Valentine’s Day | A guide to the perfect day

Drink, Eating Out, In The News

Pucker up people it’s just a week away, yep Valentine’s Day is just around the corner…
In the timely manner you’ve come to expect from us, we’ve put together a guide of our perfect day – feel free act it out for real – it pretty damn good!

WHAT TO BUY:

DRINK: Bulleit Frontier Whiskey: Limited release Tattoo Edition bottle

Bulleit Frontier Whiskey is in our opinion a gift from the Bourbon Gods, that distinctive bold, spicy taste, plus 3 gold medals and 2 double gold medals at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition don’t lie. And now they’ve gone and made it even better with this limited release Tattoo Edition bottle, the perfect gift for any bourbon drinker!

Bringing a taste of the US to the UK, the Bulleit Bourbon Tattoo Edition Bottle has been created in collaboration with Jess Mascetti, the renowned tattoo artist from East Side Ink, New York. Inspired by her native home of New York and pays homage to the community and city that raised her, Jess’ design has been printed directly onto the iconic Bulleit Bourbon bottle. The unique Bulleit Bourbon Tattoo Edition will be available to buy from Amazon UK priced at £27.40.

The collaboration marks the first time the Bulleit bottle has ever been altered, transforming the American frontier-inspired bottles into pieces of collectable modern art heroing the worldwide tattoo culture. Each bottle hosts a label which hangs around its neck featuring a scannable QR code to access an interactive augmented reality experience, bringing Jess’s design to life digitally.

The limited bottle release is part of Bulleit’s Frontier Works series – an ongoing platform that aims to celebrate creative individuals and artisans on the cultural frontier.

CIGAR: Cohiba Maduro 5 Secretos

Not many words are needed for this king of cigars. Put simply one of the finest small cigars in production. While it only has so much room to evolve, it counteracts its petite format with massive amounts of flavour. Full, bittersweet, dark chocolate notes dominate throughout, though spats of spice and charcoal can be noted intermittently also. A delicious little smoke with an espresso. Hits the spot.

  • STRENGTH: 4 OUT OF 5
  • VITOLA: PETIT CORONA
  • LENGTH: 4 3/8”
  • MINIMUM SMOKING TIME: 20-30 MINUTES
  • RING GAUGE: 40
  • COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: CUBA

Available as a single (£19.65), a box of 10 (£181) or if you really love me, a box 25 (£436)

WHERE TO EAT, YOUR CHOICE OF…

AMERICAN: Smith & Wollensky

Famed American steak restaurant, Smith & Wollensky have created not one but two Valentine’s Day menus, one perfect for sharing and an a la carte. With romance in the air, both menus feature the restaurant’s renowned USDA Prime Dry-Aged steaks and a selection of their finest seafoods. The sharing menu, priced at £110 per person, includes a glass of Perrier-Jouët Blason Rosé Champagne, with a seafood platter to start, featuring Pyefleet Pure oysters, crab, shrimp and lobster, followed by Cote de Boeuf with sides of truffled Mac ’n’ cheese, creamed spinach and French fries. The meal is finished with a delicious pistachio and cherry baked Alaska.

OR…

PAN ASIAN: Gamma Gamma 

Gamma Gamma, the Pan Asian tapas restaurant in Soho, has created a 9 course Valentine’s menu perfect for sharing and with romance in mind. Priced at £49 per person, Head Chef Jon Villar has drawn on his Filipino heritage and classical training to devise a menu that includes ingredients known to be aphrodisiacs, such as oysters, chilli and chocolate.
Starting off with a glass of champagne on arrival, diners will be treated to Colchester Oysters Tempura with nam price num and green mango tabouleh, followed by Cornish Hot Smoked Scallop Carpaccio with miso, honey, black garlic, bottarga, yuzu and siratcha jelly. Lobster Martini with bleeding heart radish, chicory, kalamansi, wasabi and gin sorbet and a Trio of Duck with home cured duck bacon, confit duck leg and beetroot croquette, duck liver ravioli and miso-orange caramel will follow.
Next up is Roasted Rump of Lamb with moromi miso chimichurri, taro and fennel dauphinoise with Châteauneuf-du-Pape and black cardamom jus and Weeping Tiger Fillet Steak with chilli, lemongrass, palm sugar and lime, charred asparagus and sticky rice cake. The meal is polished off with a Peanut Butter and Dark Chocolate Mousse with a Piura 70% chocolate beans device, hazelnut praline, chocolate crumbs and toasted peanut shards.

AFTERWARDS… Well, that’s up to you 😉