Off like a prom dress...

This doll is off for some R&R until sometime in September... baggage allowances be damned.

A big thank you to all who came to the Broken Down Doll Boutique--we loved it and hope you did too. The boutique will be reappearing in the autumn, so start looking forward to a whole new season's worth of fabulousness. If you'd like us to keep you up to date on exactly when and where future boutiques will be happening, send your email contact details to us at: brokendowndollboutique@gmail.com. 

The Final Four (Hours)

Saturday is Broken Down Doll's last day at The Shop in Kensal Rise. At four o'clock today the boutique will evaporate into the ether...until next time. We've added new stock today, so there are still many fabulous finds to be found--and perhaps just as important--cocktails to be had in the sunshine.

The happiest hour: Broken Down Doll's signature cocktail!

Many Broken Down Dolls were downed Tuesday night at the launch of our Bar Boutique. It's a wonder we can still remember the recipe...

Broken Down Doll

20 ml Babicka Vodka
20 ml lemon juice
10 ml sugar syrup
5 ml maraschino
dash absinthe

top with prosecco

Mirror, Mirror (potentially) on your wall...

You need one of these. Or a whole wall of these.

Satisfied customer:

Open for business! And cocktails, of course.

Getting ready...

Not long now...

Read the small print for dates and times...

What I remember of what I drank...

Monday was nearly tranAtlantic trauma when Broken Down Doll had to hook a reluctant right upon boarding the aeroplane. Fortunately, I was able to take a page out of infamous imbiber Dan Dunn's book (Living Loaded).
Literally. See. Here's the actual page.

Of course, I do deem some of these ingredients extraneous. Don't need lager or pretzels. Or the elaborate theatre of crushing or stirring for that matter...


Tuesday was all about transAtlantic redemption in the form of a Pegu Club. Or two...


Pegu Club


45 ml Gin
15 ml Cointreau
7.5 ml fresh lime juice
2 dashes Angostura bitters


Shake with ice. Strain. Enjoy.

This week, many a spiritual need was fulfilled by The Shop (host to Broken Down Doll Bar Boutique, which starts happening only five days from now on Tuesday 26th July!) and its massive milk bottle sized cocktails. Good idea.

Shop Credit: Babicka vodka, pomegranate juice, apple juice, fresh lime, passionfruit syrup, elderflower cordial, prosecco. 

Once Loved: (the unmistakeable and taste of a summer holiday) Kraken dark spiced rum, coco lopez, pineapple juice, creme de Abricot


Exact measures available at The Shop: http://www.facebook.com/THESHOPNW10?ref=ts


The Once Loved (Above) couldn't help but make me muse on that retro guiltiest pleasure of all time: The Pina Colada. As we all know (or should know) it is a double guilty pleasure. Or it was until about 3 minutes and 47 seconds ago when Doll thought it would be a giggle to have a listen and instead became transfixed by this car crash: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5clofp30cUw


If you can make it all the way through this disturbing animated robot version of an already questionable song without tearing your eyes out or punching the 'people' on the screen, you deserve a drink. Probably something rather stiffer than a pina colada. But go ahead and have one anyway...pretend you're on holiday.

Delicious details

A serving of accessories...

For the gentlemen...

A Taste of Things to Come. . .





The liquid week

Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday...all have come and gone in rapid succession. And so here is a rapid succession of what Broken Down Doll got up to this week...

Brandy Crusta

50 ml Gin
7.5 ml Orange Curacao
7.5 ml fresh lemon juice
2 dashes orange bitters
a dash sugar syrup

Rim with sugar, garnish with lemon zest.

Reverse Martinez

50 ml Sweet Vermouth
20 ml Gin
2 dashes orange bitters
dash Maraschino

Shake, strain, drink.

White Lady

50 ml Gin
20 ml fresh lemon juice
20 ml Curacao
egg white

Shake furiously. Strain. Drink.

Sazerac

Rinse glass with Absinthe.

Stir:
60 ml high rye Bourbon
10 ml sugar syrup

Pour in glass. Drink.

And for good measure...here's one with no recipe required. Ah, tequila. It loves me. It loves me not. It loves me. It loves me not. You get the picture. (Though it appears I can barely steady my hand to do just that.)

Bag it up

Monday. Already?

The weekend passed in a blur. Followed by another blur. Just the way I like it.


Saturday was full of French 75s (made in beautiful vintage shakers)

French 75


20ml gin
10ml lemon juice
5ml sugar syrup


Shake the above, strain and top with champagne.


Too much of a good thing made Broken Down Doll want more of a good thing...so Saturday's excess was cured by Sunday's Bloody Marias.

Bloody Maria


50ml tequila (reposado)
150-200ml tomato juice
15ml lime juice
4 dashes Tabasco
4 dashes Worcestershire sauce
pinch salt and pepper


Multiply the measures by the number of dolls and guys still standing or recently roused, add plenty of ice, stir, serve, repeat.

A better effort

As promised, today's offering in Broken Down Doll's cocktail-a-day countdown (18 days to go...) is more refined and less haphazard in the measuring. Keep it equal and give all the booze a chance--another motto Doll likes to live by. 

Negroni


25ml Campari
25ml Sweet vermouth
25ml Gin


Build on ice, stir and garnish with an orange zest. 


If you have a hankering for something a bit more out of the ordinary, try one of the alternative Negroni recipes in this article:


http://imbibe.com/article/numero-uno-negroni-files



I'm considering infusing some gin with lapsang souchong for a Cloudy Negroni. (See how far yesterday's Mother Hubbard has come so quickly.) Broken Down Doll doesn't drink tea (often) but if she did it would be lapsang souchong. A tea with the mouth-watering aroma of bacon? Genius. 

Mother Hubbard's Post-work special

Mother Hubbard's post-work special


Campari
Perrier


Pour over ice, measure according to taste.




Wednesday was a barely averted bare cupboard distaster--but this left this Doll wondering why Campari is the last thing left in the cupboard when it is oh so bitter and tasty.


Unconvinced? I promise to go shopping first thing today--at some point today--and bring you something more refined. Wait right there...

The mood that I'm in...

I'm not really in such a mood (who could be with such insane cocktail rings, nevermind the Dior?) it's just an excuse to post a little something for anyone having a Black Tuesday. This one always picks Broken Down Doll up and puts her back together.


Aviation


60ml gin
20ml lemon juice
15ml maraschino


Ice. Shake. Strain. Drink. Relax.

Monday's Necessity: Corpse Reviver #2

Fantastic name aside, this is a spectacular cocktail and Broken Down Doll's most recent predilection. Quite possibly due to another of my favourite ingredients being featured. It shouldn't be much of a challenge to guess which one that is...and, O, three dashes is my preferred measure.

Recipe and cautionary caveat compliments of The Savoy Cocktail Book by Harry Craddock. I too suggest stopping at three. Three and a half tops.