When I was younger – much younger – a Friday night out with a mate would mean proper bitter, pulled through a line with a gravity pump and having a head like clotted cream, followed by a walk home via the chippy. The nearest I got to a cocktail was a pint of mixed. How times change. When I met my good friend, Simon, last Friday, it was at Opposite, a cool coffee shop in Chapel Allerton, on the newly reconfigured junction of Stainbeck Lane and Harrogate Road.
The reason I am so precise with my directions is that the business operates from premises with only a small sign on the door. I don’t know whether this was the intention, but it does add a certain mystique to the experience. Sadly, there were no nefarious activities in progress, which I had hoped was the reason for the semi-anonymity.
Although there was nothing untoward occurring, during June and July the innocent coffee shop morphs into a cool cocktail bar on Fridays and Saturdays when the clock strikes six. The drinks menu is divided into three parts: Blank Canvas Drinks, Charlie’s Classic Cocktails and Mocktails. There is also a Bar Snacks section with goodies sourced from the incredible array of local artisan food shops: Nocellara Del Belice Olives, George & Joseph Cornish Gouda, Lishman’s Pork and Fennel Salami and SKOG Rosemary and Sea Salt Focaccia with Olive Oil.
During the years since my ale and fish butty nights, I have been fortunate enough to be invited to some rather swish events at upmarket hotels which has necessitated the consumption of more sophisticated drinks, so I am now no stranger to cocktails. The range on offer here was small but perfectly formed, with a mixture – well it is a cocktail bar – of the familiar and the innovative.
Charlie, right, with his brilliant staff. The smiles never slipped all night!
The modus operandi of Opposite is that the creations are poured, ready mixed, from chilled bottles and then garnished. When it comes to cocktails there is a fine line between the James Bond and the Derek Trotter schools of mixology, which the presentation by Charlie and the staff manage not to cross. No paper umbrellas, sparklers or marshmallows here, just well thought out combinations of tastes, simply presented and served in a very friendly, but efficient, manner.
Blank Canvas produces original cocktails as well as twists on old favourites. They are non-perishable, made from prestigious brand ingredients and then presented in premium glass bottles, so you can enjoy the taste of a professionally mixed concoction in your own home by chilling them, adding some ice, or both. A garnish of your choice completes the preparation so you can try a variety of drinks without ending up with a cupboard full of partially used ingredients which were bought to experiment with but didn’t warrant a second attempt!
Neither shaken nor stirred.
Charlie’s Classic Cocktails share the same philosophy but are more of the traditional variety. They are pre-diluted so ice is optional, and a shaker unnecessary, merely chill, spritz and garnish. They are also crafted to be 20% ABV – one UK unit – so you know exactly how much you have had.
I began by sampling one of my favourites so that I had a yardstick with which to measure the drink, I also think that having a cocktail named in your honour is a bit of an accolade. An Old Fashioned it was then!
The taste was as good as I have ever had with the sweetness of the sugar and fruitiness of Orange Spritz not compromising the overall dry taste, enhanced by the bitters. As with Blank Canvas, the spirits are of the more upmarket brands, the Bourbon being Woodford Reserve. I thought that they had given me a double measure until I saw that the ice cube was similar in size to the one which put paid to the maiden voyage of the Titanic. This was a good thing because it means that the coolant dissolves a lot slower than would be the case with a couple of smaller pieces or, Heaven forfend, crushed ice, thus allowing the drinker to regulate how diluted they want their libation to be. Needless to say I took care to make sure that not too much water was allowed to permeate the ingredients by quaffing the drink before damage could be done.
Simon’s choice was also from the Charlie’s Classic Cocktails section and was a Sazerac. Although from this category, neither of us had heard of the drink before and even my spell checker underlined it in red, I must download the wino’s version. This also contained Woodford Reserve along with Hine Cognac, Peychaud’s Bitters, Absinthe, Sugar, and Lemon Spritz. No ice was added so I presume it is meant to be enjoyed at either a quicker pace or a slightly higher temperature than my Old Fashioned. The sip I was allowed left me with the impression that this was a much more complicated melange than mine. It was also heavier but extremely pleasant nonetheless, so pleasant, in fact, that he stuck with them for the next two rounds. It must be true that Absinthe makes the heart grow fonder.
My next selection was the iconic Classic Martini with Boatyard Gin, Dry Vermouth, Orange Bitters, Olive and Lemon Spritz. What can you say about a Dry Martini other than it is the perfect aperitif, being light and palate teasing, thus providing you with a wonderful drink without cloying the tastebuds and interfering with the coming repast, it even has its own amuse bouche included. I wondered why there was no cocktail stick piercing the tantalising green olive but I found the answer when I bit into it and discovered that it still contained the stone. I had surmised that this might be the case so fortunately didn’t clamp my choppers on it too enthusiastically.
As there was no fifteen course tasting menu on offer and I had partaken of a pre-meal staple, we then chose a couple of items from the bar snacks section of the bill of fare.
The Cornish Gouda from George & Joseph Cheese Shop just over the road and a deceptively large chunk of SKOG Rosemary and Sea Salt Focaccia, providing four portions, enabling us to go another couple of rounds in a tag match with the cocktail menu! Both elements were delicious and the olive oil was a bit special as well.
Although from the Blank Canvas Section, my first shot in the second half – see what I did there – was a Margarita. I have trouble in thinking of a Margarita as a cocktail as I confine my intake of them to the times when I am on the other side of the pond, where they is served in large measures with very little ceremony. My first experience of this drink was in 1989 in a bar in Tijuana, one of the twenty or so towns which claim tho have invented it, where it was cloudy, as have been all of my (many) other versions since then, and served in a half pint glass, so I was surprised to see that this one was crystal clear. Charlie said that, because the drinks were sold in bottles, fresh lime would deteriorate too quickly, so lime juice was used. Whatever, the combination of Silver Tequila, Cointreau, Lime, Sugar and Saline was pretty good, but it felt a bit watery so was the one disappointment of the evening. Perhaps it was also because this was the posh version using Cointreau, rather than the thicker triple sec. Yes, I know that Cointreau is a type of triple sec, and the correct one to use, but try telling that to a Mexican bar owner in a dive where even the wasps avoid the drinks. Another indicator as to its breeding was that the salt only covered half the rim of the glass.
I refused to go out on an anticlimax, so ordered one more for the road. I am lucky in that I know when I have had enough alcohol – it is about two drinks before I fall over – so was confident that another from Charlie’s Classics would do the trick, and do the trick it did. It was a Negroni made with Boatyard Gin, Campari, Sweet Vermouth and Orange Spritz. Again it had the large chunk of ice as well as a slice of orange. Rather than watery, this was smooth and silky, being the perfect way to call it a night, and work out where to go for something to eat.
Being a coffee shop by day, which also has a counter selling beans and ground varieties, there was obviously an Espresso Martini on offer but please note that the cocktail menu will change in July to showcase other offerings.
Although there is a fish shop nearby, we decided to go for a Greek meal but, as with all the best plans, we were lured into the Indian next door, by the wonderful aroma pervading the air. This was a master stroke on behalf of Simon, as we had a great dinner and were able to accompany it with a couple of mango lassi so as not to overindulge in booze.
The Opposite Pop-up Cocktail Bar is open from 6.00pm until midnight every Friday and Saturday until 27th July. No booking required just turn up.
The Pop-up Bottle Shop is open on Friday and Saturday from 8.00am until midnight.
Coffee Shop hours are 8.00am to 5.00pm Monday to Friday; 8.00am to 4.00pm Saturday and 9.00am to 4.00pm Sunday.
For more about Charlie’s Classic Cocktails please go to https://charliesclassiccocktails.com/
For Blank Canvas Drinks it is https://www.blankcanvasdrinks.com/
In my policy of transparency, I must inform you that I was a guest of Opposite, and Simon is the owner of Chapter81, the PR company who handle their account. Had I gone as a paying customer not a word would have been different – except for the references to him of course.
All photographs by Stan Graham
Tyke It To The Limit 