach our targets over the last decade has already brought numerous results.

The Budapest International Wine Wine Festival, held in 2010 for the 19th time, has become the sector’s biggest event and an outstanding festival in Budapest’s calendar.

For more information visit www.aborfesztival.hu

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Russian Standard Vodka Originals Pop-up Party in Soho

23/08/201023/10/2016 by Charlotte J

When I was invited to attend the Russian Standard Vodka Originals Pop-up Bar Party at the Vinyl Factory on Poland Street in London’s Soho, held last Thursday, I naturally jumped at the chance! An evening of fabulous, chilled Russian vodka cocktails (The Russian Tea being my personal favourite – bringing back all the flavours and aromas of the Russian samovar, zakuski feasts and the iciest, driest vodka) combined with music from DJ Mr Hudson, Tim from the Filthy Dukes and Sam Bell and a fantastic crowd made for one of the best nights I’ve had out in a long time.

Check out a little video compilation from the event below…

Note: If you cannot see the above video it may be because you are using a browser it is not compatible with. Try using Firefox or updating your browser so it runs the latest settings.

To see photographs from the event click here!

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O2 Lounge Terrace – The Flair of NYC in Moscow

22/07/201022/10/2016 by Charlotte J

This summer if you find yourself in Moscow and seek a little city chic one evening then there is no better place to head than the O2 Lounge Summer Terrace with its new theme “The Flair of New York in the Heart of Moscow”. The summer concept is reflected both in the venue’s décor and its food and beverages. Despite recent tensions between the USA and the former USSR power caused on the recent discovery of Russian spies in the West, these two mega cities, that have so much in common and yet are located on the opposite sides of the planet, will finally be juxtaposed on the 12th floor of The Ritz-Carlton, Moscow.

The summer menu of The O2 Lounge will be enhanced by New York classics and Moscow unbeatable hits: Cobb Salad with avocado, blue cheese, bacon, shrimp and baby salad leaves, Russian Crab Salad, Okroshka Summer Soup and Crab Cake with basil citrus salad and spicy avocado cream. Guests will also be offered grilled dishes such as US Prime Beef Burger, US Prime Rib Eye with cognac pepper sauce, Grilled US Prime T-bone steak and traditional Shashlyk.

While relaxing on the summer terrace, the guests will be able to order American ice cream and traditional New York hot dogs, and the barmen will invite guests for a glass of O2 Cosmopolitan, Traditional Manhattan, Fifth Avenue (Gin, Martini rosato and lavender foam), New York Cheesecake (Vanilla Vodka, Grand Marnier, cream, mascarpone), Moscow Lassie (Vodka, apple juice, Cucumber, mango puree, jog hurt) or Russian Lemonade.

About The Ritz-Carlton

The Ritz-Carlton, Moscow is located just off Red Square, next to the Kremlin, in the heart of the cultural and business center of Russia’s capital. The hotel enjoys the largest guest rooms and suites in the city all fully equipped with cutting-edge technological amenities. The O2 Lounge on the 12th floor offers magnificent views of the Kremlin and Red Square, and the full-service spa by ESPA are among the hotel’s premium amenities. For more information and reservations, contact your travel professional, call The Ritz-Carlton, Moscow at +7 495 225 8888 or visit www.ritzcarlton.com